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NORWALK, Conn. – In the continuing fallout from Monday's alleged "gang activity" on a Norwalk beach, the Norwalk Police Union has called for the Rev. Nellie Mann to step down as Norwalk's police chaplain.
Mann was quoted in The Hour on Tuesday accusing a Norwalk police officer of racial profiling. She was protesting reports the officer on duty at the beach said members of a large group of teenagers who created problems at Calf Pasture Beach on Memorial Day were gang members, belonging to the Crips or the Bloods.
In a statement released to the media late Wednesday, police union President Sgt. Thomas Roncinske called on Mann to resign immediately.
"Two weeks ago Rev. Mann spoke at the department's police memorial ceremony praising the sacrifices of our police officers," Roncinske wrote. "She marched in the Memorial Day Parade with our police officers. Our officers now feel betrayed by her comments. The union has lost its trust and faith in her ability to serve our membership as chaplin and she should resign immediately."
Mann, who had not seen the statement, declined to comment Wednesday night.
From 100 to 200 teenagers, many wearing red or blue – colors associated with the Crips and Bloods – caused a disturbance on Calf Pasture Beach on Monday afternoon, causing the only police officer on duty at the beach to feel "quite overwhelmed," Chief Harry Rilling said. In calling for help, the officer said he was dealing with Crips and Bloods. That broadcast was overheard by The Hour, which reported that a massive fight among gang members had caused the closure of the beach.
"The officer, in the heat of the moment, said over the radio, and it was unfortunate that it was heard by the newspaper, but the officer's intent was just to make sure that enough backup responded to get the situation under control."
Rilling also said the beach wasn't closed. Police kept people from entering for about a half-hour, he said.
Mann was surprised to hear late Wednesday that the characterization of the teenagers as belonging to the Crips or the Bloods had not been made for public consumption. She said she was too tired to respond to the demand that she resign but said the protest referring to racial profiling came from many members of her community, including other clergy members. Common Councilman David Watts confirmed that statement.
Watts said he had been working with Mann on a second draft of the statement, which was necessary because so many people wanted to sign their name to it. But she had already sent her version to The Hour, which attributed it to her because it was from her email address.
Members of his community felt "hurt" by the characterization of the children as gang members, Watts said. He said he had gotten several phone calls from parents whose children had been among the group at the beach, who were offended and said their kids were not in a gang. He said he was sure Mann had also gotten phone calls.
Many of the teens had been at the Memorial Day parade, either marching in it or watching it, Mann said. Some were wearing white T-shirts and red or blue hats as a symbol of patriotism. She is quoted in The Hour as saying, "It is not fair that children wearing our nation's colors, some of whom marched in the Memorial Day parade earlier that day to recognize our fallen heroes, should be labeled as street gang members (Blood and Crips) simply for wearing any color, least of all our nation's colors."
She went on the call for an apology from the officer.
"No apology will be forthcoming from the officer because he did nothing wrong," Roncinske said in his statement. "The apology should come from Rev. Mann."
Rilling addressed the situation with the media Wednesday.
"I've spoken to Rev. Mann today," he said. "I've expressed my concerns that if she felt that if the officers acted inappropriately or if they were labeling anybody that she should have contacted me. I could have provided her with information that might have made things a little more clear and maybe helped her understand what really did take place. I felt making comments publicly without giving us the opportunity to address her concerns was not the proper approach. She agreed with me and she apologized and she said 'I'm really very sorry; I didn't mean to do that. If I had done that it would have been more effective way to learn what did take place.' ... She made it very clear to me that she did not believe that we were racially profiling."
Comments (12)
What we should have seen was 100 to 200 arrests...But what we seen was ZERO. That is the larger issue than any racial profiling. It seems to me that the Norwalk Police were afraid of this group, which I can understand as all the real officers have retired and all we are left with is a bunch of rookie kids that are cops. They would be more suited to be mall guards than police officers.
No where in the story have a read anything about a persons race. As far as Cryps and Bloods I'm sure the officer was being rhetorical and most certainly if our town was infested with Cryps and Bloods, not only would the police have known long ago but all of us would be aware.
Yes the Police frequencies are open and if it was a gang they would have heard it and probably have had recorded it.
Picture yourself alone at the park with 100 kids reluctant to listen to you. One person with a badge isn't enough to persuade these children to comply. Their parents are inflamed by a police radio call for immediate assistance. They should be ashamed their children pushed the officer to make such an imperative call.
What if he didn't call? How empowered would the crowd begin to feel? Would the office have to draw his weapon?
Good Call Officer!
I may be wrong, but it sounds like Rev. Mann is quick to yell "racism!" The youths, white, black, spanish, male, female, whatever nationality/color/sex they were SHOULD be held accountable. Community service, helping at the homeless shelter, collecting for the food bank, whatever. And Rev. Mann should be WITH them, so that they won't "accidently" do anything wrong...
@Jane D
You're missing the point. Nobody is objecting to people wearing patriotic colors. Nobody is objecting to minorities using a public beach. What's objectionable is bad behavior, and community leaders who criticize Police Officers without criticizing the bad behavior that the Police Officers were trying to address. What lesson does that teach the youths involved?
There is still not a clear picture of what happened but we know that six is not the number of people who were fighting. Six is the number of known gang members. Earlier articles have reported some sort of standoff. Whatever the case, it's clear that an officer who is well-educated on the subject of gangs saw what he thought was gang-like activity along with some seriously inappropriate behavior. Will you condemn that behavior?
It doesn't say 100-200 kids wearing red and blue were at the beach fighting. It says 100-200 kids wearing red and blue were at the beach...
From The Hour:
Police Chief Harry Rilling estimated that 100 to 200 teens -- most of whom were ages 13 to 17 -- had congregated to the beach....
The Hour goes on to say...
Police sources say the group included at least six known gang members.
It doesn't say 100 to 200 were involved in any fighting or intimidating and no matter what side you are on, the number actually involved in any fighting is very small. If you notice the police number keeps getting smaller. Rilling started in the 20s, another cop source says 15ish, and this latest article says 6...
If the incident happened on the other side of the beach would they assume that all of the people at cookouts were involved and were gang members? God forbid they be wearing red and blue on Memorial Day. The color of the American flag, the colors of McMahon, the colors of Roton, and Ponus...
If they can't wear red or blue, we need to change some school colors because I remember marching in the band wearing red for Roton and I remember Ponus wearing blue.
So 100-200 youths, many wearing white t-shirts and known gang colors, were at the beach fighting, intimidating law-abiding citizens, and generally behaving in the low-class ways that gang members do. The ONE officer trying to control these 100-200 youths is well educated in gang behavior and recognizes that in addition to a lot of gang colors, among the group there are known self-proclaimed gang members. Some of those he recognizes have trials for violent felonies pending.
The officer quickly calls for backup. Rather than a making a lengthy disquisition about who might or might not be an official card-carrying gang member he says "it's Crips and Bloods," presumably so he can go back to trying to control the 100-200 youths. (As a side note, how did the Hour even hear the officer's report? My understanding was that Police radio frequencies are encrypted.)
A few days later the Rev. Nellie Mann announces that she is offended by the use of the term "Crips and Bloods" because some or many in the group were not gang members, and she demands a public apology from the officer.
Since the Rev. Mann has been so kind as to issue a statement to all of Norwalk about what offends her, I would like to return the favor by sharing with her what it is that offends me. I am offended by community leaders who hear of bad behavior by a large group of youths and fail to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. I am offended by the focus on who technically is or isn't a gang member, rather than the real issue of why a substantial number of youths broke the law at the beach. I am offended by the suggestion that Police are to blame here, rather than the lawbreakers and their parents. I am offended by the focus on skin color rather than behavior.
Am I the only one who sees Rev. Mann's behavior as completely absurd? The officer saw a large group of youths wearing known gang colors and breaking the law. He reported what he saw. Now HE is the one who must apologize?
The Rev. Mann should apologize to all of Norwalk and especially to the largely African-American community which she claims to serve. She is serving that community badly. Ken P hit the nail on the head in an earlier comment, Rev. Mann is like a parent who is harming her children by failing to tell them when they are wrong. The lawbreakers should also apologize to Norwalk and at a minimum do a few weeks of community service picking up litter at the beach.
No apology is necessary from the officer, in fact I would give the officer a commendation for his handling of the situation. Imagine being one police officer trying to control 100-200 youths. I don't think there's anything at the Academy that can even come close to preparing somebody for that. Were it not for the officer's efforts, who knows what might have happened.
This whole situation reminds me of the all-too-common scenario where a student misbehaves in school, and a teacher punishes the student. Rather than respond with some discipline at home, the parent opts to complain to the principal about unfair punishment because she loves her son and wants to stand up for him. What's the takeaway for the child in that situation? Is there any way that it will lead to better choices in the future and respect for authority?
Norwalk Police broadcasts are not encrypted. They're easily accessible if you know the frequency numbers.
Thank you Nancy. Do you know if there was any video captured by the cameras at the Beach? If so, will that video be made public?
No one has mentioned video.
Could not have said that better myself.
Well said.
I'm also dumbfounded by the comment,
"Members of his community felt "hurt" by the characterization of the children as gang members," Watts said."
If it looks like a gang member and ACTS LIKE A GANG MEMBER.... well.... deduce from that what you will. If my kid was caught up in that group of junior thugs, I would EXPECT that he or she would be grouped in with the rest of them and considered a gang member. And let me tell you, the punishment at home would be severe. No way in hell is my kid hanging out with the garbage.
To the police officer who called it in....kudos. So you referred to them as "Cryps and Bloods" - so what. I'm guessing that you weren't even reffering to them as being LEGITIMATE Cryps and Bloods but merely stating that the situation itself was representative of Cryps and Bloods.
Family friends of mine were at the beach when this happened and they were RUNNING for their car. Had I been there, I would've too - who knows if'/when guns would be drawn.
This.... on Memorial Day of all days - a day when we should be honoring our veterans for serving to protect our freedoms - what a slap in the face to them. This is pathetic and sad.
Seems evident that she feels a need to sensationalize things. Whats the difference if they were officially Crips or whatever, they were not "Nice" children that someone in a position such as hers should be defending. We have enough trouble without community leaders defending people participating in riots and fighting in the streets. I wonder how vocal she and the councilman will be trying to set things straight now that they know the truth. If parents are more upset at the insinuation that their kids were in a gang fight than they are that their kids were in the fight in the first place, part of the problem is obvious. At any rate we dont need community leaders like this.