By Patrick Donachie
Elected officials throughout the borough responded to the harrowing displays of violence that shook the nation this week, including the shootings of two men in Louisiana and Minnesota at the hands of the police, as well as the shooting deaths of five police officers that unfolded near the end of a protest march in Dallas.
Police stopped Alton Sterling Tuesday outside of a Baton Rouge, La. convenience store. After tackling him to the ground, officers fired several shots, killing him. Two separate videos of the incident appeared online and in news reports soon after, sparking protests throughout the country. U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) expressed his anger and sorrow at the news on Twitter.
“Though I am a member of Congress,” he tweeted, “as a black man in America I feel sickened by and at risk of police brutality and murders.”
Less than a day later, news broke of the shooting of Philando Castile, a cafeteria supervisor for a St. Paul, MN school. Police pulled over Castile, who was in the car with his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter. Reynolds began streaming video live on Facebook after the officer fired four shots, mortally wounding Castile.
City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) posted on Twitter Thursday about the recent news.
“Is it too early to start talking to my 7-month-old about the dangers of being a black man in America?” he posted.
In Dallas on Thursday night, a man identified as Micah Johnson allegedly opened fire on police at a peaceful march protesting the killing of Castile and Sterling, according to multiple news reports. Johnson is suspected of killing five officers and wounding seven others. He was later killed by a robot in a controlled police detonation.
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) was among the many lawmakers offering condolences in the aftermath.
“My heart is broken today. This vicious and targeted attack on Dallas police officers who were working at an otherwise peaceful protest shocks the conscience and troubles the soul,” she said. “This armed attack on police officers underscores the urgent need for our country to come together and work cooperatively to put an end to the senseless violence that plagues us all.”
State Sen. James Sanders (D-Rochdale Village) announced a Saturday meeting to be held in Jamaica to discuss the multiple shooting incidents with community members, saying he condemns the murder of officers just as he condemns the killings of Sterling and Castile.
“Fear of violence may keep many people who want justice from protesting. It will silence voices of dissent while emboldening those who say that any dissent is treason and hostile to the police,” he said in a statement. “My condolences to the families of those wrongfully slain and now to the families of the five police officers killed in Dallas, and to all who were wounded.”
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said there were no credible threats against the NYPD, and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced early Friday that NYPD officers would patrol in pairs as a precaution.
Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdona
