"I Got Tired of Hunting Black and Hispanic People," read the headlines of a 2019 New York Times article. The Times was quoting one of the officers who gave a supporting affidavit for NYPD lieutenant Edwin Raymond's lawsuit. In 2016, Edwin was the lead plaintiff of the NYPD 12, a group of Black and LatinX cops who filed a lawsuit against the NYPD - their own employers - for its enforcement of racist arrest quotas. The lawsuit and impetus behind it became the subject of Crime and Punishment, the award-winning Hulu documentary.
Last year, Edwin decided to enter the race for Councilman of District 40 in Brooklyn, with the intent of addressing and correcting the injustices he witnessed as a young person growing up in Flatbush and as an experienced officer within the police force.
Edwin kicked off our conversation by stating that while it's great to celebrate famous people who have had a positive impact on our society, it's also good to look around and see that everyday people are making a difference. "You are what you have been waiting for," he said.
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Edwin is a native of East Flatbush and still lives there now. Coming up in the 1990s, he appreciated that as a young person he had the chance to learn about the wide variety of Latin American and Caribbean cultures which surrounded him.
He cites his school teachers as some of his prime influencers. "It wasn't so much the curriculum that had an impact on me, but the talks that they would give about life." He remembers loving to learn about history and historical figures, imagining himself to be "sitting on that bus with Rosa."
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
As a youth, indignation was a key motivator for Edwin's interest in righting wrongs, and for his eventual choice to join the police force. Some of the people who inspired him within that world included several other members of the NYPD who blazed trails by speaking out about issues of injustices and corruption within the police force - Borough President Eric Adams, a former NYPD Police Captain; James E. Davis, a former officer and Council Member; and retired officer, Graham Witherspoon.
Edwin continued the work of these key trailblazers by spearheading the group lawsuit against corruption and racism within the NYPD. He saw the group initiative as a ways to "show how ubiquitous and pervasive what I was trying to expose is, [how it's] systematic, and it's not just about reprimanding one or two people within the force."
When speaking about what keeps him going in the struggle to correct racial and economic injustices and disparities, Edwin cites the understanding of how his actions positively impact many thousands of individuals. "I've shown that whistle-blowers can be effective," he shared. "And many people have reached out to me by email to let me know how my actions have affected their lives." One mother let Edwin know that when she told her son about Edwin and what he had done as a police officer, her son decided that he wanted to dress as Edwin for his school's Black History Month celebration. "Young people are already paying attention to what I do. Now I want to create a better future for them. I want to continue the momentum."
Edwin's sense of the scope of his impact as a whistle-blower within the NYPD was magnified when he and the 11 other members of the NYPD 12 became the subject of Crime and Punishment, a documentary directed by Steven Waing. While traveling nationally and internationally to participate in film screenings, Edwin developed a sense of what he calls "a beautiful burden" - a sense of having become one of the people that he had spent his youth looking up to, and the responsibility that comes with that. Many people stepped forward to tell Edwin that the film had changed their one-dimensional view of cops, and had helped them realize that there are cops that aren't in agreement with all the policies of the NYPD.
Part of Edwin's vision for change involves the same kind of "It takes a village" approach which he employed when filing the lawsuit against the NYPD. When it comes to creating policies, Edwin strongly believes in consulting with everyday workers, as opposed to taking an ivory tower approach. He gives the example of how important it is to consult with educators when making changes in our educational system. "Let's make sure that the stakeholders have a voice and that policies come from an informed position, not from knee jerk reactions."
When I asked Edwin what three changes he would most like to effect in his community during his lifetime, he first named "a police department that ensures optimal safety in a way that ensured procedural justice." Edwin also envisions a minimum standard of living across the city, regardless of race or socio-economic status. He'd like to change the fact that people have to spend such a high percentage of their income on rent, and also increase salaries. Edwin would like to see to it that people live healthier lives - e.g., think more carefully about what we put into our bodies, and understand how nutrition works. He'd like to change the fact that there are neighborhoods where you find a dearth of sources of healthful foods, and a plethora of fast food sources. "It's a problem when you have to walk 6 blocks to buy and apple, and pass lots of fast-food restaurants along the way," Edwin notes.
Edwin had these final thoughts to close out our conversation: " I am someone who genuinely cares. Despite my accomplishments, I am never satisfied, due to the fact that there are so many people who are suffering. I want to find permanent solutions."
To learn more about Edwin's campaign for City Councilman: https://www.edwinraymond.com/
To follow Edwin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.raymond_ and https://www.instagram.com/raymondfor40
To learn more about Crime and Punishment: https://www.crimeandpunishmentdoc.com/
To view Crime and Punishment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6lB9HQnSac
My Local Heroes is a celebration of Brooklynite activists, artists, athletes and entrepreneurs who are leading the way making lives go better with little fanfare and a lot of heart and smarts.
To see all the posts in one place, and "follow" the page:
Faceook: https://www.facebook.com/mylocalheroesbk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylocalheroesbk/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/etraubman