SUNSET PARK — A top NYPD official acknowledged that some police officers "don't do it right" after residents of Sunset Park turned out in large numbers Wednesday to question the department's handling of alleged police brutality.
Dozens of activists spoke out at a town hall meeting with police officials, including NYPD Chief of Department Philip Banks, after a string of videos showed officers clashing with Sunset Park civilians and using what appeared to be excessive force.
The meeting began with a screening of the recent videos from El Grito De Sunset Park, a local police watch group, including one in which 22-year-old Jonathan Daza was kicked in the back by a police officer and another in which a pregnant Sandra Amezquita was allegedly slammed on the ground by an officer.
While Banks defended a majority of police officers on the force, he conceded that some did not follow procedure.
“The overwhelming majority of police officers do their job right,” he said. “That’s not to say we don’t have police officers who don’t do it right.”
Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who was invited but did not attend the meeting, was “concerned” over the violence depicted in these recordings, Banks added.
Banks attended the meeting with Community Affairs Bureau Chief Joanne Jaffe, Captain Tommy Ng, commanding officer of the 72nd Precinct and other police officials.
Mayor Bill de Blasio was also invited to speak at the town hall session but did not attend.
El Grito, which organized the meeting, has been documenting instances of alleged police misconduct for months in an effort to “watch each others' backs,” said founder Dennis Flores at the meeting, which was hosted at the Sunset Park recreation center.
“That’s the reality we live in Sunset Park,” Flores said. “This is just the summer.”
Officer Vincent Ciardiello was suspended for kicking Daza, although many in the crowd felt he should have been taken off the force.
Amid bursts of cheers and applause, El Grito’s Flores demanded that the NYPD drop charges against victims involved in these clashes and called for Bratton and the 72nd Precinct’s Ng to resign.
He added that a panel was needed to investigate cases of police violence against civilians.
While some in the audience said the officers’ actions stemmed from racism against black, Latino and Asian populations in Sunset Park and across the city, others said it transcended a culture clash since some offending officers belonged to those communities.
But most agreed that the problem spanned decades and required mutual respect from both police and the community.
“We demand change, we demand respect and we demand to be treated with dignity,” said Geraldine Marrero, 26, a member of Atlas DIY, a local immigrant youth group.
Police officials said they were looking into ways to improve community-police relations while also addressing issues in training and recruitment.
Banks expressed remorse for families of alleged victims from Brooklyn to The Bronx — many of whom were killed or injured during confrontations with the police.
“I feel the pain that you have much more than you can possibly imagine,” he said.
Sunset Park resident Carol Valentin spoke out about her oldest son, who she claimed was assaulted by a group of police officers when he was 17 years old and suffered bruising and other injuries as a result.
Her son, who is now 25, was targeted because police thought he was carrying drugs, she explained.
“Every time I hear police sirens," she said, "I worry for my son."
Now Valentin is more concerned about her 20-year-old son, who wants to leave New York City and become a police officer.
“I have no idea [why],” she said. “I tell him no.”
