Longwood: Assault on Police Officer

By Síle Moloney

The New York Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying an individual wanted for questioning in connection with an assault on a female NYPD officer within the confines of the 41st precinct. On Thursday, Jun. 4, 2020 at approximately 8:42 p.m., opposite 831 Dawson Street, an unidentified male individual approached a 24-year-old female, uniformed officer assigned to the 41st precinct, while the officer was attempting to enforce the established curfew. The individual became irate, picked up a metal folding chair, and struck the officer on the head and arm. The officer sustained a laceration to

By Síle Moloney & David Greene

On Tuesday, June 2, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by a number of other Bronx elected officials, community groups and clergy who gathered in the cold light of day at East Fordham Road and Grand Concourse to witness first-hand the trail of destruction left in the wake of Monday night’s looting and riots. It was reported by NYPD that the riots and looting were orchestrated by organized gangs, and not by protestors who have been rallying for police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, at the hands

By Síle Moloney

New Important legislation has been introduced to ensure that contact tracing in relation to COVID-19 achieves its public health goals and is not weaponized against communities of color. State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, chairs of the Senate and Assembly Health Committees, introduced the bill to ensure confidentiality of contact tracing data and prohibit access by law enforcement and immigration enforcement. Rivera said he was honored to have worked with Neighborhood Defender Services, Center for Community Alternatives, The Bronx Defenders, and the New York Civil Liberties Union in drafting the new bill, based on powerful testimony he

By Síle Moloney

After weeks of protests calling for an end to police brutality, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Jun. 7 a series of new reforms to the New York City Police Department to strengthen trust between New Yorkers and officers. The City will shift funding from the NYPD to youth and social services for communities of color, move vendor enforcement out of the NYPD, and establish a community ambassadors program within the department. The Mayor also announced his support for a new 50-A reform bill introduced in Albany. The 50-A reform bill refers to the reform

By Síle Moloney & David Greene

Participants who joined in a peaceful protest against police brutality in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx on Jun. 4 were surrounded and corralled by police at the end of the march route at East 136th Street and Brook Avenue ahead of the 8:00 p.m. nightly curfew, an action protestors said escalated tensions between them and police, and ultimately led to violence. In one video tweet, posted by the group Anonymous, some but not all police are seen dressed in riot gear, and protestors are seen being pushed forward by police. Some appear to trip and fall

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Black Lives Matter protests in the Bronx started peacefully on Monday, Jun. 1, as they had done on Sunday, May 31. as reported. By the early hours of Tuesday morning, however, as yet unidentified groups had caused the borough to descend into chaos, marked by multiple arrests, looting, fires, clashes with police, at least one police officer being run over, and an alleged break-in at Bronx Zoo. Demonstrators gathered in the South Bronx during daylight hours to rally for police reform in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man living in Minneapolis who, it

By Síle Moloney

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Jorge Ariza, 74, who was reported missing on Friday, June 5, 2020 within the confines of the 52nd precinct. It was reported to police that Ariza was last seen at his residence at 365 East 193rd Street in the Fordham Manor area of the Bronx on Friday, Jun. 5, 2020 at approximately 5:00 p.m. He is described as Hispanic, 5 foot, 10 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds, has a thin build, dark complexion, brown eyes, black hair and a mustache. He was last seen

By Síle Moloney

On Friday, Jun. 5, 2020 at approximately 4:10 p.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding a male shot in the vicinity of East 182nd Street and Grand Concourse within the confines of the 46th precinct. Upon arrival, officers discovered a 27-year-old male with a gunshot wound to the torso. EMS responded to the location and transported the victim to Saint Barnabas Hospital in a stable condition. Police said the victim was highly uncooperative and the nature of a dispute which preceded the shooting with an unknown suspect remains under investigation, as does the investigation into the shooting

By Síle Moloney

Police confirm that an assault occurred on Friday, Jun. 5, 2020 at the northeast corner of Hughes Avenue and East Tremont Avenue at 1:00 p.m. regarding a 52-year-old male who stated to police that an unknown male who was yelling approached him. The second man bumped into the 52-year-old and stabbed him with a knife in the torso. EMS responded and transported the victim to a hospital in the local area. There are no arrests at this time and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or