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1 year ago
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Mayor Eric Adams has praised a determination by a Harlem NYPD precinct commandant to person a constabulary serviceman grounds video of concertgoers leaving a Drake show astatine the Apollo Theater connected Saturday, calling the thought a “creative” mode of engaging with the community.
The incident, which was tweeted by a New York Times euphony critic, prompted crisp disapproval of what immoderate said amounted to racist surveillance by the NYPD astatine a performance which drew a ample assemblage of color. The NYPD, which said the contented was being utilized for societal media, has been routinely criticized for arguable surveillance practices it has adopted since 9/11.
Drake, who is considered 1 of the biggest rap artists successful the industry, delivered what was aboriginal described arsenic an “intimate” performance of his top hits astatine the iconic theater.
During an unrelated quality league successful the Bronx connected Monday, Adams dismissed the concerns arsenic coming from a tiny number connected Twitter that don’t bespeak “everyday New Yorkers.”
“Thumbs up to that large captain,” Adams said of Captain Tarik Sheppard, who heads the 28th Precinct.
The politician went connected to “commend” Sheppard for taking video of concertgoers.
“And I promote each of my commanding officers to beryllium originative connected however we prosecute with our residents,” helium said, adding, “That was a harmless event.”
Following questions astir the video recording, an NYPD spokesperson said the footage of concertgoers would lone beryllium utilized to beforehand assemblage events connected societal media.
“The serviceman depicted successful the video is simply a Community Affairs serviceman progressive with the 28th Precinct's societal media team,” work a statement. “The serviceman was taking video for an upcoming twitter station that volition item section assemblage events. The video volition not beryllium utilized for immoderate different reason.”
Critics, however, expressed concerns that the footage could beryllium utilized for facial designation technology, which is ineligible successful New York. The NYPD has historically operated a “rap unit” to show hep hop performances.
“The NYPD’s usage of a video signaling instrumentality connected hep hop fans astatine a historical instauration of Black show successful Harlem is highly concerning,” said Will Owen, of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, an anti-surveillance and privateness rights group.
“This is yet different illustration of NYPD’s racist usage of surveillance technology, pursuing the department’s agelong bequest of targeting rap concerts. We’re profoundly acrophobic facial designation whitethorn person been involved, and request the section destruct immoderate footage it took. This is the latest impervious that the metropolis and authorities indispensable prohibition its usage astatine venues erstwhile and for all.”
Most recently, the radical has joined lawmakers to request that Madison Square Garden halt using facial designation to prohibition definite lawyers who correspond firms suing the organization.
Adams has been a protagonist of utilizing facial designation arsenic good arsenic different exertion successful policing. “We volition usage each disposable method to support our radical safe,” helium said past year.
Jeffrey Fagan, a Columbia University instrumentality prof who is an adept connected policing, was among those who were skeptical that signaling concertgoers promoted a feeling of safety.
“I uncertainty anyone determination felt safer due to the fact that the NYPD was creating a integer grounds of their clip astatine the Apollo to perceive a Black euphony artist,” helium said. “Did the NYPD deliberation a riot was going to interruption retired there?”
Adams, however, argued that astir New Yorkers welcomed the beingness of constabulary successful their communities.
"Those who are naysayers find reasons to kick astir everything," helium said. "That's not reality. Let them support complaining."
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