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Police have to earn respect Police have to earn respect
(14 days later)
The tragic shooting death of a one-year-old baby boy, Antiq Hennis, in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn last weekend sent shockwaves across a neighborhood that is no stranger to gun violence. The killer is still at large and community leaders are urging locals to cooperate with the police. Typically in such situations, itʼs difficult for homicide detectives to get any useful information from witnesses or even victims due to a combination of fear of local gangs and an ingrained distrust of the police. In this case, however, the babyʼs murder has caused such distress that many residents have been willing to cooperate with the investigation – with the notable exception of the young victimʼs father, Anthony Hennis.The tragic shooting death of a one-year-old baby boy, Antiq Hennis, in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn last weekend sent shockwaves across a neighborhood that is no stranger to gun violence. The killer is still at large and community leaders are urging locals to cooperate with the police. Typically in such situations, itʼs difficult for homicide detectives to get any useful information from witnesses or even victims due to a combination of fear of local gangs and an ingrained distrust of the police. In this case, however, the babyʼs murder has caused such distress that many residents have been willing to cooperate with the investigation – with the notable exception of the young victimʼs father, Anthony Hennis.
The 22-year-old Hennis was walking with his baby at the time of the shooting and, according to police reports, he may have been the intended target. Hennis has a long arrest record that includes drug dealing charges and weapons possession, and there is talk that the shooting may have been the outcome of a gang dispute. Whatever the case may be, itʼs extremely likely that not only does Hennis know who the killer is, but he probably also has a good idea where he might be hiding out.The 22-year-old Hennis was walking with his baby at the time of the shooting and, according to police reports, he may have been the intended target. Hennis has a long arrest record that includes drug dealing charges and weapons possession, and there is talk that the shooting may have been the outcome of a gang dispute. Whatever the case may be, itʼs extremely likely that not only does Hennis know who the killer is, but he probably also has a good idea where he might be hiding out.
His decision to keep whatever information he might have to himself has led to all sorts of speculation: that he may fear retaliation, that he may be planning a retaliation, or that he simply does not trust the police. Either way, the case illustrates the challenges of policing effectively in environments where locals feel alienated from the police rather than feeling they can rely on and trust them.His decision to keep whatever information he might have to himself has led to all sorts of speculation: that he may fear retaliation, that he may be planning a retaliation, or that he simply does not trust the police. Either way, the case illustrates the challenges of policing effectively in environments where locals feel alienated from the police rather than feeling they can rely on and trust them.
There is an almost universal mistrust of the police in areas like Brownsville where locals have the greatest need of support and protection. If any good were to come from this incident, it would be for the powers that be in New York City to acknowledge that there needs to be a comprehensive strategy to restore trust between residents of high crime neighborhoods and the police who are supposed to serve them. So far, however, it seems that the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and other city leaders are intent on using the babyʼs death to call instead for a continuance of the policies that have caused this alienation.There is an almost universal mistrust of the police in areas like Brownsville where locals have the greatest need of support and protection. If any good were to come from this incident, it would be for the powers that be in New York City to acknowledge that there needs to be a comprehensive strategy to restore trust between residents of high crime neighborhoods and the police who are supposed to serve them. So far, however, it seems that the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and other city leaders are intent on using the babyʼs death to call instead for a continuance of the policies that have caused this alienation.
The day after the babyʼs murder, the mayor called out "ideologues on the far right" and "ideologues on the left" for creating the environment that made such a killing possible. He blamed the former for their support of lax gun laws at a federal and state level that allow illegal guns to flow into the hands of criminals in New York City and the latter for their opposition to the New York Police Departmentsʼs stop and frisk policy that allowed hundreds of thousands of innocent minorities to be harassed by the police for little or no reason.The day after the babyʼs murder, the mayor called out "ideologues on the far right" and "ideologues on the left" for creating the environment that made such a killing possible. He blamed the former for their support of lax gun laws at a federal and state level that allow illegal guns to flow into the hands of criminals in New York City and the latter for their opposition to the New York Police Departmentsʼs stop and frisk policy that allowed hundreds of thousands of innocent minorities to be harassed by the police for little or no reason.
The mayor is spot on about the ridiculously easy access to guns. If there were fewer guns, there would be fewer shootings. But his continued support for stop and frisk, even though it has caused such animosity towards the police in minority communities like Brownsville, and even after a federal judge ruled the practice unconstitutional last month, just shows how out of touch the Mayor is.The mayor is spot on about the ridiculously easy access to guns. If there were fewer guns, there would be fewer shootings. But his continued support for stop and frisk, even though it has caused such animosity towards the police in minority communities like Brownsville, and even after a federal judge ruled the practice unconstitutional last month, just shows how out of touch the Mayor is.
According to Shanduke McPhatter, a former gang member in Brooklyn and now executive director of Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes (GMACC), the police have to do more to establish trust in high crime neighborhoods like the one where Antiq Hennis lost his life and continuing practices like stop and frisk isnʼt going to cut it:According to Shanduke McPhatter, a former gang member in Brooklyn and now executive director of Gangstas Making Astronomical Community Changes (GMACC), the police have to do more to establish trust in high crime neighborhoods like the one where Antiq Hennis lost his life and continuing practices like stop and frisk isnʼt going to cut it:
Every time a crime is committed theyʼre going to use stop and frisk. But even when stop and frisk was at its peak, we still had kids getting killed every day. The problem is the community needs to be able to trust the police more. There is no decent relationship with the police right now.Every time a crime is committed theyʼre going to use stop and frisk. But even when stop and frisk was at its peak, we still had kids getting killed every day. The problem is the community needs to be able to trust the police more. There is no decent relationship with the police right now.
There has been a significant drop in crime across the city since the early 1990s even in areas like Brownsville, but thereʼs scant evidence that the excessive use of stop and frisk since 2002 has had much to do with that. In 2010, the New York Times put together a report examining the use of stop and frisk by police in high crime neighborhoods. In it they noted that across the city the police made an average of 7 stops per 100 residents, but that in the predominately African American neighborhood of Brownsville, a whopping 93 out of every 100 residents were being stopped by police even though less than 1% of the stops ended in an arrest. During the same period when the police were stopping everyone but grandma, the Times noted that shootings in Brownsville were up by 40% in the first six months of 2010.There has been a significant drop in crime across the city since the early 1990s even in areas like Brownsville, but thereʼs scant evidence that the excessive use of stop and frisk since 2002 has had much to do with that. In 2010, the New York Times put together a report examining the use of stop and frisk by police in high crime neighborhoods. In it they noted that across the city the police made an average of 7 stops per 100 residents, but that in the predominately African American neighborhood of Brownsville, a whopping 93 out of every 100 residents were being stopped by police even though less than 1% of the stops ended in an arrest. During the same period when the police were stopping everyone but grandma, the Times noted that shootings in Brownsville were up by 40% in the first six months of 2010.
Of course a heavy police presence is necessary and welcome by many residents of areas where crime is rampant. There has to be a way, however, for the police to make communities feel safe that does not involve targeting the innocent along with the guilty and alienating almost everyone in the process. Anthony Hennis is not an innocent as his arrest record shows, but it should be a wake up call that even when someone like Hennis is the victim of the worst kind of crime, he does not trust the police enough to assist them in doing their job and bringing the perpetrator to justice.Of course a heavy police presence is necessary and welcome by many residents of areas where crime is rampant. There has to be a way, however, for the police to make communities feel safe that does not involve targeting the innocent along with the guilty and alienating almost everyone in the process. Anthony Hennis is not an innocent as his arrest record shows, but it should be a wake up call that even when someone like Hennis is the victim of the worst kind of crime, he does not trust the police enough to assist them in doing their job and bringing the perpetrator to justice.
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