Statement from Reverend Al Sharpton Regarding the Attempt by The District Attorneys Association to Undermine Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order

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Jul 16, 2015

For Immediate Release

July 16, 2015

Contact: Liz Kenigsberg/Dominic Hawkins

Phone: 202-464-9522

Statement from Reverend Al Sharpton Regarding the Attempt by The District Attorneys Association to Undermine Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order

NEW YORK – President and founder of National Action Network (NAN), Reverend Al Sharpton released the following statement in response to attacks on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order to remove district attorneys from prosecutions involving police officers who kill unarmed civilians.

“I am appalled by the attempt by the District Attorneys Association to nullify, if not undermine, the Governor’s Executive Order appointing a Special Prosecutor in police-related fatalities of unarmed citizens.

“This Executive Order is a direct result of the concerns of many civil rights groups, advocates and civil libertarians, who expressed genuine concern about the appearance, and in some cases actual conflict, when an unarmed citizen is killed by police and investigated by the same police that work directly with local prosecutors that depend on those police to do their daily work.

“Despite New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s meeting with the group, it appears they want to use bickering and stalling to undermine the execution of this order.

“This will be resisted by all of us in the movement for police accountability. It is particularly insulting that they would do this on the eve of the first year anniversary of the police-related killing of Eric garner.”