You are on page 1of 1

El Grito, Inc. P.O.

Box 200329, Brooklyn, NY, 11220 - (347) 504-1817


Website: www.ElGritoDeSunsetPark.com Email: elgritodesunsetpark@gmail.com

February 10th, 2017

Dear NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman,

El Grito de Sunset Park began as a community watchdog that documented official abuse of residents of the Sunset
Park neighborhood. In the last few years we have been on the frontlines of efforts to demand more accountability and
transparency of the police department and our elected officials.

Now, in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's executive orders concerning federal funding for 'sanctuary cities',
there is widespread fear in immigrant communities, like Sunset Park. 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 most egregious example of this may be Broken Windows
policing, which promotes aggressive enforcement against so-called quality of life infractions. This strategy, which
includes enforcement against a variety of everyday behaviors, is unproven as a crime-fighting strategy and also, like
with fare-beating arrests, overwhelmingly targets Blacks and Latinos.

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. 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. We ask that you immediately denounce Broken Windows policing as it puts
families at risk.

As an elected official and chief lawyer for the state of New York, you have responsibility to protect people from
harmful public policies. To stand by the wayside would make you complicit in what the Trump administration is
doing.

We invite you to a town hall in Sunset Park next month so that you can speak directly to residents, and they to you, to
discuss strategies to keep our communities safe. In the context of massive marches for justice that preceded the
presidential election, who hope that you understand how important it is to find solutions sooner rather than later. It
would be incredibly disappointing to think that your office will only visit the community in small roundtable
discussions when most residents cannot participate.

We look forward to seeing you at our town hall and we would encourage your office to stand with the community not
only against Trump's executive orders, but also against the constant dangers that they already face here in the city of
New York.

Sincerely,
Dennis Flores, El Grito de Sunset Park

You might also like