I am disturbed by the seven-minute videotape showing two New York City police officers repeatedly striking an unarmed young man inside a Brooklyn Jewish community center, during a 5 a.m. encounter on October 8. Although the facts in the case are still being determined, I am pleased that the Police Department and the Brooklyn district attorney’s office have each begun investigations into the officers’ actions. We need a thorough explanation for what happened at the Alternative Learning Institute for Young Adults in Crown Heights, because New Yorkers need to know that their police department is equally vigilant about the proper use of force as it is about its mission to combat violent crime.

(YWN Desk – NYC)