Community members in Peekskill are organizing to support 42-year-old Damar Fields, following the release of a video showing him being groped, kicked, and punched by a police officer during his arrest on Dec. 3 at Riverfront Green Park. According to the Peekskill Herald, the video, shared by community activist Darrell Davis, who is a spokesman for the Fields family, sparked outrage and led to the unnamed Peekskill police officer being placed on paid administrative leave. Davis said Fields did nothing to authorize the treatment shown in the photos.
On Saturday, December 13, about 75 people gathered at a riverside area for a peaceful rally to protest what they described as police brutality. Demonstrators have requested the release of full body camera footage and shared personal accounts of negative interactions with law enforcement.
“The way they beat my brother was inhumane,” Davis told the newspaper Peekskill Herald on Dec. 15, adding that Fields was known to police and had emotional problems in the past. “And the person who did that shouldn’t have a gun or a badge. And we’re not going to stop this,” Davis said.
What did the video show?
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Video of the incident, obtained by CBS Newsshows a police officer using a stun gun on Fields while yelling, “Ride [expletive] face,” before kicking him. Police responded to a complaint about a man near a gazebo by the Hudson River. A second officer arrived a short time later, and the first officer beat Fields while the fight continued. Both officers ended up on top of Fields, beating him several times, before three more officers arrived and took him into custody.
“It was disgusting, it was horrible. This guy is traumatized. He’s still getting medical help,” Davis told the newspaper during an interview on December 5. “I don’t care if this guy is a mass murderer. You abandoned him, he was helpless, and you attacked him, and that’s none of your business.”
After the video was released, the Peekskill Police Department confirmed that the officer involved had been placed on paid leave while the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office investigated the incident.
Davis said the rally marks only the beginning of broader community action. Since the video was shared, he said, many people have reached out to him with photos and videos alleging other incidents of police brutality in Westchester County, including Peekskill, NY.
An investigation into the arrest of Damar Fields.
Newly hired Peekskill Police Chief Adam Renwick referred the case to the district attorney for an independent investigation. During the Dec. 8 city council meeting, Renwick said he was limited in what he could discuss publicly because of the ongoing investigation, but assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted.
“I did this because the video that went viral on social media raised legitimate questions about the use of force, and it was important that all aspects of the incident be fully and impartially investigated,” Renwick said, according to a Dec. 10 report from the agency. Peekskill Herald. “Our department is fully cooperating with this review and has provided all available evidence, including body-worn camera footage, reports, and witness statements.”
The Peekskill Police Benevolent Association said it is suspected that Fields’ arrest was caused by him “exposing” himself. However, Damar Fields is not in custody at this time, and no charges have been filed as of this writing. They also defended the conduct of the unnamed officer.
“Upon discovery, the officer saw a man with his pants down,” said PBA attorney Andrew Quinn. “The man refused to follow the policeman’s instructions to do that, then he went to him, speaking nonsense words, it became clear to the policeman that this man, who was apparently taking drugs and was known to the policeman because he was always a problem, was a threat to him and the parkers.”
The PBA accused Fields—who was not named in the release—of “violent” resistance and said he “continued to act inappropriately” and that the officer only used force because it was necessary to detain him. Notably, this was not the first time Fields had encountered officers from the Peekskill Police Department. CBS News he noted that Peekskill police had previously arrested him in September on a drug possession charge.
Mayor Vivian McKenzie addressed the incident on Wednesday, and promised that internal matters will be thoroughly reviewed.
“It’s an incomplete video. It doesn’t show the whole incident, but the part that is there is very touching,” said McKenzie. “There is always more to the story, but also, I will say, what we saw was very moving.”
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace commissioned the Public Law Enforcement Integrity Unit to investigate how police handled Fields’ arrest.
After the incident, Darrell Davis helped form a support committee to help Damar Fields, raising funds to get him off the streets and into a hotel. The committee includes Ingrid Wittmann and Arne Paglia, who both spoke at the meeting, as well as several other community members.
Davis also told Peekskill Herald encourages citizens to write letters to the district attorney asking for the police officers involved to be charged and for leniency in the handling of Damar Fields.
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