Demanding justice for Daniel Prude and fighting to fix the systems that failed him
This is an open letter from Rochester City Councilmembers and local elected officials across New York State.
By Rochester City Councilmembers Mitchell D. Gruber and Mary Lupien
The Local Progress NY network of statewide local elected officials is committed to racial justice and fair treatment of all people. For years, we have worked to reform police policy, create systems of accountability for police officers, and dismantle systemic racism at the local level. Our commitment is to fight for a New York that represents and serves all of us by repairing the harms perpetrated by long-standing racial, economic, and social inequities. Unfortunately, the current events in Rochester highlight how far we are from that ideal.
When our membership of elected officials learned about the police killing of Daniel Prude in Rochester — yet another Black man who was killed at the hands of the police — we were appalled by the police officers’ conduct and the length of time to take action. We condemn the killing of Daniel Prude at the hands of the police and we believe that these officers should have been immediately taken off the streets back in March instead of suspended nearly six months later. Police should be held accountable for their actions, as they represent the City of Rochester and every person who resides there. We urge the Attorney General to move swiftly to bring justice in this case and make clear that the police actions that led to Daniel Prude’s death cannot ever be repeated in New York.
We also call on the State Legislature and Governor Cuomo to enact further police reform immediately, including specifically allowing local municipalities and other municipal governments that employ police the ability to create independent civilian oversight boards with the expressed investigatory power with subpoena power with full authority to compel testimony and disciplinary authority.
It was clear from Daniel Prude’s brother’s call for help and even the body-worn camera video that he needed supportive social services instead of the events seen clearly on the video that will repeat again and again in all of our memories. We will be asking state Attorney General Letitia James to use every available resource to properly investigate the incident and hold those who are culpable for Daniel Prude’s death accountable.
We also oppose the militarization of our local police departments including the use of pepper balls, tear gas, non-lethal weapons, and former weapons of war awarded to our police departments by the 1033 program of the National Defense Authorization Act of 1990. These military assets include LRAD sonic deterrents, armored tanks, and military weaponry. New Yorkers have the right to protest as enshrined in both the state and federal constitutions. Using force against nonviolent protesters runs directly counter to these founding principles.
We fully support the Black Lives Matter movement and all of the Rochester community members who are in the streets protesting injustice and insisting that Black lives matter. All people are valued and afforded every protection and guarantee of safety. For too long, Black and Brown communities across the nation and New York have been killed by police as a matter of course. This is unacceptable and must stop now.
Sincerely,
Mitchell D. Gruber, Rochester City Councilmember
Mary Lupien, Rochester City Councilmember
Members of the Local Progress NY Organizing Committee:
- Jennifer Mecozzi, Buffalo City Schools Board Member and Local Progress NY Co-Chair
- Karen Mejia, Newburgh City Councilmember, and Local Progress NY Co-Chair
- Vanessa Agudelo, Peekskill City Councilmember
- Keith Batman, Cayuga County Legislator
- Dan Aymar-Blair, Beacon City Councilmember
- Catherine Borgia, Westchester County Legislator
- Tara N. Gaston, Saratoga County Supervisor
- Michele Hirsch, Kingston City Councilmember
- Christopher Johnson, Westchester County Legislator
- Anna Kelles, Tompkins County Legislator
- Korin Kirk, Binghamton CIty Schools Board Member
- Carlos Menchaca, NYC Councilmember
- Carmen Pineyro, Freeport Village Trustee
- Marion Porterfield, Schenectady City Councilmember
- Stephanie Townsend, Pittsford Town Councilmember
- Robin Wilt, Brighton Town Councilmember
- Christopher Rosenquest, Clinton County Legislator
Local Progress NY is a state chapter of Local Progress, a movement of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government.
