Brooklyn, NY—Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement in response to the suspension of NYPD Officer Vincent J. D’Andraia and his commanding officer Deputy Inspector Craig Edelman being removed from his command:

“We must continue to apply pressure to disrupt ‘business as usual’ at police departments across America, because this is how we experience results in the right direction that our country so desperately needs. ‪Violence like we witnessed by Officer D’Andraia and Inspector Edelman’s complacency can escalate to murder—an all-too-common reality that’s stolen too many lives. ‬As the NYPD continues to investigate these officers’ heinous actions, I am hopeful the end result will be that these officers are fired because they are not to be trusted on our streets. ‬We must hold police officers and departments accountable, including our very own NYPD. We must continue to demand accountability of all officers. One unnecessarily-violent officer is too many. There is no room for us to take our foot off this gas.”

On Monday, United States Representatives Yvette D. Clarke and Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie, New York State Assembly Member Latrice Walker and New York City Councilors Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Laurie Cumbo called for the immediate firing of NYPD Officer Vincent J. D’Andraia after he violently assaulted Dounya Zayer who was peacefully protesting the murder of George Floyd in Brooklyn. D’Andraia is known to use unnecessary violence while working his Brownsville beat. The elected officials also called for disciplinary action of his commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Craig Edelman who witnessed the violence but took no action to intervene. 

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