FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Kristia Winter, Communications Director
KWinter@council.nyc.gov, 718-629-2900

BROOKLYN, NY — Today, Council Member Farah N. Louis (D-Brooklyn) issued the following statement after NYPD Officer David Afanador was caught on video putting a Black man in an alleged chokehold on Sunday, which is banned by the NYPD and illegal statewide. Officer Afanador is facing strangulation and attempted strangulation charges. 

STATEMENT BY COUNCIL MEMBER LOUIS

“Wearing a police uniform is supposed to indicate your dedication and service to the public. The laws of our city and state are applicable to every individual – with or without a badge. Instead, it has become a shield used to circumvent the law that these bad actors are supposed to uphold. The justice system has repeatedly failed our community as officers are acquitted of criminal charges then continue to subject Black and brown New Yorkers to the same brutality. Enough is enough. This cycle must end in order to restore peace in communities that have suffered tremendous violence and trauma at the hands of the police. I hope the City’s prosecutors will hold Officer Afanador and his peers on the force with a history of violence against civilians accountable.”

New York City Council Member Farah N. Louis represents the 45th Council District, which is comprised of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, & Kensington in Brooklyn, NY. She is a member of the committees on Civil Service and Labor; Economic Development; Education; Finance; Housing and Buildings; Youth Services; and Justice System. Council Member Louis is the Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus and Vice Co-Chair of the Black, Latino/a, and Asian Caucus.

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