Thread by @georgejoseph94

Over the last year, we've investigated claims in secret tapes that cops in Mount Vernon, NY allied with favored drug dealers—while assaulting, robbing or framing others. Now, several Black residents want their convictions tossed. Here are their stories:
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

2/ Many of the allegations in the tapes and from residents involve a narcotics detective, who has racked up over 500 arrests in his career. For years, civilians filed complaints against him resulting in little to no discipline:
gothamist.com/news/corruptio…

3/ A whistleblower cop secretly-recorded his colleagues making more allegations about this detective. They claimed that he assaulted residents in handcuffs + pushed other cops to frame people. When the whistleblower lost faith in the DA—he gave them to us
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

4/ The recordings pointed to a narcotics unit out of control. One officer said that dealers, who gave police info leading to low-level arrests, could deal + control territory with impunity. Some residents say those who refused faced retaliation.
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

5/ Alan Seward alleges Detective Antonini strip-searched him in view of a public street, assaulted him, then framed him with a small bag of cocaine. Afterwards, he said Antonini offered him freedom if he snitched on others in the community. He says he refused + was charged.

6/ Echoing Seward’s language, Reginald Gallman says Detective Antonini also offered him impunity if he gave police information on his own drug user clients. He alleges he refused + was assaulted as a result.

7/ As @avitale notes, a kind of make-your-own-rules attitude can flourish in plainclothes specialized drug and gang units like this. From Baltimore to LA, they’ve often been at the heart of police corruption scandals:

8/ The devastation these units do to poor residents, especially drug users or those with criminal histories, is often ignored. Mount Vernon resident Bobby Brown missed his daughter’s birth because of what he says was a false drug charge.

9/ Michelle Campbell had her apartment raided by multiple narcotics officers, including Detective Antonini. She has since left Mount Vernon as a result.

10/ She wonders how many people like her have to say the same thing for it to be believed.

11/ In response to our series, the Mount Vernon Police Department has disbanded its narcotics unit. It has also put multiple officers under investigation. One has been suspended. Detective Antonini is on desk duty for now:
gothamist.com/news/mount-ver…

12/ Now many Mount Vernon residents are hoping for decisive action from Westchester County's incoming DA @Mimirocah1, who ran, in part, on doing more to investigate these allegations. She takes office in January and has promised a thorough investigation:
wnyc.org/story/mimi-roc…