BY SCOTT STIFFLER | “I would tell them that I understand what they’re feeling, that it’s a perfectly valid response to the way the NYPD responded that night,” said Manhattan Community Board 4 (CB4) Chair Lowell Kern, regarding the anger and abandonment felt by Chelsea residents who watched as businesses, including Wine on Nine (177 Ninth Ave. btw. W. 20th & 21st Sts.) had windows smashed and inventory stolen.

In a June 5 letter addressed to Mayor Bill de Blasio—and cc’d to NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson, NYS Senator Brad Hoylman, NYS Assemblymember Richard Gottfried, and the 10th Precinct’s Deputy Inspector Commanding Officer Kevin J. Coleman—Kern and CB4 District Manager Jesse Bodine expressed “grave concern regarding the well-organized looting that wiped out a number of businesses in Chelsea on the evening of Monday, June 1 [and into the early hours of June 2]. As reported by numerous eyewitnesses, despite their repeated calls to 911 and the 10th Precinct, it took the NYPD nearly an hour to respond, providing the looters enough time to leave the scene, even though some of the victimized locations are less than a block from the stationhouse.”

Although officers on the scene that night (and later, a 10th Precinct Community Affairs rep) described what happened as by-the-book observance of NYPD protocol, that was cold comfort to local residents who were told, the letter said, officers “from the 10th Precinct were deployed elsewhere, and the remaining few had to guard the stationhouse.” According to eyewitnesses, CB4 further noted, “individual squad cars saw the looting taking place but there were too many looters for two officers to deal with, so they drove off.”

Calling this “completely unacceptable” and “a gross dereliction of duty” that “requires independent investigation,” the letter asked the mayor to “instruct the NYPD to return their officers to their home precincts, to protect our neighborhoods, and to leave the peaceful protestors alone.”

In a June 2 letter written as storeowners were still cleaning glass from the sidewalk and crews were covering businesses with plywood, the West 400 Block Association (21st, 22nd & 23rd Sts.) told 10th Precinct Deputy Inspector Commanding Officer Kevin J. Coleman, “We are very distressed by the lack of police response last night to the looting and vandalism that took place all over our neighborhood.”

While acknowledging the Association has “always had a close relationship with the officers of the 10th Precinct,” they stressed it was “important for us to understand what plan of action you, as our neighborhood police precinct, have put into place to avoid the chaos that occurred last night. We look forward to your prompt response.”

That response came in the form of, among other things, an online Zoom meeting in which 10th Precinct reps would engage in dialogue.

In an email sent to a bcc list of community members 31 minutes before the Zoom meeting was to have taken place, Officer Kateri Clark, of the 10th Precinct’s Community Affairs office, noted she was writing “to inform you that the Zoom meeting (06/10/20) is being rescheduled. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication regarding the initial invite. This Zoom meeting was designed for Inspector Coleman to speak with the CB4 and Block Association leaders. Inspector Coleman was also initially free to do this call, but has been assigned to a demonstration detail. We are in the process of rescheduling this Zoom meeting with CB4 in the near future.”

Earlier in the week, an email sent by an overzealous community member set off widespread dissatisfaction among respondents who thought the meeting was open to all members of the public.

For his part, said Kern, in a June 11 phone interview with Chelsea Community News, “The confusion around the meeting was the result of trying to coordinate it with a lot of different groups, and just some miscommunication—honest mistakes all the way around. CB4 is still trying to organize a meeting with DI Coleman and the heads of the Block Associations, and we’re optimistic that meeting will happen some time next week.”

In the meantime, noted Officer Clark in her June 10 email, “You can always reach out to us with any concerns or questions.”

To that end, the following is a reprint of June 5’s special edition of the 300 W20 Block Association’s newsletter, in which Eric Marcus questions Clark regarding the looting of Chelsea, and its aftermath. Chelsea Community News thanks Marcus for permission to run this Q&A.

300 West 20th Street Block Association

** Friday, June 5, 2020 **

EXTRA — Hyper-Local News Update — EXTRA

THE 10TH PRECINCT RESPONDS TO OUR QUESTIONS

Interview with Community Affairs Officer Kateri Clark 

Eric Marcus:  Many of my neighbors called 911 when the looting started this past Monday night and called multiple times. In the case of the looting of Wine on Nine [located just north of 20th Street], it took 90 minutes for the police to arrive. What happened?

Officer Kateri Clark: As far as responding to calls [during this crisis], we have a different protocol than usual. Rather than having one car with two officers respond, we’re having caravans of three cars, with two officers per car. So you have at least six officers on scene. We found that when we were trying to tackle these jobs—the ones involving looting—that it was ill -advised for just one car to respond because officers were being endangered. Right now, the only time one car with two officers is permitted to respond is if there’s a call that someone is getting hurt. In that case, every single officer is called in and we have officers on standby from other precincts who can also be called in.

At the 10th Precinct, we have two groups of three cars. And because we don’t have the capacity for 200 calls—at one point on Monday night we had 200 calls—the system has to sort through them and prioritize them. So if somebody is getting injured, those two caravans of three cars go to that location first. Property damage comes second. I should add that at the 10th Precinct we have other resources, too, such as plainclothes detectives and officers from other precincts and other units at our disposal. But given the number of calls that night everyone was just trying to do the best they could.

EM: During the 90 minutes that the looting went on at Wine on Nine and the smoke shop [just south of 20th Street], more than one neighbor counted five police vehicles that passed by Wine on Nine and the smoke shop and kept on going. Why?

KC: It could have been that they were en route to a higher-priority call and/or they didn’t have enough officers on scene to respond to the cal. If they don’t have enough people to get out of the cars and handle the situation they’re instructed not to. If there are only two officers and multiple people looting it wouldn’t make sense for them to step out. Also, we work on different communication frequencies. If, for example they were on the Citywide #1 frequency, they wouldn’t hear about that particular incident of looting within the 10th Precinct. But if they see somebody being injured, it’s a whole other matter and they would stop and intervene—100%.

EM: One neighbor, who witnessed the break-in and looting at the FedEx store on 8th Avenue and 20th Street, went to the 10th Precinct to report what was happening on 8th Avenue and was told by the officer he spoke with that they were told by the Mayor not to confront the looters, that they were to remain at the station.

KC: I don’t know of any instruction from the Mayor, so I can’t tell you if that’s true or not, but we’re instructed to do the job as safely as possible and that means responding in numbers. If we don’t have sufficient numbers, we’re instructed not to respond. Also, we cannot leave a post once we’ve been assigned to it. So the officers who remained at the station on Monday night were told to remain there to protect the precinct building. A couple of looters came to our barricade on 8th Avenue on Sunday or Monday night and said they were going to come back to our building and burn it down. We have to take those threats seriously.

EM:  Another neighbor observed the looting of an AT&T store. Here’s what she said: “In our part of the neighborhood last night (24th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues), we witnessed similar [looting]. The looting started around 8:00 p.m. What we saw directly was the AT&T store on the corner. The looting continued without any police presence until 1:30 a.m. when six officers arrived not to protect this business, but to apprehend a young man ‘breaking the curfew.’ While waiting for the police vehicle to take him away they posed for selfies in front of the AT&T store while looters sauntered in and out at will.”

KC: This is very upsetting to me, although this occurred outside our Precinct’s boundaries. But this is extremely concerning and I’m hoping it was a misunderstanding of some kind. But I’m going to relate this to my commander so he can relay it to the 13th Precinct. This is the worst time to not behave in a proper manner. I’m hoping it was a phone call or a Facetime to their commander. Because otherwise, I think it’s extremely bizarre.

EM: What assurances, if any, can you offer that we won’t be left to fend for ourselves as we were this past Monday night?

KC: I wish I could stand in front of every window to protect them from being broken, but we can’t. The one assurance I can give to the public is that if it’s a life-threatening situation, we’ll be there within moments. But what I can also say to you is this: These looters seem to have no interest in breaking into homes. They’re looking for the grab and run. They are looking for commercial establishments. But, I urge everyone in the community to take precautions because it can happen. Keep your eyes open. If, for example, you have a glass front door that you can board up or cover with a sheet or paper from the inside—to keep the looters from seeing inside—then I suggest doing so.

EM: The next day, on Tuesday [June 2], why weren’t there any officers out in the neighborhood on foot to talk to residents and shopkeepers? The only officers I saw were standing behind the barricade on 20th Street and 8th Avenue.

KC: That’s where we’re directed to be. When you’re assigned to your post, you must not leave the post. You stay on this corner until somebody relieves you. That said, if we see someone getting hurt we will race out of the zone of security, past the barricades, to intervene. There are still threats that are directed to police officers and the precinct. The looters have gone after officers.

My job is to speak to people in the community, and the only way I can get in contact now is to talk with people by phone. Since I’ve been instructed not to leave the block for our own safety, I have been going out on the street—just on our block—to talk to neighbors and answer questions when I can.

EM: Why is 20th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues blocked off to traffic?

KC: Under the circumstances, we’ve been instructed to secure the block.

EM: Why is there a police van parked on the sidewalk at 20th Street and 8th Avenue?

KC: That police van is there in case they try to take the block. There should be another police car in front of the barricade so they can’t ram through the barricade, but most of our vehicles are out in the field.

EM: We’re still in the middle of a pandemic that’s taken the lives of thousands of New Yorkers. Why don’t officers from the 10th Precinct wear face masks when they’re on the street?

KC: That is an extremely good question. The only answer I can give you is that it’s a personal preference and I think it’s a poor example. I think we should be the role models and wear facemasks. But I’m sympathetic. It’s challenging enough with all the gear we’re wearing and carrying to go around and breathe without a mask on. That’s not an excuse, but I am sympathetic. They should be wearing the masks.

EM: My neighbors and I and millions of other people have seen the violence against peaceful protesters by the police around the country and here in our own city. How do you and your colleagues feel about that?

KC: Personally, it’s very upsetting, but I also have been in predicaments where you’re telling someone to leave, go home. You ask, you tell them. And then you make them. There are plenty of ways that this can be handled correctly without putting your hands on someone. I’m proud of the way the 10th has been operating so far because none of our officers, as far as I know, has been involved in anything like that.

EM: Do you and your colleagues have a sense of how the residents and shopkeepers of this neighborhood feel betrayed by the 10th Precinct? What can be done to address that?

KC: I completely understand. If I were a resident and didn’t know anything about policing I would feel betrayed, too. When I see the videos and the damage done, regardless of who the owner is—a big company or a mom-and-pop store—it is so upsetting. The neighborhood looks like a war zone. To see it the way it is, with people boarding up their businesses, it’s crazy. I can understand that people feel betrayed, but we have to make sure jobs of priority are taken care of first.

We are still here for the residents of Chelsea. I urge you and your neighbors to talk to the officers when you encounter them. Ask them questions. Don’t yell at them. I implore people, talk to the officers. Ninety percent of us are willing to talk to you and give you an answer.

EM: Before this past week, one of my neighbors told me how he walks by the precinct every day on the way to his office—and has for years—and always says good morning, stay safe, etc. and often he gets no response or he’s treated as if he’s a problem. Why would your colleagues behave like that?

KC: I have not seen anything like that. The times that I’m outside of the station house we interact with neighbors. We’re pretty friendly in that sense. But if you encounter something like rude behavior, ask for the officer’s ID card and then contact me [see below for Officer Clark’s contact information]. It’s instances like this that make people hate the police and assume that everybody’s bad. It’s that one encounter that changes people’s attitude toward all police.

I had that kind of bad experience when I was living in Queens Village with my parents. I was at work at the time. I got a call from a police officer and he said, “We found your dog and you have to pick him up from the precinct.” So I told him I couldn’t get off work for a couple of hours and that my parents were working. I said I’d be there in a few hours. I was told that it was no problem.

So a few hours later, my mom picked me up and we went to the precinct and I was treated like the enemy. They cursed at me. It was so disgusting. I wound up screaming at the officers and their response was to tell me, “You better never step in this neighborhood again or we’ll arrest you.”

EM:  So how did you wind up becoming a police officer?

KC: It wasn’t until I had a professor who was a retired police captain—Anthony Ottomano (he has no idea that I became an officer), who said that I was the exact person we need to be on the police force. I told him that I did not like the police. And he said, “You’re exactly the kind of person we want on the force. If you take the job you can do it how you want to do it.” From that moment on I thought maybe he’s onto something. And then I decided to become a police officer.

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