New York City is one of the largest metropolises in not only the United States of America, but the world. It is a melting pot of life, culture, and ethnicities. It is the pinnacle of diversity. However, for decades New York City has been plagued by crime and violence, and one of the most notorious is police brutality.

There have been hundreds of cases over the years in which police officers have gone too far. Through the years, many New Yorkers have been injured, maimed, or killed by overzealous officers in the New York Police Department.

This came to a head in 2020, after the death of George Flloyd. This incident took the country by storm, eliciting nationwide protests against police brutality. Many protested through New York City streets shouting and marching for the rights of people of color. However, some believe it was a necessary measure to bolster the Black Lives Matter Movement.

QPA Speaks Out

Eleventh grader Kemanne Bailey believes the protests may have done more harm than good. “In my opinion, it was unnecessary because all they did was create havoc and burn down their own stores,” he claimed. “That was a negative situation on their side that did not affect the NYPD.”

On the other hand, Mr. Jean Borgella who teaches geometry and computer science strongly disagrees. Even though he lives on Long Island, during the Black Lives Matter Protests Mr. Borgella was an active protestor, often traveling to Brooklyn to ensure his voice was heard.  “So what ended up happening is people have had enough and I myself was one of the people. I took to the streets. I attended many protests even though I live on Long Island,” he expressed. “I went to Brooklyn several times, and I took part in some of those protests. I even joined a social group because I was inspired by what was happening.”

Since then, many have called for measures to be put in place to reduce the number of police brutality cases in New York City. From reform and defunding to the dismantlement and dissolving of the police force, they have all been suggested.

Students and teachers at QPA claim they have had mixed or positive experiences with law enforcement. While many have had no direct contact with police officers, one thing they could all agree on is that police brutality exists in New York City. “Of course, it happens almost every day, if not every day,” explained 12th grader Rocesshi Holland. “We may not see it, but there are people still struggling with it.”

So how do we solve this issue? Mr. Borgella believes police officers need sensitivity training, and that many acts of brutality can usually be avoided if there’s co-operation on both ends. “When I get pulled over by a police officer, I do everything he asks me to do, because I know he’s doing his job, and it always ends well because I listen to what I’m told,’ he explained. “So people also need to understand that they need to allow police officers to do their job. So, if police officers have to make adjustments on their end, people also have to do adjustments on their end. So that way we can both work better together.”

Promises Made

Now, during the 2019 Mayoral Election, Eric Adams used his background as a police officer to stand out from other candidates. He made it clear that his experience in law enforcement was what made him uniquely qualified for the position. So, New Yorkers most likely believe he has the inside track on how this issue should be addressed.

Nevertheless, as the year 2022 rolls along, there are still instances of police brutality occurring in New York City. Most New Yorkers would agree that this needs to stop, but the question on everyone’s minds is how? To find out what is being done about police brutality in New York City, we have to go to the man in charge. The focus of his mayoral campaign and his political policies has been overall safety in NYC, but it’s now clear that gun violence has taken precedence as the issue on the table for Mayor Adams. 

So how will he eliminate police brutality by targeting gun violence?

On January 24th, 2022, newly appointed Mayor Adams released his master plan: ‘The Blueprint to End Gun Violence.’ In this plan, he vows to:

• Enhance Public Safety Units with new Neighborhood Safety Teams

• Expand the crime stoppers initiative

• Place more officers on patrol

• Expand bail reform

Adams is focused on stricter monitoring and policing while New Yorkers are worried about the fact that this will give the NYPD more power. So how will these measures affect the rates of police brutality and overall safety in New York? We will just have to wait and see.

After the release of his ‘The Blueprint to End Gun Violence’ many took issue with some of Adams’ plans: The reinstating and expanding of the plainclothes units but under the new name ‘Neighborhood Safety Teams’ for starters.

​

• Increasing rewards for those who call Crime Stoppers to help with an arrest

• Moving desk-bound officers to the field by filling those positions with civilians

• Supporting bail reform by letting judges detain and hold defendants before trial

Most notorious of all is the dangerousness factor. Adams wants dangerousness to be taken into account when judges and prosecutors look at a case. This raises the question: what is considered dangerous? In the past, we could see a trend of Black and Brown men being seen as the standard. They were the major targets of stop and frisk initiatives and are disproportionately arrested and prosecuted compared to other races. Who is to say ‘dangerousness’ wouldn’t be another way to increase those numbers?

Adam’s plan seems to already be getting backlash and criticism before it even has a chance to take effect. “Fear-mongering dog whistles,” “a step backwards,” “ineffective and dangerous” are just some of the many critiques from New York City representatives, senators, and council members. Some believe that Adams is stepping out of his jurisdiction as a mayor; making plans for state-level issues.

Looking Ahead

QPA student Davionn Thomas is unsure if the problem can even be solved. “I’m not really sure if they can really help the NYPD at all with this BLM issue,” he declared. However, Kemanne Bailey thinks that Mayor Adam’s decision to tackle gun violence before police brutality is a good one.

“Yes it is a good decision because out here we still have a lot of black men killing each other” he admitted. “There’s a whole lot of gang violence and a lot of shooting of black men so yeah, I think that’s a good idea.”

Though right now it is unclear whether or not Mayor Adams is for the police or the people, it is also too early to decide as he has been in office for less than a year. While many seem to be in support of his latest move, we can only hope he will succeed and lessen both gun violence and police brutality in New York City. So let us wait patiently to see how Mayor Adams will help reduce the decades-long issue of police brutality.

However, while we wait, we can still be active citizens. Though we are young, we are not helpless, nor are we unable to enact change. We can go forward using the tools at our disposal to bring forth the change we wish to see in our communities. Primarily where avoiding situations that can lead to violence are concerned.