HAS BEEN EXTENDED IN NEW YORK
CITY ENTHUSIASTIC SUNDAY.
SAVANNAH.
>> ALL RIGHT, CRAIG, THANK YOU.
WE ARE JOINED NOW BY THE HIGHEST
RANKING UNIFORMED OFFICER IN THE
NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT,
CHIEF TERRENCE MONAHAN.
CHIEF, GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
YOUR MOMENT WITH DEMONSTRATORS
MONDAY WENT VIRAL.
YOU KNELT WITH THEM IN THE PARK,
HUGGING PEOPLE IN THE CROWD AND
CALLING FOR AN END TO THE
VIOLENCE.
CHIEF, WITH THAT PICTURE IN
MIND, I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT
LAST NIGHT.
IT SEEMED TO BE A MUCH QUIETER
NIGHT.
YOU HAD AN EARLIER CURFEW.
IS THAT WHAT MADE THE
DIFFERENCE?
>> THE EARLIER CURFEW HELPED
COPS TAKE OUT OF THE
NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE THAT DIDN’T
BELONG THERE.
8:00 HELPED A LOT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE PROTESTING PAST
8:00 PEACEFULLY WE ALLOWED TO
CONTINUE.
BUT WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO
WERE LOOKING TO CAUSE MAYHEM
BROKE OFF, WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE
CARE OF THEM VERY QUICKLY.
>> THE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK,
ANDREW CUOMO, LASHED OUT AT THE
POLICE RESPONSE SAYING POLICE
DID NOT DO THEIR JOB MONDAY
NIGHT WHEN THERE WAS WIDESPREAD
LOOTING.
HE TALKED ABOUT DISPLACING THE
MAYOR AND BRINGING IN THE
NATIONAL GUARD.
IS THAT NECESSARY, IN YOUR MIND?
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
I STATED THIS YESTERDAY.
HE’D HAVE TO COME OUT AND SEE
WHAT MEN AND WOMEN ARE DOING.
DON’T EVER CALL THEM
INEFFECTIVE.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, LAST NIGHT
HIS OFFICE CALLED AND APOLOGIZED
TO ME.
HE CALLED THE COMMISSIONER
DIRECTLY TO APOLOGIZE THAT
THAT’S NOT WHAT HE MEANT.
HE DID NOT MEAN TO PUT DOWN THE
POLICE OFFICERS.
I HOPE HE WILL COME OUT PUBLICLY
AND SAY THAT AGAIN TODAY DURING
HIS PRESS CONFERENCES, BECAUSE
THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS AGENCY
HAVE DONE A REMARKABLE JOB IN
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES.
I COULDN’T BE PROUDER OF THE
WORK THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THIS
AGENCY HAVE DONE.
>> WE’VE SEEN MASSIVE PROTESTS.
MANY, PROBABLY MOST, ARE
PEACEFUL PROTESTS.
THERE IS THAT DANGEROUS ELEMENT,
THOSE WHO WANT TO BREAK INTO
STORES, COMMIT VIOLENCE, ATTACKS
TOWARD THE POLICE AND VICE
VERSA.
HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THAT ELEMENT CONSISTS OF,
SOME SAID OUTSIDE AGITATORS
COMING IN.
WHAT’S YOUR BEST ESTIMATE ON
THAT?
>> WHAT I’VE SEEN THERE ARE
GROUPS WITHIN THESE LARGE
PROTESTS LOOKING FOR NOTHING BUT
TROUBLE.
WE’VE MADE A LOT OF ARRESTS FOR
PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE NEW YORK
AREA.
WE’VE GOTTEN INTEL FROM PEOPLE,
VARIOUS DIFFERENT GROUPS OF
ANARCHISTS TRYING TO PUSH THEIR
AGENDA OUT THERE, HIJACK THE
MOVEMENT, TO CAUSE NOTHING BUT
CHAOS AND MAYHEM AND DESTRUCTION
IN THE CITY AND JUST TO ATTACK
POLICE OFFICERS.
THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
THIS IS ABOUT PEOPLE PROTESTING
SOMETHING THEY FOUND
UNJUSTIFIED, THAT WAS
UNJUSTIFIED IN MINNESOTA TO GET
THEIR VOICE OUT.
THIS IS NOT AND SHOULD NEVER
HAVE BEEN AN ATTACK ON POLICE
OFFICERS.
THERE’S NOT A POLICE OFFICER IN
THIS COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T
CONDEMN WHAT HAPPENED IN
MINNESOTA.
WE DON’T NEED TO BE TARGETED
THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE
OF THE ACTIONS OF SOMEONE IN
MINNESOTA.
>> AND TO THAT LARGER ISSUE, YOU
JUST DENOUNCED WHAT HAPPENED IN
MINNESOTA, KNELT WITH
PROTESTERS.
YOU HAVE SAID NYPD IS NOT A
RACIST ORGANIZATION.
THIS HAS BEEN A TIME WHEN A LOT
OF EYES ARE OPENED, A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE REFLECTING.
WHAT THE PROTESTERS SEEM TO BE
SAYING THERE ARE INCIDENTS THAT
ARE AWFUL THAT HAPPEN IN BROAD
DAYLIGHT WHAT HAPPENED IN
MINNEAPOLIS.
THEN QUIET RACISM, THE WAY THE
BLACK COMMUNITY IS POLICED AND
WATCHED.
WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THAT?
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THROUGH
THIS EXPERIENCE.
>> THROUGH THIS, LISTEN, WE HAVE
TO LOOK AT ONE ANOTHER AS
HUMANS.
WE’VE ALL GROWN UP DIFFERENTLY.
I CAN’T LOOK THROUGH THE EYES
AND LENS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
MALE THAT GREW UP, HE CAN’T LOOK
THROUGH MY LENS, HOW I’VE GROWN
UP IN MY LIFE.
TOGETHER WE’RE ALL HUMAN.
I’M MUCH MORE THAN JUST A BLUE
UNIFORM.
HE’S MUCH MORE THAN JUST A
MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET ALONG
ON A ONE-TO-ONE BASIS.
I SEE THAT EVERY DAY IN THIS
AGENCY.
I SEE HOW OUR COPS INTERACT WITH
THE PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES,
HOW THEY GET ALONG, HOW WE WORK
TOGETHER.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLICING WE STARTED
HERE IN 2014.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF
IT, THE IDEA THAT THE COPS IN
THE COMMUNITY WERE ONE.
WE’RE ALL HUMAN. TOGETHER WE MOVE FORWARD AGAINST
TOGETHER WE MOVE FORWARD AGAINST
THOSE WHO WANT TO CAUSE CRIME
AND MESS UP OUR SOCIETY.
>> THOSE ARE IMPORTANT WORDS.
I HOPE EVERYONE TAKES IT TO