BROOKLYN, NY-Today, U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke condemned the actions of New York City police officers responding to a call at the Aliya Institute in Crown Heights on the evening of October 8.

 The police officers were called when a security guard found Elud Halevi sleeping in the lounge of the Institute. A security camera recorded the officers punching, pepper spraying, and beating the young man.

 “It is the duty of police officers to protect and serve our community,” said Representative Clarke. “The actions of the officers at the Aliya Institute, which provides services to young Jewish adults, are reprehensible.”

 “This violent behavior calls into question the extent to which our City’s police officers, when responding to citizens in distress, are trained.

 “The relationship between the NYPD and communities of New York City becomes fractured when officers threaten the safety of the people they are sworn to protect. The number of instances in which police have failed in their duty to protect and serve, such as this attack and the misuse of Stop and Frisk policies, demonstrates a need for reform. “I join in the efforts of my city and state colleagues in calling for oversight of the NYPD by an independent Inspector General,” concluded Representative Clarke.

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U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Small Business Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies.  She represents several neighborhoods in central Brooklyn, NY.