Rockland Leaders, County Exec Talk About Fear, Racism

NEW CITY, NY — After a weekend statement warning that outside protesters could be coming to Rockland and promising to meet their violence "with extreme prejudice," County Executive Ed Day had a meeting Tuesday with local leaders who were disturbed by his remarks.

He had based his statement on a tweet threatening white suburbanites in general, purporting to come from Black Lives Matter advocates but actually by a white nationalist group called Identity Evropa, according to news reports, and on an anonymous Facebook meme purporting to threaten police officers who live in Pearl River, spread as an 'a friend saw this' post by a mysterious group called Rockland County Clown Hunters.

While Day defended himself on his Facebook post, saying he had other sources of intelligence, on Thursday he issued a statement saying he now recognizes that he "caused additional fear and anxiety in local communities of color that were already on edge." Also, Day removed part of his original statement, including the part in which he said anyone coming to Rockland County for protests would be met with "extreme prejudice."

He said he had meant his Saturday post to be reassuring, and certainly many of the people who commented on his post congratulated him on it. Others said such a reaction was emblematic of the problems that cause protests against racism.

"Extreme prejudice" is generally used to mean aggressive lethal force. The term "terminate with extreme prejudice" was popularized by the movie "Apocalypse Now" and also lent itself to the title of another movie, "Extreme Prejudice."

Day's comment about using lethal force came two days before U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton called on the U.S. military to intervene with "no quarter" for protesters. A "no quarter" order is a war crime.

Day said on Tuesday he met virtually with a working group of local religious leaders, law enforcement and other community leaders.

"In what can be described as a candid, honest and sincere discussion, I came to better understand this fear and the concerns that exist in our local community and that specific words matter, particularly when viewed through a historical perspective," he said Thursday in a statement. "This conversation was an extremely important step towards deepening understanding, developing shared goals and creating the relationships needed to address the myriad issues we face today both in Rockland and across our nation.

"I want to be abundantly clear on this next point in particular; protesters are not the same as rioters. I view protesting to be one of the highest forms of civic participation; it is guaranteed under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and I understand and support that tenet unequivocally. Every protest I have witnessed during my many years living in Rockland has been peaceful and respectful, which includes those recently held in Nyack and Nanuet for George Floyd. I deeply respect the rights of assembly and protest but understand that these protests are only a beginning.

"Moving forward, this working group will maintain an open dialogue and I, like many, must redouble my efforts to improve my understanding of others. While I often think of myself as just a kid from Brooklyn, I recognize that my words carry weight and significant meaning. I am not perfect by any means, but I am committed to doing my best to do right by, learn with and protect every resident of this county."

It's not the first time Rockland County officials have acted in ways that disturb the black community. Back in 2016 members of the black community sued over the Rockland County District Attorney's Office and the Clarkstown Police Department's joint Strategic Intelligence Unit which specialized in surveillance of local black activists including members of Black Lives Matter.

SEE:

• Rockland County Exec Prepares For Violence
• Racial Profiling Suit Settled Against Strategic Intelligence Unit in Rockland
• White Supremacist Recruitment Flyers Found