New York City Councilman Yousef Salaam, a member of the Central Park Five, was arrested by police in Harlem on Friday night, days before Congress voted on a bill that would bury police red tape surrounding low-lying traffic stops. My car was stopped.
Salaam complained about the traffic stop, saying he was pulled over for no reason and suggesting racial bias was a factor. Body camera footage of the interaction told a very different story.
Salaam’s colleagues are now calling for his resignation, accusing him of defaming police and using revisionist accounts of traffic stops for political purposes.
According to Salam, the stop is
The Democratic Party is
Appointment January 1 claimed In a statement widely reported by liberal media, he said that when he was stopped in his car, he identified himself as “Councilman Youssef Salaam” and then asked the officer why. [he] I was pulled. ”
“Instead of answering my questions, the officer said, ‘I’m done here,’ and walked away,” Salam continued. “The fact that the officer did not provide a basis for the stop, which should only be legal at ‘Level 3’ (reasonable suspicion) or above, required for a vehicle stop, does not explain how the NYPD “It raises questions about whether the moratorium on new cars is justified.” Yorkers stress the need for greater transparency to ensure constitutionality. ”
“This experience only amplified the importance of transparency in all police investigative stops, because a lack of transparency leads to racial profiling and all types of constitutional stops that are under-reported.” Because there are many cases,” Salam added.
The City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of the left-wing “.Number of stops. ”
The bill, which Salam supported and promoted, would require police to provide information about “Level 1, 2, and 3 investigative contacts” between police and civilians, including the race/ethnicity of the civilians contacted by police; It requires the submission of a quarterly report detailing personal information (age, gender, etc.). police, the factors that led to the interaction, and whether the interaction led to a summons or use of force. ”
Although officers are not required to explain the reason for the stop, Salaam stressed that they should have done so anyway.
report New York Times.
“We know that every time a black man gets behind the wheel of a car, there is a danger, especially for black men,” the councilman said.
the outage that really happened
Body camera footage of the incident shows an officer approaching a blue BMW with tinted windows so dark that the driver could not see the driver racing. was. He then politely asks Salaam, “Could you open the back window for me?” ”
After peering into the rear of the vehicle to ensure there were no threats lurking behind the opaque glass, the officer approached the driver’s side window and identified himself.
Salam interrupted and pointed out that he was “Congressman Salam. This district, District 9.”
“Okay. Good luck,” the officer replied. “You’re working, right?…Please be careful.”
This was announced by the New York City Police Department.
statement A police officer working at the 26th Precinct stopped a blue sedan with Georgia license plates for driving in a shade darker than the legal limit, a violation of New York state law.
“As the video shows, the officers acted professionally and respectfully during this interaction,” the New York City Police Department said in a statement. “He followed all appropriate procedures, including those put in place after Detective Russell Tymoshenko was shot through a tinted window in 2007.”
Police also said that, contrary to Salaam’s understanding, “last night’s interaction was a Level 1 interaction because a vehicle stop is, by definition, a Level 4 encounter because the officer had probable cause for a violation of the New York Vehicle Traffic Law.” It wasn’t,” he said. Law. ”
Mayor Adams later praised the officer for doing an exemplary job.
“We just saw a picture perfect example of civilian and police response. Professional, courteous and communicative.”
Said Adams. “I think we need to be proud.”
backlash
New York City Councilman Robert Holden (Democratic) called on Salam to resign from his position as public safety committee chairman.
write In the In particular, he lied about this interaction until the NYPD set the record straight.”
“The stop was not illegal,” said City Councilmember Joao Arriola (R).
said. “The stop was done by the book. What was illegal was the rate at which he tinted his windows, using his title as a city councilman to issue tickets, and lying about the interactions.”
“How can we expect him to be impartial as the head of the Public Safety Commission when he did not paint an accurate account of the incident?” Arriola added.
Republican New York City Councilman Joe Borelli shared body camera footage.
Focus on it“As you can see, the police stop has already been recorded… It’s sad that someone gives you a break, does the right thing by you, and then does an incident where you lie the truth and get them in trouble. It’s about waking up.”
City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (R) similarly objected to the political weaponization of Salam’s obvious lies.
write“This experience amplifies the [Salaam] I lied, [is] They may play the race card or commit insurance fraud. [his] This is to evade the law from his position as a lawmaker. ”
“The police officer did everything according to the script and was very kind to you,” Vernikov continued. “All he could have done was get a ticket for driving over the speed limit with tinted windows. The officer and @NYPDnews deserve a public apology from you.”
The New York City Police Benevolent Association also demanded an apology from Salam.
PBA Chairman Patrick Hendry
Said “The facts matter, and this video doesn’t just expose lies about this incident. This video shows the truth about the outstanding professional work our members do every day,” the statement said. .This council member and all other elected officials baselessly slandered us.” Police officers owe them an apology. ”
news nation shown Salaam reportedly denied using his title to avoid the ticket. The city councilman claimed in an interview that even though he returned to New York in December 2022, he is still in the process of transferring his car’s registration from Georgia to New York.
Regarding New York City’s ban on overly tinted windows, Salaam reportedly expressed ignorance, saying he would have addressed the issue if he had known it was a problem.
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