Last Friday, October 12, 2018, the actions of Ms. Teresa Klein, a resident of the Flatbush community, traumatized a young 9-year old child by falsely accusing him of groping her. That was very disturbing. Whether Ms. Klein actually called the cops or not, it is telling how she views the relationship between the police and communities of color - and is willing to take advantage of what could be prosecutorial against these communities. Let me be clear: there is no excuse for Ms. Klein’s behavior.

The incident, which took place at the Sahara Deli Market in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was videotaped and quickly went viral. It is very clear from the video footage that this black 9-year old child did not “sexually assault� Ms. Klein. The video showed the child's backpack brushing Ms. Klein’s backside as he passing by. Although she apologized after watching the surveillance video, her false accusation against this child will leave him with a traumatic experience which will stay with him for the rest of his life. However, even if the child had in fact committed the alleged groping, I would think a responsible adult would take the parent aside and address what happened. Imagine if this was a 16-year-old, the end result might have been a criminal record and jail time was it not for the surveillance camera.

Whether intentional or not, Ms. Klein's behavior echoes an ugly past in our country's history going back to the brutal torture and murder of Emmitt Till. Till, 14, Black, was falsely accused of “wolf whistling� at a white woman and as a result was lynched. Closer to home, the Central Park Five a group of black and Hispanic teenagers falsely accused of raping a white woman, provide a clear and tragic example of what can happen to children of color when they are presumed guilty by our society.

We cannot allow racial incidents of public intimidation, especially those directed at children, to go unanswered. As we call on our community to condemn these types of action from happening again, we will look to the enforcement of the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause. 

Further, I look to be a co-sponsor to the Assembly version of the proposed legislation introduced by Senator Kevin Parker, Bill S9150 that will make reporting a non-emergency incident to an official organization dealing with emergencies a Class-B Misdemeanor.

In the coming days, I will be working hard to ensure that this young child receives the emotional support he needs. We as a community, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, all of us, need to re-think how we interact with each other and what lessons we pass on to our children. In doing so, our next generation will not repeat these behaviors. We should think of ourselves as a village raising and protecting our children versus criminalizing them.

Please join me and my colleagues in government at Borough President Eric L. Adams' Community-wide Conversation on Diversity and Respect. The rally is in response to the incident on Monday, October 15th at 5:30 pm, the rally will take place on the corner of Albermarle Road and Flatbush Avenue.

Related Articles:

NYPOST (Video and Article)

https://nypost.com/2018/10/12/the-moment-a-kids-backpack-got-him-accused-of-sexual-assault/

NYTIMES

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/nyregion/woman-calls-police-black-boy-brooklyn.html

Ditmas Park Patch

https://patch.com/new-york/ditmaspark/video-woman-calls-911-child-flatbush-deli