New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned the actions of two police officers against a 75-year-old man Friday morning while highlighting his new “Say Their Name” reform agenda.
Mr. Cuomo applauded the Buffalo mayor for immediately suspending two police officers and investigating why they pushed a 75-year-old white man to the ground, who immediately began to bleed from his head and ears as police advanced.
“Why? Why? Why was that necessary? Where was the threat?” he said of the incident. “It’s just fundamentally offensive.”
Multiple reports say the man is in serious but stable condition.
The viral video is one example of many coming out from the protests highlighting what appears to be excessive use of force by police.
National unrest sparked after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor have renewed the painful debate of racial tensions and police brutality in the U.S.
While tensions between protesters and police are high across the nation, Mr. Cuomo said his state is working on a reform package named in honor of the black Americans killed and at the center of this debate.
“Stopping police abuse vindicates the overwhelming majority — 99.9 % — of police,” he said. “It restores the confidence, respect and trust that you need to make this relationship work. You have to heal the police relationship.”
The agenda has four “cornerstones”: transparency of prior disciplinary records for police reviews; enforcing a chokehold ban; designating false race-based 911 reports as a hate crime; and appointing the attorney general as an independent prosecutor for claims of police abuse.
Mr. Cuomo argued that police safety and accountability are not mutually exclusive.
“These are false choices. We need both,” he said. “Even in this hysterical moment, we need to hold both truths in one hand.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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