周日,在丹尼尔·普鲁登去世后,抗议者走上街头进行又一个晚上的示威活动,罗切斯特市长可爱的沃伦和该市警察局长拉朗·辛格尔特里呼吁保持冷静。
罗切斯特警方称周日晚上有1000人聚集。
“让我们一起努力保证每个人的安全!”部门推特。
沃伦呼吁和平示威之前,当局称外界煽动者阴谋破坏这座城市,周六晚上,警方使用胡椒喷雾和催泪瓦斯驱散了1200多人。
沃伦站在辛格尔特里和警察部门旁边,称赞他们在最后几个晚上的抗议中表现出的克制。Singletary补充说,警方已经逮捕了州外的嫌疑人,并引用了社交媒体上的情报,称一些所谓的煽动者计划在抗议期间破坏该市的公共安全建筑。
辛格尔特里在新闻发布会上说:“像阿拉斯加和马萨诸塞州这样的城市以外的人已经被逮捕。”
罗切斯特警察局
丹尼尔·普鲁登于3月23日在2020年9月2日发布的bodycam视频片段中被罗切斯特警方逮捕。
抗议源于上周公布的人体摄像镜头,该镜头显示了3月23日发生的涉及罗切斯特警官和41岁的普鲁登的事件。假正经的哥哥乔打911寻求帮助,说丹尼尔有精神健康紧急情况。
在视频中,那是首次报道罗彻斯特民主党人和纪事报报道,军官们接近了一丝不挂的假正经,假正经最初服从了军官们的命令。假正经随后被看到大喊大叫和随地吐痰,这促使警察将一个吐痰袋放在他的头上。
有人看到警察把假正经按在地上,而袋子还在他头上,他最终死了。假正经一周后在医院去世了。
纽约州司法部长莱蒂西亚·詹姆斯的办公室正在调查这一事件,七名罗彻斯特州的警察被停薪停职,这是纽约州任何时候有人在警察拘留中死亡的协议的一部分。周六,詹姆斯宣布她会组成大陪审团调查普鲁登的死因。
消息传出后,该市发生的抗议活动在相关人员和警方之间引发了争议。官员们说,他们被瓶子和石头击中,不得不用胡椒喷雾、催泪瓦斯和其他武器驱散示威人群,包括周六晚上的示威。
据罗彻斯特警察局称,周六约有1500人在市中心游行,一些人据称燃放了烟花。据警方称,三名警察因与烟花爆竹有关的受伤接受了治疗,九人被捕。
马拉尼·r·斯塔布/法新社通过盖蒂图像
2020年9月5日,在丹尼尔·普鲁登死亡视频发布后的第四天晚上,抗议者在纽约罗切斯特游行。
沃伦说,她正在制定一项计划,允许抗议者集会,同时保护人们免受伤害和建筑物损坏。她呼吁该市的长老周日晚上在一个教堂会面,努力保持示威尽可能和平。
她说:“我们的长老将作为抗议者和我们的警察部门之间的缓冲。”
与此同时,沃伦承认,国务院和市政府应该做更多的工作来保护假正经。
她说:“我们必须承认,在那一刻,我们没有这样做。”
市长透露,她上个月第一次看到尸体的镜头,但由于司法部长的调查,她不能采取任何直接行动。她为辛格尔特里和他迄今为止在调查中的行为进行了辩护,称他已经做了所有该做的事情,没有妨碍或掩盖此案。
阿德里安·克劳斯/美联社档案
2020年9月3日,罗切斯特市长可爱的沃伦(左)在纽约罗切斯特举行的新闻发布会上向媒体发表讲话,她宣布暂停与丹尼尔·普鲁登之死有关的官员的职务。
她说:“我全心全意地相信,RPD首席单线图可以带领我们通过这一次。”
与此同时,沃伦和辛格尔特里说,该市已经在努力改变该市应对精神健康紧急呼叫的方式。据市长和局长称,该市将增加一倍的精神卫生专业人员,警方将审查处理此类紧急情况的措施。
辛格尔特里说:“某些电话不应该由警方处理。”
Rochester mayor calls for calm as protests against Daniel Prude's death grow more contentious
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and the city's police chief La'Ron Singletary called for calm Sunday as protesters took to the streets for another night of demonstrations following the death of Daniel Prude.
Rochester Police said 1,000 people had gathered Sunday evening.
"Let’s work together to keep everyone safe!" the departmenttweeted.
Warren's pleas for peaceful demonstrations came after authorities said outside agitators have plotted to damage the city and after police used pepper spray and tear gas to disperse a crowd of over 1,200 people Saturday night.
Warren stood by Singletary and the police department and commended them for their restraint during the last couple of nights of protest. Singletary added that officers have arrested suspects from out of state and cited intelligence from social media that some of the alleged agitators planned to damage the city's public safety building during the protests.
"People from outside of the city like Alaska and Massachusetts have been arrested," Singletary said at the news conference.
Daniel Prude is arrested by Rochester Police on March 23 in bodycam video footage released on Sept. 2, 2020.
The protests stem from last week's release of body camera footage showing the March 23 incident involving Rochester police officers and Prude, 41. Prude's brother Joe called 911 to get help, saying Daniel was having a mental health emergency.
In the video, which wasfirst reportedby the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, officers approach Prude, who is naked, and Prude initially complies with the officers' orders. Prude is subsequently seen shouting and spitting, which prompts officers to place a spit bag over his head.
The officers are seen pinning Prude to the ground while the bag is still on his head, and he eventually goes lifeless. Prude died in the hospital a week later.
Seven Rochester officers have been suspended with pay as New York State Attorney General Letitia James's office investigates the incident, which is part of New York state's protocol anytime someone dies in police custody. On Saturday, James announced shewould empanel a grand juryto investigate Prude’s death.
Protests that have taken place in the city since the news broke have become contentious between those involved and the police. Officers say they've been struck by bottles and rocks and have had to use pepper spray, tear gas and other weapons to disperse crowds during the demonstrations, including the one on Saturday night.
About 1,500 people marched downtown Saturday and some allegedly set off fireworks, according to the Rochester Police Department. Three officers were treated for injuries related to the fireworks and nine people were arrested, according to the police.
Protesters march in Rochester, New York, Sept. 5, 2020, on the fourth night of protest following the release of video showing the death of Daniel Prude.
Warren said she is coming up with a plan that would allow protesters to assemble while at the same time protecting people from injuries and damage to buildings. She called on the city's elders to meet at a church Sunday evening to work to keep the demonstrations as peaceful as possible.
"Our elders will stand as the buffer between the protesters and our police department," she said.
At the same time, Warren acknowledged that the department and city should have done more to protect Prude.
undefinedMORE: Amid calls for police reform, better training needed to handle mental health emergencies: Experts
"We have to own the fact that in that moment, we did not do that," she said.
The mayor revealed that she first saw the body camera footage last month but could not take any direct action because of the investigation by the attorney general. She defended Singletary and his actions thus far in the investigation, saying that he's done everything by the book and has not impeded or covered up the case.
Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, left, speaks to the media during a press conference in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 3, 2020, where she announced the suspension of officers involved in the death of Daniel Prude.
"I wholeheartedly believe RPD Chief Singletary can lead us through this time," she said.
In the meantime, Warren and Singletary said the city is already working to change the way the city responds to mental health emergency calls. The city will double the availability of mental health professionals and the police will review its measures in place for handling such emergencies, according to the mayor and chief.
"Certain calls shouldn’t be handled by police," Singletary said.