NAACP deems Troy unsafe

Group says black males at risk amid policing issues

The newly invigorated Troy chapter of the NA ACP released a statement Monday saying that City Hall is treating the re-establishment of its police review board as “trivial” and that “the environment is increasingly dangerous for African-american males” in the city.

The lengthy statement, released by Troy chapter President Renee Powell, came three days after Mayor Patrick Madden met with the Times Union’s editorial board about the continuing controversy surrounding the death of Edson Thevenin, who was shot by Troy police Sgt. Randall French after a DWI traffic stop in 2016.

Powell said she and the Troy chapter’s vice president, Jessica Ashley, met with Madden, corporation counsel James Caruso and deputy police chief Dan Dewolf last week to discuss the Thevenin case and also to address why the city has not revived its defunct Police Objective Review Committee.

On Monday, Powell expressed her frustration with what she described as the city’s lack of interest in addressing the minority community’s concerns about its relationship with police.

“There has been no address to the community as to what’s happened, no apology,” Powell said. “And when I say apology, just to say we understand how you feel, we sympathize with you.”

City officials have maintained that French used justifiable deadly force against Thevenin, who had initially driven away from a traffic stop and was cornered by French’s patrol car a short time later following a brief pur

suit. French told internal affairs investigators that Thevenin’s vehicle had pinned him against his patrol car as it inched forward, causing him to fear for his life.

But an investigation last year by Capt. Joseph L. Centanni, who then headed the internal affairs unit, concluded that French gave “empirically untruthful statements,” about the events surrounding the shooting. Centanni’s report also cited the findings of a law enforcement crash expert in concluding that French had sideswiped Thevenin’s car, forcing it off the road, and then lied about it.

Attorneys who filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Thevenin’s widow, Cinthia, recently discovered the existence of Centanni’s report, which had never been made public or shared with the City Council. That also led to the discovery of a 19-page memorandum the city had commissioned from former Glenville police Chief Michael Ranalli that they said rebutted Centanni’s key findings. The City Council’s Law Committee is scheduled to discuss the reports in executive session on Wednesday.

During Madden’s meeting with the Times Union last week, the mayor said that he will not release Ranalli’s report to the public because it’s “attorney work product.”

“I believe we get to the truth through the court,” said Madden, who has the discretion to make

Ranalli’s report public.

Powell said in her meeting last week with city officials, the city’s attorney defended French, but said they wouldn’t answer any of NAACP’S questions about the case.

The NA ACP president said she could also not get a timeline from the mayor about when the review committee will be convened again.

“I am sorry to say that these matters were considered to be trivial and in due time the concerns of our community will go away and-or lose significance,” Powell said in her statement.

Troy city spokesman John Salka said in a statement Monday that the meeting with the NA ACP was “a productive discussion on several important issues, and the administration looks forward to continued engagement with them.”

He added, “We respectfully ask that judgment be withheld based on partial and incomplete facts. The case is proceeding through the federal court where we look forward to a resolution based on a full airing of the facts.”

Powell said the Troy NAACP chapter was re-established during the past year and works to pressure city officials to be fully transparent regarding the Thevenin case.

“We want to let the community know we are paying attention to the case,” she said. “We’re looking for more transparency from the police department.”