March 21, 2000

SILVER BLASTS GIULIANI ACTIONS IN DORISMOND DEATH
Questions Release Of Victim's Records; Calls For Assembly Investigation

RealAudio Clips from Speaker Sheldon Silver. Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 3 Clip 4

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver today blasted New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for actions he took following last Thursday's tragic shooting of Patrick Dorismond, an unarmed security guard, in releasing sealed juvenile court documents related to Dorismond.

"I am compelled to go on record in saying that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's actions following the death of Patrick Dorismond are egregious, reprehensible and a complete abdication of his moral and legal responsibilities as a public servant," Silver said at a Capitol news conference.

"In releasing Patrick Dorismond's juvenile record, Mayor Giuliani has violated the public trust, state law and let down the people of New York State," Silver said. "As a state official, he owes the people of New York State an apology. These are sealed state records he alone chose to release, and for that, he alone must accept full responsibility."

Silver announced the Assembly would initiate an immediate multi-committee investigation, which would include the Codes and Judiciary committees and also provide for the power of subpoena. Silver said the committees would probe questions raised by Giuliani's actions following the shooting of Dorismond by an undercover officer during a police drug-buy operation in Manhattan Thursday (March 16) night.

"Mayor Giuliani has responded to a suffering, grieving family, the Dorismond family, by victimizing them," Silver said. "We will not tolerate the mayor's release of records when the need for uniting our communities and bringing to light the facts in the tragedy must be a first and primary concern."

Silver announced that as part of the Assembly probe, the committees would conduct a public hearing in New York City next Friday (March 31) in order to gather information related to the Dorismond shooting and Giuliani's subsequent actions and also, as part of its inquiry, consider the necessity of legislation, based on their findings. The hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. at a location to be announced.

Joining Silver at the news conference were several prominent Assembly members who represent minority communities in New York City.

"Releasing Patrick Dorismond's youthful record is an attempt to portray him as a violent career criminal," said Assemblyman Sam Bea (D-Bronx), Vice chair of the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Legislative Caucus, a group of minority state legislators formed to address issues of particular concern to their constituents.

"I applaud the speaker and my colleagues for calling for an investigation to review if any laws were broken and for taking action before another innocent victim is murdered by Giuliani's police," Bea said.

"I am outraged by this horrible tragedy, which has been made even worse by the mayor's continued violation of the victim," said Assemblyman Roberto Ramirez, chair of the Social Services Committee. "We must stand up against this type of irresponsibility, and I applaud Speaker Silver's actions in announcing this probe and publicly calling the mayor to task for his inexcusable behavior."

"Mayor Giuliani has no regard for the Family Court Act that protects the rights of young people," said Assemblywoman Gloria Davis (D-Bronx), chair of the Assembly Majority Conference. "Instead of healing the increasing divide between the community and his police department, Mayor Giuliani's leadership and overly aggressive law-enforcement tactics has led another innocent, unarmed man to his death. We rebuke the mayor, his policies and those that feel it's all right to murder innocent New Yorkers in the name of the law."

"As parents in the City of New York, we can no longer sit idly by and allow the mayor, who is supposed to be the leader of New York City, to continue to violate the Dorismond family's human dignity by depicting Patrick Dorismond as a criminal. Not even another tragic death of an innocent man can bring shame to a shameless mayor," Davis said.

In a separate statement, Assemblyman Keith Wright, chair of the Black, Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caucus, said, "Tragedy follows tragedy in this sad story of repeated shootings of unarmed black men by plain-clothed officers from a police department in desperate need of leadership, of policies that protect all the people without preying on some and of better training and discipline in conducting the laws they are sworn to uphold. The mayor's action only adds to this continuing tragedy and underscores the critical need to solve this problem in our law enforcement community, from the top down."

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NOTE: A copy of the speaker's letter to the chairs of the Codes and Judiciary committees requesting an investigation into the events surrounding the death of Patrick Dorismond and the subsequent actions of Mayor Giuliani are available upon request.