Community Calls Grow for Removal of Commissioner

The New Rochelle City Council got an earful from residents voicing their support for a Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB) with strong oversight powers over the Police Department and the removal of the Commissioner during their monthly Citizens to be Heard session on Tuesday, October 8. The Council may vote as soon as Tuesday, October 15, on the formation of a CCRB.

This comes after the killing of two Black men by NRPD officers in the last four years, Kamal Flowers by Officer Alex McKenna in 2020, and Jarrell Garris by Officer Steven Conn in 2023, and after Lieutenant Sean Kane attempted to frame a third Black man, Ivin Harper, on drug charges several months ago.

“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by anybody.”

Thomas Paine, “The Rights of Man”

At the quarterly meeting of Citizens for a Better New Rochelle on September 25, Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola defended Detective Conn’s shooting of Garris on Lincoln Ave. after he allegedly ate some grapes and a banana at New Rochelle Farms without paying for them. Gazzola added that all NRPD officers are thoroughly trained.

“Anyone examining this record objectively could immediately see that the NRPD is an exceptionally troubled police department with racism and corruption extending into its highest ranks,” Dr. Bruce Soloway told the Council. He then called for the Council to act, saying, “The buck stops here. …You have the power and responsibility to move the NRPD away from its history of corruption, racism and violence. What will you do?”

“I live in the North End where it is all peaceful and we wave at the police officers and they are nicely guarding the synagogues,” said Dr. Marianne Makman. “I want to emphasize … that we are one city. And what happens downtown happens to us as well, and that we care about that intensely. And those of us who are aware strongly believe that police reform is necessary and a new police commissioner is necessary.”

Bruce Soloway, Marianne Makman, Rodney Bynum

“He [Commissioner Gazzola] doesn’t feel as though they need more training, but what do you feel?” Rodney Bynum asked Council members. “That’s what you guys need to explain to the rest of us and the rest of the City. You need to make us feel more comfortable about the people that you’re sending out to deal with us on a regular basis, in the case of an emergency or in the case of a crisis.”

Aisha Cook told the Council, “I know that there was a Concerned Citizens for a Better New Rochelle meeting where members of the police department and community members had a chance to express themselves. I’d love to have that opportunity as well. Maybe those meetings could alternate between daytime and after work to allow for those of us who work during the day to participate. Our voices matter too.” She continued, “Not everybody in this community feels like an officer is going to protect them. Something has to change, and that is up to you.”

Maxine Golub said, “I’m going to add my voice to my fellow North Ender to reiterate the fact that we do care about what’s going on throughout the city.” She then asked, “Is Commissioner Gazzola the right person to lead the New Rochelle Police Department at this time? Should Lieutenant Kane be fired so the city, meaning all of us, do not end up paying out his pension to someone who has committed a serious crime? Will the City Council finally adopt a CCRB with some real accountability?”

Aisha Cook, Maxine Golub, Lisa Burton

Lisa Burton read Ivin Harper’s courtroom statement to Council Members to emphasize the human toll of the out-of-control Police Department. Harper had felony drug charges dropped after Lieutenant Kane’s body camera showed him handling a bag of white powder in his patrol car before “finding” a similar bag under Harper’s car.

As the phony charges against him were being dismissed, Harper told the court, in part, “This just destroyed me. And you know what? If I had never had this video, who would have believed me? This big white cop’s been destroying our little Black community for so many years. We’ve been coming down here begging you guys, so many complaints. Every time we came with a complaint, they promoted him. He was cop of the year 2011. They gave the Municipal Housing project award. That’s a slap in the face. They gave him an award for arresting the people in the projects. This has destroyed us. Nobody listened to us. We’ve been down here complaining about this guy for years, and look where we are at now. I just want to say I hope this guy is not the best you all have to offer to our community.”

Dr. Robin Andersen raised concerns about the NRPD’s treatment of the Black community at a time when the city is hoping to attract new residents and businesses to downtown development. Commenting on the killing of Garris by Detective Steven Conn, Andersen said he “Went after that man when two female police officers were dealing with the situation. He was no longer a threat. He comes onto the scene and he shoots him. What’s that going to look like in downtown New Rochelle for these new renovated retail spaces and all the new and diverse people that we’ve been thinking about? You can’t build trust and community on a corrupt police department.”

Robin Andersen, Rosa Rivera-McCutchen, Carla Woolbright

Dr. Rosa Rivera-McCutchen provided listeners with her perspective on the formation of a CCRB, saying, “It’s important for us to think about what are the ways that the system is operating to perpetuate the inequities and the oppression. Because that’s the way the system was designed. And how do we ensure that we enact, build, create systems that counterbalance that tendency for systems to constantly go back to the norm, which is to be oppressive, which is to ignore historically marginalized communities, or worse, to victimize those communities. And so we need to think about how do we create systems within our structures? You all as an elected body can do that to ensure that we can counteract what is going to be the way that systems operate so that we can ensure that our community is holding the police and law enforcement accountable to us, to all of us, not just some of us in this community. There is a lot of power in law enforcement, and it’s really critical that we check that power by creating systems.”

Lastly Dr. Carla Woolbright told Council Members, “We also should be addressing how police officers are chosen. Why do we have a system of hiring police officers that requires a 60-credit degree? We’re one of the only communities to do that. … There’s no need. And we really don’t have Black and Brown people going to college to become police officers. Nothing says that if you have a college degree you are going to be a better police officer.”

Videos of all resident statements to the City Council concerning the NRPD at the October 8 Citizens to Be Heard session can be viewed on New RoAR’s YouTube channel here.