Data on NYC distancing arrests suggests bias
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP)– The Brooklyn district attorney’s office released data late Thursday showing that of the 40 people arrested for social distancing violations in the New York City borough since mid-March, 35 were black and four were Hispanic. One was white.
Some of the arrests were caught on video, including one from Monday in which an officer knocked a man to the ground with his arm in Brooklyn. Police said he took a “fighting stance” as officers wrestled his stepbrother against a squad car. Another video from Saturday shows an officer pulling a stun gun on a man and violently taking him to the ground.
The arrests stand in sharp contrast to photos and video tweeted by the NYPD showing friendly officers handing out face masks and gently reminding people to stay 6 feet apart.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, despite mounting pressure to stop using police to enforce social distancing and the data showing that such arrests disproportionately affect people of color, stood by the practice on Thursday, saying: “We’re not going to sideline the NYPD.”
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said the incidents should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
All the charges in the arrests were dropped.
©The Associated Press 2020
