Video stokes mistrust of police
Town residents say a video posted on social media in which a uniformed local police officer disparages gender choice gives credibility to longstanding allegations of bias in the New Paltz Police Department.
About 30 people, including some who are gay and/or transgender, spoke during a 90-minute online video conference meeting of the Town Board on Thursday about Officer Robert Sisco’s video and its implications.
“I cannot walk down Main Street without some sort of harassing comment, threat, sexual provocative things thrown at me, and I do not reach out to the police,” said a person whose onscreen identity was Dylan. “Most of the people that I am friends with, most of the people I organize with in my ... queer, trans community do not reach out to the police. There are plenty of people who do not have this trust and do not want to rebuild it.”
In Sisco’s video, which was posted on Instagram and is just over a minute long, he raps: “Spit facts over feelings because you’re feelings are irrelevant / there’s only two genders, and Trump’s still your president.” Then, “Boys have a penis and girls have a vagina / This whole coronavirus was sent here from China,” and “Hillary is Killary, we all know the reason / where those emails at? We should hang her for treason.”
Sisco appears to be in uniform and in a police car during the video. He was placed on paid leave on Tuesday, and the New Paltz Town Board issued an online apology.
Dylan said it’s hypocritical for the local police to “tote around a Pride flag ... when your actions do not show the same” and alleged that “it’s not just a couple bad apples, it’s the entire tree.”
New Paltz has a large pride parade each June, which is LGBTQ Pride Month, though this year’s was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local resident Heyl de Oritz said during Thursday’s meeting that his son grows worrisome after SUNY New Paltz students leave town.
“As a young Black man, he felt self-conscious and conspicuous just walking down Main Street,” de Oritz said.
Sisco is Black, but de Ortiz said the police department seems insensitive to people who aren’t white and straight.
“I think we’re at the tipping point, where it doesn’t feel like the police are necessarily here to protect us, but in some ways they’re here to oppress us or keep us in line,” he said. “That makes me really uncomfortable.”
A few speaks during Thursday’s meeting defended the New Paltz Police Department and Sisco in particular.
A woman identified online as Jess read a petition listing qualities that the officer has demonstrated during his seven years on the force.
“Officer Sisco always selflessly puts the needs of others before his own,” Jess said. “Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Officer Sisco personally donated generously to local servers and wait staff. He is also a loving father of four and owner of a small business, and he rehabilitates animals.”
Some of the New Paltz speakers addressed the nationwide “defund the police” movement, which has grown in the wake of the recent deaths of several African Americans at the hands of white police officers.
Some called for abolishing the New Paltz Police
Department, while others said there is too much military-style equipment as officers’ disposal.
“There is no reason why we should anticipate that if there’s a group of people who get wild and rowdy that we should expect ... that military-grade equipment will be at [their] disposal,” Maggie Veve said.
Members of the Town Board said Thursday that
they could not comment about Sisco’s video because the matter still was being investigated, though Supervisor Neil Bettez said there will be an immediate review of police policies and practices.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered such a review by police departments across the state in the wake of recent killings by police in Minnesota, Kentucky and Georgia.
“We’re going to receive that guidance from the governor and ... use that as a template,” Bettez said.