The Shooting of Mt. Vernon Basketball Star shows the need for Comprehensive Gun Laws in New York State

Mt. Vernon Basketball Star Isaiah Cousins

The Shooting of Mt. Vernon Basketball Star shows the need for  Comprehensive Gun Laws in New York State

The resent shooting of Isaiah Cousins, a Mt. Vernon basketball star echoes the need of controlling the influx of illegal weapons in our communities in Westchester County and the state of New York.

It is clear that we simply can not "arrest" ourselves out of our current crime problem. There must be a comprehensive change in the mindset of the people. To achieve any sustainable reduction in crime, our elected officials must engage in an aggressive plan to identify and promote programs that provide meaningful assistance for families in need. This is especially critical to those families with children to prevent the youth from growing up being/feeling neglected and joining on to so-called gangs and engage in criminal actives. The offender of tomorrow is often the at-risk child of today whose needs are not being addressed. 

As Law Enforcement Professionals, we have found it is easier for youth to get an illegal weapon than a legal job in many urban cities in Westchester County. Illegal weapons in the Black community has become more American than Apple Pie.

It is unfortunate that our County Executive Rob Astorino is standing firmly on a platform to repeal the SAFE Act in New York in his campaign for NYS Governor. What will Astorino's message be to the Cousins family and many other families that have lost children to gun violence in New York? What fundamental right do our young and elderly have to feel safe walking the streets?

As a national organization of Law Enforcement Professionals, we demand our elected officials to fight for the fundamental rights of innocent people like Isaiah Cousins and not be cowards to gun enthusiast, gun lobbyist and the NRA.


Damon K. Jones

Blacks In Law Enforcement of America 

Westchester Coalition for Police Reform Calling fo Oversight from Rob Astorino

Police-involved deaths in Westchester have attracted considerable media and public scrutiny in recent years. As a Democratic society, we value life, liberty and security of the person as core values worthy of constitutional protection. When government officials interfere with these core values, the call to publicly account for that interference is understandably very significant.


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Westchester, we have seen our share of questionable police involved assaults and deaths. The victims families have continued to request independent investigations from our District Attorney Janet Difiore to no avail. time line of police incidences in Westhchester How many more deaths shall we hear about without our elected official realizing that there is a problem? When our District Attorney is quoted saying an officers use of the "N" word was a diversionary tactic, where is the outcry for change from our community leaders, elected officials and Black Clergy?

As we celebrate the work and birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. , would he be silent in the face of this kind of injustice? The time is now for our county elected officials to act in some form of oversight of its 43 municipalities and training of its officers.

What does it say to communities like Mt. Vernon where a police officer can cost a city over a million dollars in civil lawsuits and hes put back in the streets to patrol the same people he was found guilty in a court of law of abusing? Have Mt. Vernon elected officials forgot that these same people pay taxes that pay this officers salary? read here

What does it say to the African American residents when a Police Officer can call the President the N word, wish for his assassination and continues to patrol the streets where many African Americans may shop, eat at restaurants or do business? read here

 The issue of whether some form of oversight is appropriate may have been settled from the public's viewpoint. Three-fourths of the largest cities in the United States have established some form of law enforcement review. The recent election of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had an police oversight political platform has shown that many voters feel the need of some type of oversight of law enforcement. These actions represent a de facto public finding that oversight is an appropriate response to the problem of law enforcement malpractice.

Clearly, developing community-especially minority community-confidence that law enforcement will be held accountable for its actions is important in and of itself. It is a cold reality that many minority citizens in Westchester lack confidence in internal review and any investigations of police misconduct from the District Attorneys office.

Without trust in law enforcement accountability in Westchester, racial tensions have risen, with tragic consequences for the community. Even a review system perfect in an administrative and legal sense would be problematic for its municipality if the community did not believe in its integrity. We believe, as Democrats, a system of law enforcement policy and procedure review systems in Westchester can be part of the larger effort of community policing, leading to greater acceptance of the legitimacy of the review.

As Independent Democrats, we question the silence of our own Democratic party in Westchester concerning the continuous deaths and physical abuse of black, brown, yellow and poor citizens at the hands of rouge law enforcement in Westchester County. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it” – Martin Luther King Jr.

The Correlation Between Crime, Violence, and Poverty in Westchester County

The Correlation Between Crime, Violence, and Poverty in Westchester County by Damon K Jones

Dozens gather to protest the firing of Mount Vernon Police Commissioner Carl Bell

MOUNT VERNON — A small group of residents and community activists gathered in front of City Hall on Friday to protest the ouster of Police Commissioner Carl Bell and demand an explanation for why he was fired.

Damon Jones of the group Blacks in Law Enforcement of America organized the rally and decried Mayor Ernest Davis’ decision to fire Bell, who had held the post since July 2010.

“He tried to straighten up a police department that really had no accountability,” Jones said of Bell. Instead of enjoying the mayor’s support in that effort, Jones said, Bell, who was fired Tuesday afternoon, “was being undermined.”

Bishop William Ewell, a minister at the nearby New Hope Cornerstone Apostolic Church, described the departed commissioner as “a hands-on commissioner (who) really pushed the department forward.”

Davis has not publicly explained why he dismissed Bell. In a brief exchange in City Hall with a reporter, the mayor said, “I don’t comment on personnel matters. You should know that.”

The mayor’s finances and business interests and several nonprofits he founded are being investigated by federal authorities. Several of the protesters outside City Hall said they found the timing of Davis’ decision to fire Bell suspicious.

“Is this because you have the feds — you’re on their radar?” said Nazarine Duncan, a Mount Vernon resident who has worked to raise awareness about the violence plaguing the city. “To me, it looks like he’s trying to take the light and shine it on somebody else.”

Duncan’s two children survived an attack by a gunman two years ago. Bell was largely responsible for bringing their attacker to justice, she said.

“To me, he (Davis) had no justifiable reason why he fired him,” Duncan said. “We are owed an explanation.”

Citing the federal investigation, Ewell said, “In the midst of those things, I feel this was the wrong time to fire the police commissioner.”

In an interview this week with The Journal News, Bell said he had tried to raise the standards of the city’s police force and “instill some structure.”

He said his attempts to discipline officers who misbehaved were undermined by the mayor’s meddling. Bell said the mayor told him he didn’t understand politics.

Davis has not said whom he will choose to replace Bell or when he will make that appointment. For the time being, Deputy Commissioner Reginald Ward is overseeing the Police Department.