Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez yesterday said his office is investigating several “disturbing” New York City Police Department arrests of black individuals for allegedly violating social distancing and not wearing face mask emergency ordinances and will determine if disciplinary recommendations or criminal charges are warranted against the cops.
Gonzalez made his remarks following several pedestrian filmed videos surfaced starting with one this past Saturday, showing an NYPD officer making a social distancing arrest in the East Village and punching a bystander.
Since that incident, which sparked widespread controversy, two more videos have surfaced of social distancing arrests, both taking place in East New York. Police reported that they arrested three people and issued 51 summonses for social distancing violations over the past weekend.
“Any arrest under these circumstances should always be the last resort. Simply stated, we cannot police ourselves out of this pandemic. Instead, we need to give people the knowledge and ability to keep safe,” said Gonzalez, adding police actions like these serve to erode the progress that NYPD has been trying to build in enhancing police accountability and strengthening trust amongst New Yorkers.
“The disturbing images of arrests for social distancing throughout our city serve to erode the progress that has been made in enhancing police accountability and strengthening trust in our criminal justice system,” said Gonzalez.
Separately, In a virtual forum last night, City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, East Flatbush) partnered with the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) to discuss what steps one should take, if summoned.
When prompted by one of the participants about social distancing violations, Commissioner and Chief Administrative Law Judge Joni Kletter said that she hasn’t seen many summonses but is expecting to see an influx soon.
Kletter also made mention that that COVID-19 related summons aren’t one-sided, and that price gouging violations are being given out as well, a practice Eugene called, “not acceptable, especially now.”
But the issue of ‘Social distancing while black’ continues to rankle black and brown electeds, especially given there are an equal amount of videos and social media depicting police giving out personal protective equipment to white sunbathers while they violate social distancing laws and paying at best, only lip service, to several Hassidic Jewish groups also not obeying social distancing laws.
But to Gonzalez and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, the issue is not about pitting one group against another, but about enforcing these laws equally and with compassion.
“I urge all New Yorkers to follow the rules regarding social distancing designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus and save lives. I also recommend that enforcement activity regarding social distancing consist of distributing masks, gloves, sanitizers and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus,” said Gonzalez.
