Roosevelt Island Public Safety Town Hall Meeting Tonight - Improved Interaction Between Community and Public Safety Dep't Sought

Image from RIOC

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be conducting a Public Safety Town Hall Meeting Tonight. Below is the Agenda.

TOWN HALL MEETING ON
PUBLIC SAFETY

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Time: 8:00 - 9:30 PM
Place: Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street

AGENDA
1. Introduction

2. Presentation by Public Safety Department (15 minutes)

3. Discussion on Public Safety (up to 9:15 PM)
- Compliments and Complaints
- Questions, Answers, and Discussion

4. Discussion of Loss of Parking Spaces in front of PS/IS 217 (15 minutes)

5. Adjourn promptly at 9:30 PM

RIOC Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra will be in attendance and forwards the following message:

I have been asked to speak on the topic of Juveniles and Adults interacting with Public Safety. I will be providing a Powerpoint Presentation and host a question and answer period. I'm looking forward to meeting with the concerned residents on the island.

I am sure that the May incident involving the arrest of the little league parent will be one of the issues discussed. Mr. Guerra prepared a report on the incident but RIOC prefers not to make the report public. RIOC President Steve Shane explains RIOC's position in his June 24 message (item 9):

...While the unfortunate events of May 30 on the ballfield are now receding into history, I would like to make clear that the matter has been thoroughly investigated and vetted internally. To answer concerns about RIOC’s possible prejudice looking into its own actions, we have invited an independent member of the community, RIRA’s former head of its public safety committee, to conduct an outside review of the matter. RIRA, unfortunately, has declined this offer, citing the gentleman's former law enforcement officer status (thus being familiar with arrest procedures) resulting in his potential prejudice. RIRA prefers instead to have such inquiry undertaken by the present head of its public safety committee, who has no law enforcement experience and had recently been personally involved in a dispute involving a member of her family with Public Safety. RIOC has respectfully declined such a review.

Commenting on this incident, Assembly Member Micah Kellner, while acknowledging that he did not witness the event, states:

... I expect the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) and the Public Safety Department (PSD) to take steps to ensure that PSD officers are properly trained to respond constructively to disputes and act as mediators and not belligerents. In the longer term, I am working on legislation to create a civilian review complaint board that will bring community oversight to police officers employed by public agencies, ensuring greater accountability on the part of PSD and other similar security forces...

... On June 4th, Council Member Jessica Lappin and I wrote to RIOC President Steve Shane, expressing our shared concerns on these matters and requesting a meeting to further discuss the incident. I have posted a copy of that letter in the Publications section of my website. I will continue to keep you updated on this serious matter.

Assembly Member Kellner and Council Member Lappin's letter is here.

Or Click on image to read

There are other community perspectives on the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department as well. Mr. Shane forwards the following message:

I am forwarding this letter as a different example of PSD's standing in the community.

The message from Cynthia Ahn of Roosevelt Nails follows:

I am writing this letter to express my special gratitude to RIOC, your leadership, and the Public Safety officers who work to make this island a safer and better place.

As you know, I am running a nail salon on Main Street. There have been incidents in the past where had a Public Safety officer not been passing by to notice a broken window in my storefront or a leaking pipe, my business and livelihood could have been seriously hurt. I recall their dedication to service as they stood watch at the front doors of my salon until the necessary measures had been taken to fix the respective situations.

When I have elderly customers who have trouble walking home alone, I call Public Safety, and the officers arrive promptly and ready to assist. I have yet to find any other community in New York City where the residents receive this kind of personal service.

Summer evenings on a bench with a friend near the river are spent peacefully and in security, because the Public Safety patrol car can often be seen passing by.

I am very proud to live on Roosevelt Island, where every time I step foot on the island soil, I feel comforted and at home, as though the entire island was my backyard.

Once again, I am grateful to you and to the Public Safety officers of this town.

In order for tonight's Public Safety Town Hall Meeting to be productive, I hope it is not going to degenerate into a venue for bashing or blaming either the community or Public Safety Department.

RIRA President Reports On Blackwell Park Plan, Red Bus Schedule/Signage, Public Safety Investigation & Town Hall Meeting

Image of June 2009 RIRA Meeting

RIRA President Frank Farance sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents.

1. RIOC-RIRA collaboration on Blackwell Park. At the June 17 RIRA town hall meeting, Rosina Abramson, RIOC Vice President of Planning and Inter-Governmental Affairs, led an interactive discussion on RIOC's intention to remodel the park. RIOC is seeking the community's input on developing a master plan (not a blueprint). Abramson's first step is to identify the stakeholders. RIRA's committee chairs will convene meetings over the summer. Residents are welcome to participate in the discussions. Meeting announcements will be posted on kiosks.

2. Ongoing progress on RIOC-RIRA collaboration on red bus schedule. Following the improvement of segment #2 (late morning, 9:55 to noon), RIOC is now experimenting with segment #1, the morning rush. Segment #1 is more complex because three routes operate simultaneously (Octagon Local, Octagon Express, and Firehouse Local), and Main Street traffic is more congested. According to Fernando Martinez, RIOC Vice President of Operations, they are testing a single synchronization point at Octagon (rather than both Octagon and the tram), which means that service is likely to be regular at the southbound stops during the morning rush. There are still some quirks, so we are trying variations. The current versions will need refinement once school resumes in September. Meanwhile, it's nice to see steady progress in improving the red bus schedule.

3. Assemblyman Kellner provides funding for red bus signs. Mr. Kellner has allocated $10,000 to RIRA for bus arrival displays that will indicate the number of minutes until the next bus. RIOC will install the signs.

4. RIRA Public Safety Committee. Erin Feely-Nahem, elected committee chair by the RIRA Common Council, will lead RIRA's investigation into the May 30 baseball field incident, and report back to RIRA and the community. She would greatly appreciate hearing from anyone who witnessed events at the field. She's at 917-939-1178 or, by e-mail, at efeelynahem@aol.com. Confidentiality will be honored.

5. RIRA Town Hall Meeting on Public Safety. RIRA will hold a town hall meeting on July 22 from 8-9:30 p.m. for community input on Public Safety. The agenda will be posted on kiosks prior to the meeting. Public Safety will participate in the meeting, and has been asked to give a presentation on how adults and children should interact with officers.

6. RIRA experiment on Town Hall meetings are a success. For the past six months, in advance of RIOC board meetings, RIRA has held monthly town hall meetings (separate from RIRA's monthly Common Council meetings) that enabled residents to participate in community discussion of items on the board agenda and other topics. RIOC has helped by encouraging participation of their officers, directors, and staff. The events have been moderated, informed, and civil, and they have started and ended on time. The experiment is a success, and the meetings will be a regular occurrence.

The RIRA President's message was also published as the RIRA column in the 6/27/09 Main Street WIRE.

Report From RIOC's President - Main Street Traffic, Little League Arrest Report, Amalgamated Bank, Southpoint Park, Red Bus & Other RI Issues

Logo from RIOC

RIOC President Steve Shane sends the following report to Roosevelt Island residents. Mr. Shane addresses issues on Southpoint Park, Amalgamated Bank takeover, Tram Turnaround Fountain, Bike Racks, Red Bus Schedule, Roosevelt Island Bridge Closure, Main Street Traffic, Public Safety Report on Little league arrest incident and other issues of concern to Roosevelt Island. The item regarding the Tram overhaul was written before the decision to postpone the September commencemt of the modernization project.

June 24, 2009

1. Board of Directors: Meeting was held at 9:30 AM on Thursday the 25th. As it was the last scheduled meeting of the Board for the traditional summer hiatus, an extensive agenda, reported on elsewhere in the WIRE was considered, including a number of required compliance reporting items, projects, the SEQRA required action on the FDR project and project approval for Phase I in accordance with the Conditional Designation Agreement.
2. Southpoint: As to the projects:
(A) Renwick Ruins: Stabilization work is complete and the entrances to the building are being gated to secure the interior and prevent trespassing.
(B) Green Rooms/Wild Gardens: The contractor is completing Phase 1 rough grading, paths and stone walls. An RFP for Phase 2 will be issued to complete the park, including finish grading, capping, utilities, fencing and planting.
(C) FDR Memorial: Assuming Board approval, RIOC has been in consultation with the State’s Division of the Budget and Parks Department and the City to work out funding mechanics for the $4 million State appropriation, the matching $4 million from the City and at least $8 million from FERI as necessary for Phase I.
3. Tram Overhaul: The schedule is for a September 8, 2009 shutdown and February 2010 reopening. Finalization is expected at this month’s progress meeting. Architectural work for the two stations proceeds with concept drawings posted.
4. Projects: Work is ongoing on many projects and others are being completed. Our engineering department is very busy! With the weather finally clearing, striping of Main Street is underway. With the thermoplastic application, should last much longer and be more visible.
5. Bank: Amalgamated Bank’s takeover should be approved at the Board meeting and the new operation will commence in July. Meanwhile, Amalgamated has been staffing a desk in NBNY to facilitate transfer of accounts.
6. Southtown Buildings 5 and 6 moving toward completion. Landscaping nearly complete, Tram turnaround fountain under construction.
7. Bicycles: The bike racks at the subway station and tram were cleared of derelict bikes so commuter bike space is again available in the racks. Anyone needing to park their bike overnight should register with Public Safety. Anyone’s bike removed by Public Safety may be reclaimed by going to Public Safety and making an identification within a week of its removal.
8. Red Bus: The joint experiment with RIRA in AM scheduling is ongoing through the first week of July to gauge the effect of school buses on Main Street when the summer session starts. The Octagon Local buses are scheduled to leave Octagon southbound at 8:55, 9:25, 9:55, 10:15, 10:35 and 10:55. Fire House Local buses will depart the Comfort Station southbound at 9:10 and 9:40. Buses arriving at the Tram before 10 will run continuously. A bus will meet the 10:00 Tram and each Tram thereafter before heading north. A 45 minute loop is built in to account for unpredictable events along the way. As the data are reviewed, we have expanded the experiment into the next earlier rush hour. We are going to meet with the MTA’s bus scheduling department to access their expertise.
9. Public Safety: While the unfortunate events of May 30 on the ballfield are now receding into history, I would like to make clear that the matter has been thoroughly investigated and vetted internally. To answer concerns about RIOC’s possible prejudice looking into its own actions, we have invited an independent member of the community, RIRA’s former head of its public safety committee, to conduct an outside review of the matter. RIRA, unfortunately, has declined this offer, citing the gentleman's former law enforcement officer status (thus being familiar with arrest procedures) resulting in his potential prejudice. RIRA prefers instead to have such inquiry undertaken by the present head of its public safety committee, who has no law enforcement experience and had recently been personally involved in a dispute involving a member of her family with Public Safety. RIOC has respectfully declined such a review.
10. Bridge Closures: The NYC Department of Transportation has notified us that the reconstruction work will require complete closure of the bridge to vehicular and pedestrian traffic for four (4) nights, being the mornings of July 7 through July 10 12:30 AM until 5:30 AM. As was previously done, EMS, police and fire responders will be present on the Island with additional manpower at the Queens end of the Bridge. The Tram and red bus will run throughout the night. If it rains, additional nights will be required. Hope for no emergencies and no rain.
11. Traffic Enforcement: Some residents have expressed dismay at violators of speed limits, yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, stop sign and other vehicular controls. While no significant incidents have occurred, congested Main Street with elderly, handicapped, children and a generally busy scene is a potentially hazardous situation. Obstructed views do not help. Public Safety does what it can, but our thin blue line cannot be everywhere at all times. RIOC has asked the security detail at the two hospitals to remind their employees that they share Main Street with Island residents. Too often, at shift change or when otherwise occupied, cars seem so anxious to depart the Island that the law is often observed more in the breach. Since most Public Safety officers are on foot, chasing violators is not easy. Stationing an officer at every crosswalk is not possible within the limitations of three shifts, duties other than traffic enforcement and budget priorities. Please note that the newer officers, who have not yet attained Special Patrolman Status from the NYPD Police Commissioner, can not issue summonses even when they observe infractions. That being said, in 2007 PSD officers wrote approximately 746 moving violation summonses and in 2008, that number increased to 890. In the 1st 5 months of 2009, PSD wrote 280, with the summer months still ahead when numbers typically go up. Approximately 25% of the summons were written for disobeying the Stop Signs and Yield to Pedestrians. The other 75% were written for U-Turns, Yield to School Busses, Driving on Sidewalk, Unsafe Passing and Driving while on the cell Phone. Statistics of summons issued indicate a trend to higher enforcement, or is it only because of greater flouting of the law? In any event, Public Safety will continue its efforts. If a violator may be identified by license plate and that information is conveyed to Public Safety, warnings can be given to the owner and awareness should be heightened.
12. Summer movies: Rain has shuffled the schedule, but Firefighter’s Field should dry out for Sunday evening the 28th. See our ad in this week’s WIRE for the rest of the summer.
13. Motorgate: As part of our ongoing audit efforts, we ask people to respond to the questionnaire in the WIRE as to your parking charges and issues, if any. Please help us to verify that the appropriate record keeping is being done. Any questions, please call our CFO Steve Chironis at 212-832-4540 x 350.

This message was also published as the RIOC column in the 6/27/09 Main Street WIRE.

Bluebeard's Invitation To Celebrate Roosevelt Island Little League Players and Mend Some Fences

You Tube Video of Noah's Roosevelt Island Baseball Game

I received the following invitation:

"A day of celebration"

This Saturday, the kids of Roosevelt Island are celebrating their Little League season with the final two games. I invite all the residents and friends of the island to attend these two games and honor the kids for their passion and love for baseball, as well as their undisputed friendships.

It is an occasion to truly understand the emotions that stem from the children as well as their parents, friends, and neighbors. They are the roots of this community. Once on the field I am confident you will emerge yourself in an atmosphere of sportsmanship that binds our community closer. It is a place where everyone drops their stress, politics, and worldly pressures behind them before entering the filed.

The Red and Blue teams will play for 1st and 2nd place, while the Green and Purple teams play for 3rd and fourth place. And as in any baseball game, there'll be a lot of cheers, encouragements, some fleeting disappointments, as well as celebrations... a demonstration of the Youth Center's successful programs, the volunteer coaches' commitment, and the general celebration of youth on this island.

This invitation is open for EVERYONE: Roosevelt Island children, parents, friends, neighbors, visitors, employees and governors.

It is a place and time to mend hard feelings and a start of island bonding.

Adib Mansour, A.F.

(aka Blue Beard)

Mr. Mansour is the parent who was arrested during the recent little league permit dispute incident.

I think this is a great idea and urge all who can to attend the Celebration. I asked RIOC President Steve Shane to comment and he replied:

See my response, with regrets, below:
Mr. Mansour:
Thank you for the invitation. I unfortunately have survived to the 4th round of a golf tournament in Westchester so will be unable to attend Saturday morning's games.
The sentiments and aspirations for Island bonding are exactly on target. Thank you for expressing them so eloquently.

UPDATE - 4:15 PM - Roosevelt Island Public Safety Director Keith Gurra responds to the invitation:

Thank you for the invitation. I will free up my schedule to attend.

RIOC Report On Arrest Of Roosevelt Island Parent During Little League Permit Incident Will Not Be Released To The Public

Image From Main Street WIRE

RIOC President Steve Shane's statement regarding the May 30 arrest of a Roosevelt Island parent by two Public Safety Department Officers during a dispute between a local little league team and an off Island group with a valid permit to use Capobianco Field included the following:

... The Chief of Public Safety has conducted a full investigation of the actions of his officers and I have reviewed it with our Counsel.

... I have requested the now former head of RIRA’s Public Safety Committee to meet with Chief Guerra and to review all of the information on this incident and to report to both RIRA and RIOC on his findings. He has indicated that if so requested by RIRA, he will proceed. I suggest that all await the full findings before leaping to any conclusions.

I inquired of Mr. Shane whether Mr. Guerra's report on the incident would be made available for the Roosevelt Island community to review.

Will you be releasing the Review conducted by Public Safety Department Chief Guerra regarding the recent arrest of the Little League Parent during the ball field permit dispute to the public that was mentioned in your June 9 statement below?

The Chief of Public Safety has conducted a full investigation of the actions of his officers and I have reviewed it with our Counsel.

Your column indicated that you have asked the former head of RIRA's Public Safety Committee to review the information but that should not preclude the rest of the Roosevelt Island Public from learning the contents of Chief Guerra's completed report now.

Openness and transparency will overcome rumors, exaggerations and falsehoods. Perhaps the report can be posted in full on the RIOC web site?

Mr. Shane repled:

Because of the nature of this matter and the allegations of misconduct, while there is the potential for further legal action, I would prefer not to post the report. I would expect the RIRA report, the author having had the opportunity to review the Director's report, will satisfy on the questions that others may have. Besides, it won't be self serving, as I'm sure many would expect the Director's report to be.

Of course Mr. Shane would "prefer" not to release this report on the incident. Government officials, not just RIOC, often prefer to keep as much information as they can from the public fearing embarrassment, ridicule, the revelation of mistakes and public misunderstanding, In some cases there may be a legitimate privacy, security or legal reason for government witholding of information but there has not been a showing yet by RIOC of a legitimate reason for not releasing Mr. Guerra's report on the incident to the public particularly since RIOC is willing to share the information with a former RIRA Public Safety Committe Chairperson. (Without any positive or negative connotation express or implied, I believe this person is a former Police Officer). Note that the information is not being shared for review by the current RIRA Public Safety Chairperson.

Funneling the contents of this report through the former head of RIRA's Public Safety Committee is simply not an adequate substitute for a full public community review by any Roosevelt Island resident who wishes to read the report and find out what it reveals.

RIOC President Responds To Parent's Handcuffing and Arrest During Roosevelt Island Ball Field Permit Dispute

Image From Main Street WIRE

RIOC President Steve Shane responds to the recent event at Roosevelt Island's Capobianco Field where a ball field permit dispute between a Roosevelt Island Little League team and an Off-Island Adult League resulted in the handcuffing and arrest of a parent. The Main Street WIRE has more on the incident here. It should be noted that last week's games went on without incident.

Below is Mr. Shane's statement on the incident.

... Now for my views on the unfortunate events of Saturday, May 30, 2009 where a fracas erupted between the users of a field and the subsequent permit holders. The loss of control in front of the children resulting in racial and homophobic slurs and refusal to comply with lawful authority was truly a sad day on Roosevelt Island. The story has received wide attention on the Island and I need not repeat the details here. However, lack of civility and civil disobedience cannot be tolerated in a peaceful community. The escalation of the dispute to the point that Public Safety was called to intervene was entirely unnecessary, but once called, the officers had a duty to keep the peace. When all but one person obeyed the officers’ requests to vacate the field in favor of the legitimate permit holder, Public Safety was left with no choice. The vilification of Public Safety by the supposedly responsible voices of this community does nothing to promote the common welfare, enhance domestic tranquility or have rational conversations about problem solving. Inflammatory rhetoric may have its place, but not here where I find it singularly unproductive.

The Chief of Public Safety has conducted a full investigation of the actions of his officers and I have reviewed it with our Counsel. Would I have preferred that the incident could have been closed without an arrest? Absolutely. But, in the field, when faced with the circumstances of the moment, decisions have to be made and in my opinion, there was nothing unreasonable that was done. I have requested the now former head of RIRA’s Public Safety Committee to meet with Chief Guerra and to review all of the information on this incident and to report to both RIRA and RIOC on his findings. He has indicated that if so requested by RIRA, he will proceed. I suggest that all await the full findings before leaping to any conclusions.

Finally, to try to resolve the underlying problem of our playing fields in a crowded society, we are putting more manpower resources into advance preparation of the fields so as to try to mitigate the impact of weather on scheduling and playability. There is a limit on what can be accomplished, but it seems to have worked better this past weekend, even with heavy overnight rain. Please! Everyone can do better.

Mr. Shane's statement is part of his column that appears both on this blog and in the Main Street WIRE. His full column will appear in whole later in the week.

If The Rain Holds Up This Weekend Please Play Nicely At The Roosevelt Island Ballfields

Images From Main Street WIRE Little League Ball Field Arrest Chronology

As Roosevelt Islanders probably knows by now, there was an incident last week at Capobianco Field involving a dispute between a Roosevelt Island Little League team trying to finish a game that was running late, caused to some extent by the field not being ready at the start of play, and an off- Island Adult League that had a valid permit to play on the field at that time which lead to a confrontation with the Public Safety Department and ultimately, the handcuffing and arrest of a Roosevelt Island parent. Hoping to avoid a similar situation for this weekend, I inquired of RIOC President Steve Shane:

Are there any efforts or precautions being made by RIOC to insure that there is not another incident like what occurred during last week's Little League game both from a Public Safety perspective with the next permitted group as well as having the ball fields in shape to be used by the Little League at the scheduled start of their game?

At the June RIRA meeting, I heard that RIOC was planning on having additional personnel available to make sure the field was ready to be used on time for the Little League players. Is that true?

Mr. Shane replied:

With heavy overnight rain predicted, will be problematic at best. However, our groundskeepers are scheduled to start work on the field at 7, an hour before the 1st scheduled game and will do their best.
Pray for sunshine. We don't have tarps and the drainage is old and crummy.

Roosevelt Island Ball Field Permit Dispute Leads To Handcuffing and Arrest Of Parent By Public Safety Department

Images From Main Street WIRE of Arrest Chronology

Last Sunday I received a Public Safety Report that indicated there was a Disorderly Conduct arrest made during a dispute at one of Roosevelt Island's ball fields and later that day was told by a resident that it involved a controversy between a local little league team and an off Island group that was waiting to use the field. I was also told that one of the parents, affectionately know as "Blue Beard", was handcuffed by Public Safety officers and lead away followed by crying children and their parents.

Images From Main Street WIRE of Arrest Chronology

He was later released.

Images From Main Street WIRE of Arrest Chronology

Knowing that a similar protest happened last month, but without an arrest, and realizing the potential incendiary nature of this event, I waited to publish an account until more information became available.

I then sent the following inquiry to Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department Director Keith Guerra:

I understand there was another incident over the weekend concerning protesting parents and little leaguers at the ball fields and that one parent was arrested and handcuffed.

The 5/30 Public Safety Incident Report advises of the following:

Disorderly Conduct - PSD responded to North Town park for dispute over baseball field 1 male subject arrested, summons and released.

Do you care to comment or provide any additional details regarding the incident?

Mr. Guerra responded:

The incident was over who had proper permission to use a ballfield. A group of youngsters were using the field. When another group appeared with a proper permit in-hand, they told the group on the field that their time was up. The group on the field refused to relinquish the field, so the Public Safety Department was called.

When the Officers responded, they were shown the proper documentation for the oncoming group. They asked the group on the field if they had any documentation, to which the response was , "No." They had already run over the start time of the oncoming group, which was 1:30PM, so they were asked to turn over the field.

Apparently, everyone complied except for one man. He insisted on making this about the Public Safety Department and not about the fact that his group did not have permission to be on the field. When asked politely to leave the field, like the others had peacefully done, he refused and began taking pictures of the Public Safety Officers. The Arresting Officer explained to him that a group had shown proper documentation for the field, but he could care less. Continuing to remain on the field snapping pictures of the officers, he was again asked to leave the confines of the field or he would be placed under arrest. This still did not engage the man, so he was removed and placed under arrest for Disorderly Conduct.

Please explain to your readers that the Public Safety Department does not issue permits for field usage and does not police the use of the fields unless there is a conflict. To resolve conflicts, our officers will intervene to ascertain if someone or group has an official permit and will grant that person or group access to the area which they have properly secured.

As you know, our officers have undergone extensive training and their level of professionalism has increased. There are still some residents who want to make issues with the Public Safety Department - when all our officers are trying to do is their job. It is not our wish to make arrests, but some folks don't understand the consequences to their actions. Order must be kept and we are charged with that difficult duty.

To try and get a more complete picture of the story, I contacted Blue Beard, Mr. Adib Mansour, a well known and respected member of the community who confirmed to me that he was the parent arrested and that he was not acting in any disorderly manner but merely taking pictures documenting the behavior of the Public Safety officers and that there was physical and verbal abuse on the part of the Public Safety Officers after Mr. Mansour took their pictures. Mr. Mansour also indicated that he was preparing a statement describing his view of the event.

I waited to publish until Mr. Mansour's completed his statement which was made available online yesterday by the Main Street Wire together with a "Draft Report" by it's editor, which attempts to provide a balanced description of this troubling incident based upon the currently available information.

Below are excerpts from Mr. Mansour 4 page statement:

Again on May 30, the Roosevelt Island Little League game ended before the completion of the bottom of the last inning because of RIOC’s field rental policy (which does not take into consideration games that go to overt-time) and the fact that the field, as in previous weeks, was not ready on time. The day ended with dozens of children out side the Public Safety office, some crying hysterically, mostly all afraid, confused and angry.

...In what I heard as a sarcastic tone, one of the off-island players asked the kids and parents to leave the field “before you get seriously hurt.” I was in the process of leaving the field with the rest of the remaining crowd, taking occasional pictures, when I spotted the two Public Safety officers approaching.

Upon their arrival, I stopped to take a picture of the officer dismounting his bike –officer Wilson Toro- who walked towards the crowd and, directing his words to me, he said, “leave the field”. He then came closer to me and, louder, said, “I told you to leave the field,” to which I responded, “Not before I take this last picture of the kids being forced out of the field in this manner” –perhaps I should have phrased it better to avoid any misunderstanding of my peaceful intentions- and proceeded in taking his picture as well as the Roosevelt Island parents and children in the immediate background. Officer Toro then pushed me, in my ribs, saying, “I give you 10 seconds to leave.” I turned, in pain, and said, “Don’t touch me.” He responded, “You don’t want me to touch you? I’ll show you what that means.” He dangled his handcuffs in front of my face. He twisted my arms to the back and locked the handcuffs very tight on my wrists.

Read the whole statement.

Yesterday afternoon, following the WIRE's publication of this report, a meeting was convened in which RIOC President Steve Shane, Public Safety Department Chief Guerra/other members of the PS Department, Main Street WIRE Editor Dick Lutz, RIRA President Frank Farance, RIOC Counsel Ken Leitner, RIOC VP Fernando Martinez and myself attended. Mr. Shane and Mr. Guerra expressed displeasure with Mr. Lutz's reporting of the incident as being inflammatory and inaccurate. Mr. Lutz responded, correctly in my view, that his reporting was accurate, based upon the best currently available information and would have included additional information had Public Safety Director Guerra responded to subsequent email messages.

Following the meeting Mr. Guerra sent the following message to Mr. Lutz and the other meeting attendees:

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge that the incident which occurred on Saturday was unfortunate. Although there are several topics involved here, the one that most concerns me is the fact that the children had to witness a coach/parent being placed under arrest. I never want children to have a negative view of Law Enforcement and try hard to encourage positive interaction with the youngsters on the island. Suffice it to say, this incident will sit with those particular children for a while and that is truly unfortunate. I have no doubt that the subject who was summonsed is probably a nice man. From the accounts I received, he is respected in the community. Being human, I believe he made an error in judgement.

The Public Safety Department does not police the field or room usage permitted by RIOC. However, in a time of conflict, we will intervene to keep order. In this case, the officers were called to the scene of a dispute. A complainant, who was the recipient of obscene language and threats, made the call to Public Safety. When the officers responded, the copmplainant approached the officers who arrived. There was apparently alot of commotion at the field, but a legitimate permit for the field was produced. The holder of the permit asked that it be enforced. The officers tried to do their best in handling the situation and while I will not try and "Monday Morning Quarterback" them, I will also not try to protect them if I feel they did not carry out my objectives in conducting themselves in a professional manner.

You and I had an e-mail exchange, which is probably not the best way to communicate. After giving you my statement, which I believed to be sufficiently the end of our discussion, you sent another e-mail asking me if I would answer seven (7) questions for your coverage of this incident. Before I could provide the answers, you went ahead and printed an article without the information you sought to have included in it. I feel this was unfair. I have provided the answers to your questions below.

QUESTIONS:
1. Before PSD arrived on the scene, the off-island players agreed to allow the children on the field to finish their game (which apparently had only a half-inning to go), but a PSO stood on the pitcher's mound, prevented play, and overruled that agreement. (Are you aware of this?) Why was this an appropriate course of action?

The supposed agreement, according to the Complainant in the incident, was never reached. Mr. Scott Batton, who initiated the call to Public Safety, approached the responding officers and told them he had a permit that was being ignored by the Little League coaches and parents. Obscenities and threats of bodily harm were spewed in his direction and all he wanted was to take the field his group had paid to use. When asked by me if any agreement was reached or could have been reached to allow the children to finish their game, he replied, "No. This was not the first time that the group had run over into the permitted time that our group had properly secured and we wanted them off the field." The officers had no other recourse other than to oblige the client in possession of a RIOC issued permit which they paid for.

2. A dependable witness says that Officer Toro bicycled across the field and "cut off" a group of residents who were in the process of leaving the field as ordered, then directed his remarks at Adib Monsour, who had photographed him. (Contrary to accounts on which you have apparently relied, he did not "start" taking photos at that point; the photographic record shows that he had taken many pictures before then.) Were you aware of this action by the PSO? Or do you have information to the contrary?

The information that I gathered indicates that all parties who were asked to leave the confines of the field obliged, except for the subject who was placed under arrest. They did not seem like they wanted to, but they did. The subject who was arrested refused to leave the confines of the field, continuously snapping pictures of Officer Toro and was arrested for refusing to disperse when given the lawful order to do so. My question is why couldn't the subject just oblige, like the others had done?

3. Another witness reports that, while Officer Toro was taking Mr. Monsour to PSD HQ, he told a plainclothes PSD officer to "Arrest that one, the one taking pictures." (The person to whom he had reference had taken over Mr. Monsour's camera and he was photographing the walk to PSD.) Does this suggest to you that photography, not misbehavior, might have been the PSO's concern?

This does not suggest to me that the photography was the officer's concern. The information that I gathered does not indicate that anyone else was to be arrested. Had an officer asked another to arrest someone, that person would have likely been taken into custody as well. This did not occur. In the arresting officer's account of the incident, he cited the other individual taking pictures, but indicated that the man was compliant to the verbal direction not to stand in the path of the escort.

4. Mr. Monsour claims, and is backed up by witnesses, that he did not refuse an order to vacate the field but, instead, merely said he wanted to take another picture, and that it was at that point that he was "shoved" by Officer Toro, and that only then did he raise his voice somewhat, saying "Take your hands off me." It is alleged that at that point Officer Toro dangled his handcuffs before Mr. Monsour, said he was about to "teach you a lesson," and cuffed him. Does this square with information you have received from your officers?

No. This does not square with the information I received from the Officers or the Complainant. Again, I ask the question, why couldn't he just vacate the field when asked to do so, like everyone else did. The accounts I received were that the subject was asked at least three (3) separate times to comply and was met with resistance. Corroborating stories state that the subject even asked Officer Toro if he was going to arrest him, to which Officer Toro explained the consequences of not complying.

5. When asked by a resident to release Mr. Monsour, Officer Toro is reported to have said, "He disrespected me," giving that as a reason for the arrest. Is "disrespect" acequate cause, in PSD procedures, for an arrest?

In my experience, officers do not release subjects in custody because they are asked by residents to do so. Of course, "disrepect" alone is not adequate cause to arrest someone, however, if the totality of circumstances includes disrespecting an officer, the person can be charged.

6. When Mr. Monsour informed Officer Toro, at PSD HQ, that he is diabetic and needed food to avoid insulin shock from his morning medication, Officer Toro (who said he, too, is diabetic, indicating he knows the risks involved) is alleged to have said, twice, "I'll wait until you faint. Then I'll call an ambulance and take you to the hospital. Then I'll take you to prison." The second time, this was said within the hearing of other PSD officers. (One, to his credit, is said to have responded by getting Mr. Monsour a sugary drink, paying for it himself.) Does this square with information you've received from officers present at the time?

This does not square with the statements of the officers, who independantly stated that Officer Toro did inform the subject that he was also a diabetic and asked if the subject was ok. When the response was that he felt he needed something with sugar, Officer Payne got the subject a soda. After drinking most of it, the subject then threw the bottle on the floor. When asked by Officer Payne if he was ok, the subject said, "Yes." and thanked Officer Payne for the drink. Shortly thereafter, the subject again stated that he was diabetic and Officer Toro indicates that he told him that if he needed any medical attention, it would be provided for him before being taken to Central Booking. After conferring with his supervisor, Officer Toro wrote a Summons instead of processing the subject through the system.

7. What specific disorderly conduct is alleged?

The Statute includes seven (7) subdivisions, of which I will cite three (3):
A person is guilty of Disorderly Conduct when, with the intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof: 3.) he/she uses abusive or obscene language; 6.) he/she congregates with other persons in a public place and refuses to comply with a lawful order to disperse; 7.) he/she creates a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose. Disoederly Conduct is a Violation.

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I would also like to ask you to correct a quote of mine where you printed that I stated that "prisoners are not allowed to make or receive phone calls." What I said to you was that "when someone is taken into custody, under arrest, they are not permitted to use their cell-phone."

Going forward it is my hope and the hope of the many residents I have spoken with over the last couple of days that the community can move forward in a positive direction. Everyone must pitch in to be part of the solution - not be part of the problem. I vow to continue providing training for my officers and to continue with the information summits and safety programs I have initiated. Hopefully, the community can contribute to fostering a better relationship with the Law Enforcement Officers who serve their community with pride.

This is an ongoing story but everyone should just stay calm, try to figure out exactly what happened and take measures to make sure it does not happen again. If you were there and witnessed what occurred please share your thoughts on what exactly occurred.

Here is the link again to the Main Street WIRE's report on the incident.

A blogger My Feet Only Walk Forward was one of the players on the off-Island team waiting to use the field and writes the following:

... The field on which we would be playing was beautiful. A stand of birch trees at one end. A natural outcropping of native rock to the side of the fields. And raging idiotic local residents screaming racial and homophobic epithets out of their apartment windows.

Turns out when the other teams first arrived the locals had decided that despite the fact that our league had purchased permits to play on the fields that we should bow to them and allow their little rug rats to play ball on the field. It got so rowdy that the police came and arrested one of the parents. The families scattered, but mid-way through the second game of the first set of teams playing, we were treated to a whole host of obscenities. The best part ever was that the man screaming these things was sitting in the window with his two little boys standing next to him. That's what I call good parenting.

I wanted to scale the building and bitch slap him.

It also didn't help that a guy from one of the other teams playing was a complete and total drama queen, and was advising us...in the middle of the day...surrounded by amputees and old ladies...to walk in groups and carry our bats in our hands. Responding to idiocy with barely veiled racism is not necessarily the way to go. ...

UPDATE - 6/8 - Now available are statements made by a Roosevelt Island Little League Coach and the Permit Holder who contacted Public Safety Department.