December 1, 2006

QUEENS, NY – The Queens Federation of Churches and the Council of Churches of the City of New York have called upon church leaders in Queens and the metropolitan area to lead prayers for healing and justice in response to the shooting last week of Sean Bell in a hail of 50 police bullets. He and two friends, all unarmed, were shot while leaving a strip club in Jamaica, Queens, in the early hours of Saturday, November 25, on what was to have been Mr. Bell's wedding day.

In a letter to Mayor Bloomberg and other City officials, the Rev. N. J. L'Heureux, Jr. and the Rev. John E. Hiemstra, executives of the two church councils which broadly represent the Christian churches of the City, expressed concern for the families of the victims. They called upon the Mayor and the Police Commissioner to make policy changes in an effort to prevent future tragedies of this kind.

Recalling other similar incidents in recent year, the "issue of race cannot be ignored," they wrote. "Victims seem almost always to be persons of color. The failure of the NYPD to field officers in numbers that more closely reflect the racial make-up of the City they patrol is, undoubtedly, a significant impediment to going forward in a just manner."

The ecumenical leaders called for the Police Department to change its policy and require that police officers live in the City they patrol. "The fact that many police officers do not live in the City and, therefore, do not have the opportunity to interact with persons of different races as a routine of daily life enables negative and racist assumptions to be perpetuated because their only encounter with persons of other races is ‘on the job' and, often, in a ‘suspect' role." They continued, "The officers' estrangement from our great City for their family and life experiences, however, undermines whatever their intellect may tell them – leading precisely to such imprudent reactions born of fear or panic as we have witnessed in recent days."

Addressing the use of what the Mayor has termed "excessive" gunfire, the church leaders criticized the NYPD policy of routinely issuing weapons capable of firing 16 shots, calling it an "obvious mistake" and noting that in any panic situation police officers have emptied their weapons. One officer last week fired 31 shots, slipping a second 15-bullet cartridge into his weapon. They called the present policy "a danger to public safety."

Churches are called upon to work for justice in society. In justice will be found healing and wholeness. Prayers will be offered for the victims and their families – and also for the police who patrol the City, the police officers involved in this shooting, and the City officials who bear the responsibility for investigation and judgment in difficult circumstance.

The letter commended the Mayor for his "prompt and solicitous" attention to the matter and expressed the hope that the investigation will result in justice and healing for the whole community.

The Text of the Letter to the Mayor

The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg
Mayor, City of New York
City Hall
New York, New York 10007

Dear Mayor Bloomberg:

We commend you on your prompt and solicitous attention to the tragic death of Sean Bell at the hands of officers of the New York Police Department. As you well know, this has outraged the community and demonstrated, once again, that we have a long way to go as a City to afford both justice and protection to the citizens.

Fifty shots fired by police are, as you have noted, excessive. And, rightly, it recalls the equally tragic and unnecessary deaths of other Black men in recent years under similar circumstances. To call this "contagious" shooting, as some have described it, is to attempt to put a benign label on an extraordinary systemic failure.

We believe that NYPD policy decisions, made over the past decades, should be reexamined and changed.

Specifically, the decision to issue weapons capable of firing 15 or 16 shots between reloading has proven itself to be an obvious mistake. In any situation of panic or fear – whether or not fear might even be justified (and the shootings of Mr. Bell or Mr. Diallo have no appearance of justification whatsoever) – police have demonstrated that they are likely to empty their weapons. We see no rational basis demonstrating a need for such firepower as a matter of routine. Experience has made clear that it is, in fact, a danger to public safety.

The issue of race cannot be ignored. Victims seem almost always to be persons of color. The failure of the NYPD to field officers in numbers that more closely reflect the racial make-up of the City they patrol is, undoubtedly, a significant impediment to going forward in a just manner. The fact that many police officers do not live in the City and, therefore, do not have the opportunity to interact with persons of different races as a routine of daily life enables negative and racist assumptions to be perpetuated because their only encounter with persons of other races is "on the job" and, often, in a "suspect" role. We assume that most NYPD officers know intellectually that each racial and ethnic group is made up of individuals – some bad, but mostly good – and not of some undifferentiated mass. The officers' estrangement from our great City for their family and life experiences, however, undermines whatever their intellect may tell them – leading precisely to such imprudent reactions born of fear or panic as we have witnessed in recent days.

We expect you and our other elected officials will pursue a thorough investigation of this tragedy with an eye toward justice in the present case and toward systemic Departmental change so as to preclude any similar recurrence in the future.

Our respective organizations are calling on the leaders and members of religious communities to hold the victims of the shooting and their families in prayer – along with you, our other officials, and the members of the NYPD. We all must earnestly work together for change in policy and change in heart that will lead to justice and a healing Spirit in the City of New York.

Sincerely,

N. J. L'Heureux Jr.
Executive Director
Queens Federation of Churches

John E. Hiemstra
Executive Director
Council of Churches of the City of New York

Queens Federation of Churches
The letter was also sent to Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner; Richard A. Brown, Queens District Attorney; Helen M. Marshall, Queens Borough President; and Christine C. Quinn, Speaker, NYC Council.