PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Samy Feliz, Member of Justice Committee
0:21:18
·
4 min
Samy Feliz, brother of Allan Feliz who was killed by NYPD in 2019, testified about the ongoing issues with stop and frisk practices in New York City, particularly in Washington Heights. He shared personal experiences of being stopped by police and the fear and anxiety these encounters cause in his community.
- Highlighted racial disparities in stop and frisk practices, with data showing Black and Latino New Yorkers are disproportionately targeted
- Criticized the NYPD's "community response cops" for harassing community members
- Called for the release of raw data from the NYPD to better understand the rationale behind stops
- Urged for accountability, including the firing of the officer involved in his brother's death
Samy Feliz
0:21:18
Good morning.
0:21:19
My name is Sammy Feliz, and I am the brother of Alan Feliz, who was unjustly stopped in his car and murdered by NYPD in 2019.
0:21:28
I am also a member of justice committee, an organization that works with families whose loved ones were killed by police.
0:21:34
I am also a New Yorker who was regularly stopped because of my appearance and the color of my skin.
0:21:40
I think that you guys know Alan's story.
0:21:42
After lieutenant Rivera climbed into Alan's car, beat, tased, threatened to kill, and shot Alan at close range, officer Barrett dragged Alan out of the car, exposing his genitals rather than covering him up.
0:21:54
The NYPD let him to bleed out in the street, cuffed and exposed.
0:21:58
Lieutenant Rivera recently faced a discipline trial, and my family continues to fight to ensure that commissioner Tisch fires him for murdering my brother.
0:22:07
Alan was killed during a car stop, which is not the focus of this hearing, but at the same disregard for human life and dignity the NYPD showed for Alan is evident in their pedestrian stop practices.
0:22:19
When I testified at the first how many stops act hearing, I shared that under Eric Adams, the NYPD's abusive stop practices were getting worse in my neighborhood of Washington Heights.
0:22:29
Now, a year and a half later, things are even worse.
0:22:33
This past July, I was just walking out of my home carrying a satchel, which I usually have with me.
0:22:39
Officers suddenly jumped out of their car and demanded to know if I had any weapons on me.
0:22:44
When officers jump like that and tell you that they think that you have weapons, what goes through your mind is that this could be the end of my life.
0:22:51
They found a hairbrush inside of my bag, which they said it was a bulge that they thought it was a gun.
0:22:57
I'm lucky that the incident ended there, but I no longer carry the hairbrush, and as you can see, I no longer carry that bag.
0:23:04
As someone who knows all my neighbors and works to make my community safer, I hear stories like mine all the time.
0:23:12
Over the past several months, people have told me about the about being followed down the street by officers and who they see interacting with just to see who they interact with.
0:23:22
When they shake hands with a friend or offer somebody a dollar just to lend some need, or to lend some help to somebody in need, officers roll up and start questioning them.
0:23:32
Others have shared, about how they're just sitting out in front of their stoops of of their building, maybe smoking a cigarette or joint, which is totally legal, but continue to get harassed by officers demanding IDs and explanations on why they're being why they're there and why their presence is there.
0:23:49
And some of these encounters have escalated to unjust arrest and community members I know have filed complaints with the CCRB.
0:23:56
Most of these incidents involve officers with khaki pants, the so called community response cops.
0:24:02
To me, they're just community robocops.
0:24:05
It's absurd to call them a community team when their actions only harm the community.
0:24:10
Thanks to the how many stops acts, we know now that in spite of black and Latin New Yorkers making up, about 73% of the population in Washington Heights, they made up to 85% of those target one level stops and 97 of those target level 2 stops last quarter.
0:24:32
The data shows that these kinds of racial disparities exist across the city and we need the NYPD to provide us the raw data so that we can further understand the rationale behind these stops and address these discriminatory impacts.
0:24:46
Some think that these so called low level stops are just minor inconveniences, but when it happens to you all the time and you're consistently hearing about what hap what's happening to your neighbors and when you know that the worst case scenario is that it can escalate to a loss of life, It causes constant fear and anxiety, and that's what my community feels.
0:25:06
So thank you, chairman Salaam, and thank and the whole public safety committee for holding this hearing and paying attention to what is happening in our communities.
0:25:16
This issue is deeply important to me and other families whose loved ones have been lost by the police because we want to make sure that no other family joins this club that nobody wants to be in.
0:25:27
We we appreciate your partnership on these issues so far, and we ask that you continue to partner with us in the new year, especially because the NYPD's abuse is only gonna increase under Trump's and at least another year under Adams.
0:25:40
Lastly, my family would like to call on you to help us to ensure that commissioner Tisch and mayor Adams hold and fire lieutenant Rivera for murdering my brother.
0:25:50
The NYPD's violence and abuse must end, and it starts with meaningful accountability and systematic change.
0:25:57
Thank you.
