Concerns about racial profiling in Harlem after a city councilman was pulled over by police in his district. News 4’s Melissa Colorado reports.
Councilmember Yusef Salaam, a member of the exonerated “Central Park Five" now serving as Public Safety Chair on the New York City Council, said he was stopped Friday night by members of the NYPD.
“Last night, while driving with my wife and children and listening in to a call with my Council colleagues on speakerphone, I was pulled over by an NYPD officer in my beloved Village of Harlem within the 28th Precinct. I introduced myself as Councilman Yusef Salaam, and subsequently asked the officer why I was pulled over. Instead of answering my question, the officer stated, ‘We’re done here,’ and proceeded to walk away," Salaam explained in a statement Saturday morning.
The traffic stop comes years after Salaam was wrongfully arrested and imprisoned in the infamous case, and on the eve of a scheduled ride-along between council members and the NYPD amid an ongoing City Hall battle over a police transparency law.
Mayor Eric Adams controversially vetoed two city council bills last week -- one which would require more transparency in police encounters with civilians. His veto set off a showdown between Adams and the council, which reports to have the necessary votes to override his action.
Days after his veto, Adams, alongside NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban, encouraged council members to attend a ride-along with police officers.
“With a bill pending that could make the city less safe, city councilmembers deserve to see firsthand how our NYPD officers are keeping the public safe and building relationships in our communities — and they deserve to understand how this bill would force those officers to spend more time filling out paperwork instead of protecting New Yorkers and keeping our streets safe,” Adams said.
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That offer, while accepted by some council members, was quickly rebuffed by a bloc of Black council members who rejected "any premise that we lack an understanding of the day-to-day work of NYPD in our communities or how the people we represent are affected."
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Despite putting his name to the bloc's statement, Salaam appeared ready to attend the ride-along scheduled for Saturday evening, that is until the previous night's traffic stop.
"In light of this encounter and coupled with the lack of logistical details provided by Mayor Adams’ office in advance, I will no longer be participating in tonight’s scheduled ride-along with the Mayor and NYPD. It is critical that I begin to organically develop constructive relationships with all of the precincts in City Council District 9," Salaam's statement continued.
The NYPD posted a statement, including body-worn camera video of the interaction and a copy of the traffic stop report, commending the officer's professional conduct. The statement explained that the officer in questioned initially stopped Salaam for driving a car with tinted windows beyond legal limits.
"As the video shows, throughout this interaction, the officer conducted himself professionally and respectfully," the department statement said, in part. "This officer should be commended for his polite, professional, and respectful conduct and for using his discretion appropriately so the councilmember could complete his official duties."
The police bill, known as the “ How Many Stops Act,” requires officers to publicly report on all investigative stops, including relatively low-level encounters with civilians.
Among other things, the legislation would require the NYPD to report on where the stops happen, demographic information on the person stopped, the reason for the encounter, and whether the encounter led to any use-of-force or enforcement action.
Police are currently only required to fill out reports following stops in which they question and search civilians.
The council approved the two measures in the final days of 2023 with enough votes backing both bills to overrule a mayoral veto and ensure they become law, unless several members change their stance.
An override vote has been scheduled for this coming Tuesday.
