SYRACUSE/ONONDAGA COUNTY

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE

P.O. Box 11081 Syracuse, New York 13218 (315) 440-6340
syracusenaacp@gmail.com

June 4, 2019

Ben Walsh, Mayor

Syracuse City Hall
233 E. Washington Street
Syracuse, NY 13202

Re: Grace Street Arrest

Dear Mayor Walsh:

This letter is to express the dismay of the NAACP in regards to the May 31, 2019 incident involving the
Syracuse Police Department and the now-viral video of the arrest of Shaolin Moore on Grace Street. We
are sure that you share in that dismay.

As is clear, there is a process in place that allows for an internal investigation of alleged instances of
police brutality and the NAACP supports this protocol. However, the NAACP hereby formally states that
all evidence collected through this investigation be preserved and remitted to the appropriate human
rights organizations, including the NAACP, during and after this investigation.

This is because that while the police’s investigation of itself is but one measure in which to evaluate its
members actions on that day, the NAACP and other civil and humans rights organizations will need that
evidence to conduct their assessment as to whether human rights violations occurred in the arrest of Mr.
Moore.

A week before this incident, the City sent notice, at the NAACP’s urging, to the US Department of Justice’s
Civil Rights Division to oppose the dissolution of the consent decree governing the hiring practices of the
police department to ensure a more diversified force that reflects the community. We commend your
administration in so doing. Incidents such as what occurred on Grace Street are the reasons why the
decree should not only remain in place, but needs to be enforced.

While it is hoped that internal and external investigations will unveil the facts behind the video, the optics
of a gaggle of white police officers engaged in a violent take down of a young black male for what appears
to be a minor traffic violation conveys clearly the racial divide that exists between law enforcement and
those they are sworn to protect and serve.

Like the rest of the community, the NAACP has many questions about what occurred that day based on
the short viral video. Why was Mr. Moore required to get out of the car for a noise violation – a non-
criminal violation? Why did the officer cover his body camera? Why did the same officer command the
passenger to stop recording the incident? And does the fact that the police found drugs and a gun at a
park blocks away give cause to violate the civil rights of Mr. Moore and his passenger?

Our hope is that all of these questions and more will be answered through the internal investigation
process and a Citizen Review Board (CRB) examination. But we cannot rely on hope alone which is why
1
www.syracusenaacp.com
we demand that evidence be retained throughout this investigation to allow for parallel and subsequent
investigations by non-municipal bodies.

It is an unfortunate irony that an incident like this occurred while you were celebrating with us the 40th
anniversary of the NAACP in Syracuse. It is disappointing to be having conversations like these forty
years later, illustrating little progress toward the goal of improving police-community relations. We hope
you take this opportunity to make a significant step toward improving the apathy within the police
department by cooperating with the NAACP and its partner organizations throughout and subsequent to
your own investigation.

Sincerely,

Linda Brown-Robinson
President
Syracuse-Onondaga NAACP

cc: Chief Kenton Buckner

Sharon Owens, Deputy Mayor
Helen Hudson, Common Council President
Jeffrey Morrison, US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

2
www.syracusenaacp.com