You are reading

Hundreds March to Jackson Heights Assembly Member’s Office to Demand Action on Police Accountability

Protesters march to Assembly Member Michael DenDekker’s office Wednesday (Make the Road New York/ Facebook)

June 3, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Hundreds of people marched to Assembly Member Michael DenDekker’s office Wednesday demanding that he support police reform measures.

The protesters demanded that DenDekker, who represents Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst and parts of Woodside, do more to support state efforts to hold police officers accountable.

They claim that DenDekker’s recent steps toward law enforcement reform are political, moves taken given that’s a reelection year. The six-term incumbent faces multiple primary challengers.

DenDekker has co-sponsored a controversial bill this year that would repeal a decades-old state law which the NYPD uses to prevent the public from seeing the personnel records of its officers.

The law, known as 50-a, states that performance records of police officers, firefighters and correction officers — including disciplinary reports — are “confidential and not subject to inspection or review.”

In previous years, when the bill was introduced, DenDekker was not a co-sponsor and the bill never it made its way to the assembly floor for a vote.

Yesterday, DenDekker also donated $13,000 that his reelection campaign has taken from police PACs to a local nonprofit and food pantry.

However, the protesters called his recent actions superficial and said he has more law enforcement money to return.

“Assembly member DenDekker has historically received funding from the police and donating only a portion of the contributions is not enough,” said Mateo Guerrero, lead Organizer of Make the Road New York, the group that led the march.

Jessica González-Rojas, who is vying for DenDekker’s seat, was also critical of the incumbent. She claimed that he only made the donations and backed reforms after political pressure stemming from George Floyd’s killing and subsequent protests.

“We need a representative who will stand up for the district, which is 88% people of color, not law enforcement PACs that attempt to squash important criminal justice reforms,” González-Rojas said in a press release separate from the march.

DenDekker’s campaign didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

However, in an press release his office put out yesterday, he said he is committed to reforming law enforcement.

“I am tired of all the repeated injustices that have been perpetrated against people of color, especially by police officers,” DenDekker said in a statement. “I am committed to making significant changes to law enforcement so that illegal misconduct is properly punished and that the police are held accountable.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Mayor Adams shares 90-day progress of Operation Restore Roosevelt

Jan. 22, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Operation Restore Roosevelt, a 90-day multi-agency initiative launched in October 2024 by Mayor Eric Adams and Council Member Francisco Moya to address quality-of-life issues along Roosevelt Avenue, has resulted in nearly 1,000 arrests and over 11,500 summonses. The operation focused on addressing community concerns such as prostitution, illegal brothels, unlicensed vending, retail theft, and other public safety challenges.

SUV driver killed after losing control and crashing into a detached garage in Jamaica: NYPD

A 63-year-old man was killed Tuesday morning after he crashed his SUV after losing control of the vehicle on a residential block in Jamaica.

The driver was behind the wheel of a 2015 Toyota Rav4 traveling eastbound on 90th Street shortly after 5 a.m. when he jumped the east curb at the intersection of 143rd Street and drove straight into the driveway of a home at 89-25 143rd St., police said. The NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad determined that the SUV continued through the driveway before colliding into the detached garage and a parked and unoccupied 2011 Toyota Prius inside the structure. The impact caused the garage to collapse on both vehicles, trapping the Rav4 driver.