WHITE PLAINS - Fiery civil rights activist Al Sharpton will head a protest downtown today at the same time and place that Mount Vernon Police Officer Christopher Ridley was shot dead by four Westchester County policemen.
Organizers expect more than 1,000 people will join the rally, which also will feature Ridley's parents, black clergy and members of a black police association who are upset over a grand jury decision last week not to indict the county officers. Demonstrators will demand federal and state investigations into the Jan. 25 shooting, believing Ridley was shot because he was black.
"We are not ready to accept the conclusion that this was just a tragedy that couldn't have been avoided," said the Rev. W. Franklyn Richardson of Mount Vernon's Grace Baptist Church, who also will speak at the event. "We don't have the institutional trust in the black community to accept that, in light of the number of black men who get killed by police officers."
The 23-year-old, off-duty cop was trying to subdue a mugging suspect in front of 85 Court St., when the officers opened fire. The panel of jurors concluded they committed no crime after hearing that the policemen had repeatedly ordered Ridley to drop his gun. They fired at least 10 shots, and Ridley was struck six times.
Ridley's family and their supporters, however, argue that White Plains police and the Westchester District Attorney's Office rushed the investigation and disregarded several witnesses whose testimony could have supported criminal charges. Supporters will gather outside 85 Court St. beginning at 4:30 p.m. and the rally will begin at 4:55 p.m., the time Ridley was shot. It will last about an hour.
"We march in support of the family of our brother, Detective Ridley, and many black law enforcement professionals that have been shot, shot at or killed in the past," said Damon Jones, executive director of the county chapter of the National Black Police Association. "This will be a historical moment for all people of color in Westchester. There has never been a gathering of people of color in Westchester in protest of a system built on institutional bias policies and attitudes when dealing with people of our community."
They are calling on the state Attorney General's Office to review the Ridley case and plan to reach out to the Justice Department, asking it to consider, among other things, whether Ridley's civil rights were violated.
District Attorney Janet DiFiore continues to defend the grand jury's decision not to indict, pointing out that 62 witnesses testified about the shooting death, and prosecutors also presented extensive video and other evidence during eight sessions that spanned two months.
Detective Robin Martin and Officers Christian Gutierrez, Jose Calero and Frank Oliveri have all returned to the county force, limited to administrative duties at this time.
By Shawn CohenThe Journal News • March 19, 2008
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