Over the past year the NYPD has had a number of public relations nightmares, starting with the viral video of Eric Garner being choked to death on July 17, 2014.
Recent surveillance video released by the NYPD shows the arrest of Tennis star James Blake. Blake was arrested while standing in front of the Grand Hyatt in Midtown New York City on September 9, 2015.
Fortunately, Blake only suffered miner bruises and cuts while being arrested, however the violent nature of Blake’s arrest has alarmed many Americans.
Police say Blake’s arrest was a case of mistaken identity by the NYPD. The police were looking for a suspect who Blake happened to “Match The Description” of, at the time of his arrest. The suspect was wanted for Credit Card Fraud.
In the video you see one a plain clothed officer, identified as officer James Frascatore ,wearing a white T-shirt and jeans rush a man, later identified as Blake, wearing a light blue shirt and jeans.
The Frascatore grabs Blake and violently throws him to the ground, eventually forcing his hands behind his back, before placing him in handcuffs.
In typical New York City fashion, people pass by totally ignoring the unfolding scene, except for one older lady wearing a pink shirt who momentarily stops and points while saying something to the officer. There is no audio in the surveillance video.
Blake issued the following statement to the press, describing his arrest.
“Just before noon on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, while I was standing on a sidewalk outside my hotel in midtown Manhattan waiting for a car to take me to the U.S. Open, a plainclothes New York City Police officer tackled me to the ground, handcuffed me, paraded me down a crowded sidewalk, and detained me for ten minutes before he and his four colleagues realized they had the wrong man.
The officer, who was apparently investigating a case of credit card fraud, did not identify himself as a member of law enforcement, ask my name, read me my rights, or in any way afford me the dignity and respect due every person who walks the streets of this country. And while I continue to believe the vast majority of our police officers are dedicated public servants who conduct themselves appropriately, I know that what happened to me is not uncommon.
When this incident was reported in the news media, Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bratton both called me to extend their personal apologies, and I greatly appreciate those gestures. But extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by the police is not enough. As I told the Commissioner, I am determined to use my voice to turn this unfortunate incident into a catalyst for change in the relationship between the police and the public they serve. For that reason, I am calling upon the City of New York to make a significant financial commitment to improving that relationship, particularly in those neighborhoods where incidents of the type I experienced occur all too frequently. The Commissioner has agreed to meet with my representatives and me to discuss our ideas in that regard, and we very much look forward to that meeting.”
While police commissioner Bill Bratton apologized to Blake the day after the incident. Bratton was quick to dismiss any racial component of the arrest stating that Blake did indeed match the description of the suspect they were looking for. Here’s what he said,
“If you look at the photograph of the suspect, it looks like the twin brother of Mr. Blake. So let’s put that nonsense to rest right now,”
The NYPD commissioner also said this,
“I will not tolerate any type of excessive use of force on the part of my police,”
I bet the NYPD rank and file in sat up a little straighter in their chairs after Bratton said that. Now that should put an end to all this “police brutality” shenanigans within the NYPD right?
However, Bratton did not address Frascatore’s violent history with the department. Frascatore had been with the NYPD for 4 years, in that time he has had 4 civil excessive force cases filed against him. Frascatore also has at least five separate complaints filed against him to the Civilian Complaint Review Board. Here’s one account from someone Frascatore encountered in 2012,
“In 2012, he pulled over Leroy Cline for allegedly driving with a busted taillight. Frascatore asked for Cline’s ID.
‘I rolled my window down,’ Cline said in an interview with WNYC. ‘He said, “License and registration.” I said “Officer, what am I being pulled over for?” He completely ignored me and said “License, registration.” I said, “Officer what am I being pulled over for?’”
Cline is accused of attacking the 6-foot-three, 220-pound officer and biting Frascatore’s fist. Cline, of course, has a different story,
“That’s when he opened my car door and gave me three straight shots to my mouth.”
Blake was asked if he felt that he was racial profiled by the NYPD, he said this,
“I don’t know if it’s as simple as that,” Blake said. “To me it’s as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. In my mind there’s probably a race factor involved, but no matter what there’s no reason for anybody to do that to anybody.”
Here is a video report from The Young Turks talking about this video.
