About 100 members of the Syracuse community gathered outside City Hall on Wednesday night as part of a silent protest against police brutality. The protest comes five days after the forceful arrest of Shaolin Moore on Friday night by a city police officer.

A viral video shows an officer, identified in court papers as Christopher Buske, threatening to spray Moore with pepper spray unless he exits the vehicle. Buske then grabs Moore by the neck before pulling him from the car, striking him in the head with a closed fist. Moore is then held on the ground by several officers.

Moore was charged with resisting arrest and a sound reproduction violation — playing music too loudly. Syracuse Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner has said the officers involved in the arrest remain on duty but are under investigation.

Nitch Jones, a local activist, said the protest was silent because people aren’t angry.

“We’re not angry. We’re hurt that this has happened inside of our city,” he said in an interview after the protest.

Yaschia Kinsey, another organizer, said she was disturbed by the video, as well as the way cops are portrayed as victims during police brutality incidents. She wants the officers involved in the Friday arrest to be placed on administrative leave by the end of the week. People feel unsafe in their communities, she said.

“If you see that video, and then you hear from the chief of police (say) that the officers are still on duty, you don’t want to leave your house,” Kinsey said. “You don’t know if it could be you next.”

Jones began the protest in prayer. He then described what happened to Moore both on Friday night and the day after. Punched in the face and chest and struck in the back, Moore then spent the night in the Onondaga County Justice Center, Jones said.

Buske said in a report filed in court papers that he thought Moore had a handgun because he was “reaching for his waistband,” according to Syracuse.com.

Yaschia Kinsey was one of three organizers of Wednesday’s silent protest. Emma Folts | Asst. News Editor

Moore was arraigned Saturday morning. During his appearance, Syracuse City Court Judge Ann Magnarelli stated she did not lightly tolerate a noise ordinance and put Moore on pretrial release, Jones said.

As part of the pretrial release, Moore must call a counselor weekly to disclose personal information, like his address and contact he’s had with police, Jones said. Any contact with the police could violate the judge’s order, and Moore could be placed in jail.

“This man is afraid to drive his own car now. He’s afraid to be in his own community, because he’s afraid that they may target him to put him back in jail,” Jones said. “He’s afraid that they may harm him, and that’s just not going to be acceptable.”

Jones said Buckner called him this afternoon and told him the results of the investigation should be released this week.

Ciarah Richardson, who helped organize the protest, said she wanted to take action and inform people of their rights. She and other protest organizers don’t hate SPD, but they take issue with the officers involved in Moore’s arrest, she said.

“They’re corrupt, and we definitely don’t want those type of people policing our communities,” she said.

Jones listed several demands made to Mayor Ben Walsh and SPD in addition to the officers placed on administrative leave. A petition was passed around during the protest urging this action.

Jones wants Walsh and Buckner to improve SPD’s use of force policy. In a 2018 police brutality lawsuit against the city, a former administrator of the Citizen Review Board said SPD’s policy was “vague and outdated.”

Twiggy Billue, president of Syracuse’s National Action Network chapter, named several resources for those looking to file a complaint. Emma Folts | Asst. News Editor

Another call for action requires statewide change in police procedure. Organizers want lawmakers in the New York State Legislature to re-examine the definition of probable cause, which Jones said is vague, and to change the current definition of “reasonable suspicion.”

Irene Aurora Flores, a former criminal defense lawyer, informed people at the Wednesday rally of their rights in situations with police. She stressed peaceful compliance and avoiding escalating the situation, but said individuals can tell an officer that they do not consent to their vehicle being searched.

Local activist Twiggy Billue named several resources for those looking to file a complaint. She told the crowd to call Syracuse’s Citizen Review Board, which reviews complaints made against police by city residents, as well as the New York Civil Liberties Union and Syracuse’s National Action Network chapter, of which Billue is the president.

“There are those of us out here that are not afraid to take your complaint, to stand up with you, to stand up for you and to be there as your beacon,” Billue said.

Published on June 5, 2019 at 11:27 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu