20 responses right now ↓

• 1 aj0010 // Jul 14, 2009 at 6:22 pm

  i originally posted this comment with the wrong email address attached, repeating:

  “…another example of the police murdering an innocent civilian and getting away with it…”

  i’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you’re misinformed, and not deliberately trying to rewrite history.

  but if you’re going to publish in a pulic forum like the internet, you have some responsibility to get your facts straight, no?

  especially when you can ascertain the undisputed facts with just a few minutes of googling.

  kiko garcia had at least one conviction as a drug dealer.

  we all saw that video on the news, showing garcia and a fellow dealer holding up ziploc bags filled with cocaine while plying their trade on a building stoop.

  the two women who claimed to be eyewitnesses, the ones who said they saw the cop shoot the “innocent” garcia at point blank range as he lay on the ground? they moved back to the DR in a big hurry once that video surfaced, didn’t they? and they never testified.

  i’m aware that cops lie on the stand, but that doesn’t mean they’re ALWAYS lying.

  and a drug dealer who’s arrogant enough to pose for a video while actually dealing drugs on the street is exactly the kind of guy who’s stupid enough to try to grab a cop’s gun when he’s being arrested.

  to paraphrase a man who was much more eloquent than me: you’re certainly entitled to your own opinion, but you’re not entitled to make shit up.

  this guy was no innocent.

• 2 A. Taveras // Jul 14, 2009 at 8:21 pm

  Thanks for linking to the picture set. I remember watching this all unfold from four stories up over Audobon. I can remember witnessing some bizarre moments like burning cars and MTA buses full of officers, but it is interesting to flip through these and study the faces and storefronts that had slipped from my mind. I’m really curious about the slogans on some of the signs, the ‘spartacist’ and the white being lady arrested amidst the crowd. Were they non-local organizers/agitators driving our neighbors to protest? Hope the story is written one day and we find out.

• 3 D. Pena // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:46 am

  These are excellent photographs that truly captured the emotions and events of the Heights during this tense period. Great job Ricky.

• 4 admin // Jul 15, 2009 at 11:49 am

  I appreciate all the comments whether critical or not. Thank you for visiting.

  aj0010 -

  I apologize if i made Kiko look like a saint. Obviously, he wasn’t. Secondly, he was armed at the same time O’Keefe was.

  But, was there probable cause for pursuing Kiko as O’Keefe has done with others before and been reprimanded for by the courts? No one knows.

  What I do know is this – police brutality and cops getting off on crimes more egregious than OJ’s continue to occur. If it occurs now, what makes me so sure of the verdict that came down that year in favor of O’Keefe? We are talking about an era of the early 90s and late 80′s where racism and hostility towards minorities was a staple of police departments not only here, but across the country.

  In final, all I said was RIP Kiko. I shouldn’t have said innocent. But I’m sure as hell ain’t going to say guilty either. Cops don’t always lie. But when a death and a minority is involved, I don’t see much truth coming out.

• 5 admin // Jul 15, 2009 at 11:57 am

  All in all, I was more proud of the protesting. Whether it was rooted in lies or not, it was nice to see a community so known for being passive, show they can be proactive on these types of issues.

• 6 aj0010 // Jul 15, 2009 at 2:52 pm

  “proactive?”

  what, exactly, was accomplished?

  other than to paint the dominican community as a bunch of lawless, immature rubes who glorify a criminal predator?

  if relations between the police force and the residents is your concern, how can you not see the damage that was done by these protests? can you really ignore the fact that these actions led many cops in the precinct to simply write off the entire community as a bunch of ungrateful degenerates?

  look — kiko garcia was a predator. plain and simple. because he wouldn’t go out and work a job like the rest of us, he chose to peddle drugs on the corner, destroying lives, families, careers. this is not hypothetical, this is a fact.

  am i glad that he’s dead?

  of course not, because any life can potentially be turned around.

  am i sorrry that he died?

  hell, no.

  am i embarrassed by the reaction of so many wrong-headed loudmouths who, because of the volume of their wrong-headedness, made life more diffficult for us as a people?

  absolutely.

  and if you find in that a reason for pride, than i would suggest that you have a ways to go before you even rise to the level of mediocrity.

• 7 anotherdominican // Jul 15, 2009 at 3:08 pm

  agree with ajo010 –

  Lived here for almost 30 years and I agree spot on with ajo. Police arent always right and they do lie, but one wrong act doesnt sanctify another. The fact remains this community has a dysfunctional relationship with the police. We bitch and moan when they cant clamp down on criminal behavior in our communities but we hate them when they do. And im not saying that there isnt a wrong way of clamping down.

• 8 aj0010 // Jul 15, 2009 at 3:27 pm

  i have to say that i respect ricky’s willingness to allow such critical comments on his blog.

  am looking forward to reading this blog in the future.

• 9 admin // Jul 15, 2009 at 4:25 pm

  Anotherdominican – thanks for joining in the discussion.

  As I said earlier, I should’ve never said “innocent.” That was my mistake. That’s where I think this whole back and forth really stems from. You were right about that and as a former reporter, I should’ve done the research to realize he wasn’t innocent. You win on that.

  As for your comment about criticism on the blog, its fine by me. I’m not sensitive. I didn’t write this blog for everyone to agree with me. I’ll accept all comments on this blog as long as they aren’t crude or offensive. Oh, and my names not Ricky, it’s Claudio. Ricky is responsible for the photos.

  I’ll just throw in my final words. …

  My whole thing is this – do you think the black community rooted for OJ because they thought he was innocent? Absolutely not. It had to do with the string of police brutality incidents that occurred and the system not working for “them or us or whatever.” There were too many instances where clear police violations would go unnoticed and nothing would be done. That’s why when you saw that split screen, black folks jumped up and down for OJ as if the Messiah came down. Not because they loved him, but because they finally “won.”

  I think this Kiko case was similar. No one was glorifying the convicted coke dealer. I surely wasn’t even if it may have come off that way.

  As for protesting, just because people do so, doesn’t mean we are praising the memory of a coke dealer. Maybe there was a segment of the population stupid enough to do so, but I don’t think a lot of those people out there were praising Kiko and his “work” pun intended.

  I believe it was a sudden reaction to something the people felt was unjust. It wasn’t just a protest for him. It was a culmination of things that made the community snap. That’s exactly what it was in my opinion.

  So if the police brutalize your community time after time, do you expect the people who have been walked all over by the police to just sit down and “examine the facts” when the police don’t do the same? C’mon now ajoo.

  I’m no hater of the police. I know plenty of people who work for the department and understand that their jobs are not easy. I don’t want you to think I’m some militant because I’m far from that. I’m extremely open-minded. But, I’ve also been to countless meetings this year in the community where various residents of all colors said they’ve heard police officers say: “Let all those stupid Dominicans kill themselves.” This is 2009 man. I don’t even want to imagine what was being said 17 years ago.

  As far as your direct comment – I’m not above a certain level of mediocrity because I had pride in the fact that “my community whether right or wrong finally showed some backbone and protested in the face of a crime they felt was police brutality?” If you say so. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

  When I say I found pride in that act, it’s coming from a Dominican perspective. Dominicans are extremely laid back and let a lot of stuff occur that is wrong in their communities. That is partly why there is so much noise, drugs and stuff like that. To speak to people of that time and how proud they were of the “protest” made sense to me. They were happy to see that people cared. They may have not given a damn about Kiko. But they were happy to see that the police now knew there’d be hell to pay if something like this occurred again.

  Maybe many of them after hearing the verdict and evidence thought: “Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have protested.” Maybe they shouldn’t have. But I see no problem in them doing so because none of these facts were available to us yet. It was a sudden reaction. That’s all that protest was.

  In regards to you making a comment that the police saw the protests, and looked at us as criminal lovers and immature Dominicans, that’s totally wrong. The police’s job is not to judge. They are supposed to be objective. If every Dominican in Washington Heights marches in that rally, it doesn’t mean we love criminals or embrace that type of activity. But, unfortunately, many cops make those assumptions and that’s how that kid in Harlem (Omar Edwards) got shot a few months ago and how Diallo, Louima (still alive) and Sean Bell got killed as well.

  That’s all I’m saying. I appreciate the back and forth. It was fun. Feel free to send your next retort. Thanks for visiting.

• 10 aj0010 // Jul 15, 2009 at 6:14 pm

  Claudio –

  First up, apologies for getting your name wrong.

  Second, this isn’t a retort. I wish I could be that witty or clever. Let’s call it a reply.

  With all due respect, you were eight years old at the time. Going by what you’ve written here, I don’t think you have a clear grasp of the events of that summer.

  For you to say that the protests weren’t about Kiko Garcia is, at best, mistaken and, at worst, disingenuous. His name was chanted during the protest marches. One of Ricky’s photos clearly shows a mass of flowers and votive candles placed on the stoop in Garcia’s memory. Other photos in the package show protestors shutting down the street outside the funeral home, and a steady stream of people — including (no surprise) Al “Where’s the Camera?” Sharpton — filing through to pay their respects during Garcia’s wake.

  I’m also struck by the presence of some photos in the package showing local residents bringing flowers to the local firehouse. Do you remember the events that led up to THAT march?

  Just weeks after the Kiko Garcia affair, some knucklehead decided to show off his brand-new motorcycle by riding at top speed the wrong way down one-way streets. Predictably, he was killed in a collision with a firetruck that was on its way to a call.

  Given the fact that the “we’re not gonna take it anymore” genie had already been let out of the bottle, MORE street demonstrations erupted, protesting the death of the “innocent” motorcyclist!!!! And, get this: one protestor even lobbed a MOLOTOV COCKTAIL at a firetruck that was racing to a fire!!!

  (I know. It’s hard to believe, but it happened.)

  Thankfully, some cooler heads prevailed and a march was organized to the firehouse, where residents carried signs saying “We Love the FDNY” and presented flowers to the firefighters by way of an apology.

  Apparently, it had occurred to at least some members of the community that we were being made to look very, very bad by these baseless tantrums.

  And that’s what they were: tantrums.

  And that’s why I used the word “immature.”

  Because grownups know to pick their battles, to marshall their resources and to wait until they have right on their side.

  Think about this for a minute: those “protests” against the local firefighters is exactly the sort of madness that occurs when you support someone, “right or wrong.” Wrong is wrong, my friend. It’s not something to be proud of.

• 11 aj0010 // Jul 15, 2009 at 6:26 pm

  Fact check: the firetruck incident didn’t happen “weeks” after the Kiko Garcia killing, but the next summer.

  http://www.nytimes.com/1993/07/13/nyregion/bomb-assault-is-described-by-firefighters.html

  I stand by my point, however, that childish behavior left unchecked begets more of the same.

• 12 admin // Jul 15, 2009 at 7:44 pm

  “First up, apologies for getting your name wrong.

  Second, this isn’t a retort. I wish I could be that witty or clever. Let’s call it a reply.

  With all due respect, you were eight years old at the time. Going by what you’ve written here, I don’t think you have a clear grasp of the events of that summer.

  For you to say that the protests weren’t about Kiko Garcia is, at best, mistaken and, at worst, disingenuous. ”

  #1 No problem

  #2 OK.

  #3 I wrote from the perspective of what people told me and what I thought about the protests as a whole and comparing them to others. Also, I’ve taken what I’ve read on this and applied it.

  Never did I write from a perspective of an 8 year old who understood what the hell was going on. I clearly stated that in the original post in the first paragraph.

  I’ve read endlessly on this and I agree, there were knuckleheads and fools who glorified this guy. But, I also believe there were many protesters who were out there sick of the police and them running wild over citizens.

  I personally don’t think its wrong. Many looked at this as an opportunity not to support Kiko, but to bring to the forefront what they felt was police misconduct. They did not know the verdict, but judging from their experiences, they jumped to the conclusion that Kiko was wrongfully murdered.

  Then, months later, it came out that he was armed as well and posed a threat.

  Never did I once say that the protest was all about Kiko. I clearly stated that I felt there were people sad of his death and others who were tired of police brutality as they thought this was another case and protested against that.

  Whether they knew or not that Kiko was armed isn’t my point. My point is that some people marched for Kiko and some didn’t. I think its unfair to say that everyone in that march was in support of a convicted drug dealer. Looking at a few photos doesn’t confirm that in my eyes.

  Thank you once again.

• 13 aj0010 // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:06 pm

  Sorry if I put words into your mouth. That wasn’t my intent.

  Thanks for the lively discussion.

  Suerte.

• 14 admin // Jul 15, 2009 at 8:11 pm

  No need to thank me bro. I thank you for visiting and correcting me. I hope you understood my POV as well.

  Hope you continue visiting. You definitely have inspired me to post more social issues/political stuff which I do every once in a while.

  Best of luck to you as well.

• 15 Derek // Jul 16, 2009 at 11:39 am

  From my perspective as an outsider to this whole affair — I lived downtown at the time, and I’m a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant — I vaguely remember these protests; for a long time, it cemented in my mind that “Washington Heights” was another “Crown Heights.” I didn’t have a sense of who was right or who was wrong (I didn’t follow the story that closely), I just remember feeling that I would never want to live way uptown myself.

  That changed six years later when I went apartment hunting and found one in Inwood, and also discovered the variety of WaHI and the diversity of the neighborhood — including the diversity within the Dominican community itself, a community of which I had never really even been that aware back in my below-14th-Street bubble.

  Thanks for sharing these pictures and thanks, even more, for the discussion thread. It helps me not only to better understand how my Dominican neighbors see themselves, their city and their place in it, but further demonstrates for me that there are no monolithic attitudes for any demographic group, no matter how they might get portrayed in the general media.

• 16 admin // Jul 16, 2009 at 11:45 am

  Thank you so much Derek for that post. No group is monolothic. That is for sure and I’m glad you enjoy it up here. It has its faults, but its safe and a great neighborhood that doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

• 17 Voice of Reason // Jul 21, 2009 at 3:43 am

  “But they were happy to see that the police now knew there’d be hell to pay if something like this occurred again.” – there’d be hell 2 pay for what….exactly? because an officer was trying to get a convicted drug dealer (who was poisoning his own people and community) off the street, and in doing so, his life was immediately threatened which forced his hand…do u support rioting/looting 2 defend that train of thought? if so, then your metrocard needs 2 be revoked

  “Maybe many of them after hearing the verdict and evidence thought: “Damn, maybe I shouldn’t have protested.” Maybe they shouldn’t have. But I see no problem in them doing so because none of these facts were available to us yet. It was a sudden reaction. That’s all that protest was.” —- but that’s the problem… everyone else is so quick to pass judgement before all the facts are revealed…you have to understand that each case is different…the cast of characters, the setting, the circumstances that led up 2 the shooting..so u can’t always assume the police aren’t justified…by the same token, don’t automatically assume they are…just give people enough time 2 present all the facts before you co-sign any side’s argument

• 18 admin // Jul 21, 2009 at 9:13 am

  I agree with you that all the facts should come to light before anyone decides to do anything. I think you failed to understand ‘all’ of what I posted. I think even if it was wrong, I was just proud to see that my community had an activist bone in their body. I was just surprised to see that. I’m proud they showed the ability to protest. Despite them protesting for an individual who was not innocent and probably regretting they ever did. The police were doing their job, but in our world it shouldn’t have been a shock to see the rapid reaction of taking it to the streets. Its something that will never change unfortunately. Thank you again though for the comment on my page. I appreciate it.

• 19 A. Garcia // Dec 31, 2009 at 6:40 pm

  I find these blogs on “Washington Heights” very insightful. It brings forth some powerful and interesting dialogue, which I pray we turn into positive action!

• 20 admin // Dec 31, 2009 at 7:07 pm

  A. Garcia -

  Thanks for the comment. I really hope to see you continue visiting.

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