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Cuomo signs police reform bills, Trump comes to Hudson Valley with protests
Jun 13, 2020 12:33 am
Nick Reisman reports for New York State of Politics that on June 12 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed several police reform bills passed this week by Democrats in the legislature in the wake of widespread protesting about the murder by the Minneapolis Police of George Floyd. The laws included ending secrecy for police disciplinary records, requiring State Police officers to wear body cameras, rules for the state attorney general's office to investigate police-involved deaths of civilians, and criminal penalties for using a chokehold. PLAY EXCERPT FROM CUOMO'S JUNE 12 PRESS CONFERENCE HERE. Cuomo also signed an Executive Order June 12 mandating that local governments and police departments develop use of force, crowd management, community policing, and restorative justice reforms by April 1 next year, or lose federal funding. Meanwhile, New York State's most-recent high profile victim of police brutality, Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old man shoved to the concrete last week by the Buffalo Police, has been diagnosed with a fractured skull and brain injury. His lawyer, Kelly Zarcone, said Gugino has not been able to walk yet, but has started physical therapy. Gugino said through his attorney that it was “very unnecessary to focus on me...There are plenty of other things to think about besides me.” There are also plenty of other protests to focus on like the one June 12 in New Lebanon with dozens of people. On Saturday, there are protests at 9 a.m. at West Point where President Donald Trump will address graduates at the U.S. Military Academy. There are also Black Lives Matter marches and protests at 9 a.m. in Highland Falls, at 12:30 p.m. in Saratoga Springs at Congress Park, and at 1 p.m. in Cohoes. And Beacon has a Black Lives Matter event on Polhill Park at 2:45 p.m., and Saratoga has a 5 p.m. Black Lives Matter gathering at city hall. Chatham has an event at The Gazebo at 5:30 p.m. on June 13. The next day there are two events at noon, two at 1 p.m., and another at 1:30 p.m. At noon, Marlborough hosts a Let's Make a Difference Together! event in Cluett Schantz Memorial Park, and Hastings-on-Hudson also has an event. There is a Walk/Jog/Run for Change event at 1 p.m. in Gloversville at Darling Field, and a Tarrytown "We Don't Tolerate Racism" event at 303 South Broadway. And at 1:30 p.m. in Walden there is Black Lives Matter Protest and March in Bradley Park.