Sunset Park Cop Watchers Want AG To Reject 'Broken Windows' Policing

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Local police watchdog group El Grito de Sunset Park has sent an open letter to New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman calling on him to speak out against so-called "broken windows policing," which El Grito said is linked to an increased risk of deportation for undocumented residents.

"The reality is that for communities of color across the city, there has never been a sanctuary from police brutality or the daily punishment that is inflicted on
people of color through arrests and summonses," the letter reads. "The most egregious example of this may be Broken Windows policing, which promotes aggressive enforcement against so-called quality of life infractions," such as jumping a subway turnstile.

"Broken Windows, which has led police to arrest and even target street and subway vendors, many of whom are immigrants, also puts undocumented people at risk of deportation," the letter continues. "Every arrest produces fingerprints that are sent to federal law enforcement officials, who are now answering to a man dedicated to deporting at least a few million people, according to his public statements."

"The continued criminalization of New Yorkers of color is fundamentally incompatible with a sanctuary city," the letter concludes. "We ask that you immediately denounce Broken Windows policing as it puts families at risk."

You can read El Grito's letter in full below:

Top image via Immigration and Customs Enforcement