Dover votes down 'Day of Healing' as public sounds off on police beating video

DOVER — The town's governing body voted down the mayor's resolution for a "Day of Healing" during an explosive meeting Tuesday night in the aftermath of a viral video showing one of its police officers punching a restrained suspect in the face during a late-night arrest.

The meeting was marred by a profane exchange between Mayor James Dodd and former Alderman Dominic Timpani, each accusing the other of being a former drug dealer.

"You have no respect for anybody, for none of your employees," Timpani shouted. "They all kiss your [expletive] and you treat them like [expletive]. You're [expletive]."

Dodd had police remove Timpani from the meeting after he shouted his accusations into a microphone in front of a crowd of about 100 at the community center.

The Board of Aldermen's vote against Dodd's resolution to designate May 28 as a "Day of Healing in Dover" followed two hours of public comments during the emergency meeting, called by Dodd in the aftermath of the May 19 arrest of Cyprian Luke near the Mill Pond Towers residential complex.

More: Dover police seen punching suspect in the face as he was restrained on the ground

More:Video of Dover police arrest latest in line of footage showing alleged excessive force

Luke, 19, was seen in the video on his back and being restrained by at least two officers while Sgt. Michael Pier punched him in the face multiple times as he demanded that Luke turn onto his stomach and hold still.

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The video set off protests, with some friends and family of Luke joining immigration advocates and others to march in the streets of Dover, chanting "no justice, no peace, no racist police."

Tuesday, as a fierce rainstorm pounded loudly on the roof of the community center, several of the advocates took turns reading portions of a statement released earlier to the public.

The statement, signed by 69 organizations and individuals, demanded "that our local and state government respond to the excessive use of force evidenced in the video recordings."

The Morristown-based Wind of the Spirit immigrant advocacy group, the Morristown chapter of Black Lives Matter, the Urban League of Morris County, the NAACP Morris County Branch and other statement signers also demanded unpaid suspension for the involved officers, reimbursement of any funds paid out to the suspended officers since they were put on leave, and their termination.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident under the supervision of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

Pier and two other unnamed officers seen in the video have been placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the attorney general's investigation.

"It adds insult to injury to force our community to pay the salaries of the very individuals who harmed us," one person said during the public comment period.

A day after the video surfaced, Dodd called it "disturbing" but offered a general defense of his Police Department, which he said in recent years has increased its ranks of Hispanic and Spanish-speaking officers to serve the Dover population, 69.4 percent of whom identified as Hispanic or Latino in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Family members say Luke, who was later charged with resisting arrest, identifies as black and Latino.

At the meeting, Dodd said "race did not play a role in the incident" and urged people to embrace the healing he said the town needs now.

Dodd said he has advised his staff and departments to cooperate with the attorney general and prosecutor with all their requests.

But some members of the public, and members of the Board of Aldermen, disagreed.

"Race is absolutely an issue in the policing of our community," said Black Lives Matter Morristown President and Founder T'Anna Kimbrough. "We cannot heal without an honest, raw accounting of the drastic racial disparities of arrests, police beatings, excessive use of force, illegal use of force and excessive incarcerations of out black and Latino communities."

Wind of the Spirit President Karol Ruiz, who helped organize a pre-meeting protest, called for Dover to get police body cameras.

The town's 2019 budget includes funding for body cameras, Dodd said, adding that a vote on an ordinance to approve the expenditure is expected at the next aldermen meeting.

Ruiz criticized Dodd for taking "$60,000 in salary for a part-time position, yet the police force uses force at a higher rate than our neighboring community."

She was referring to Morristown, where Ruiz said the Police Department does have body cameras, "and their mayor has a salary of $25,000, even though Morristown has a bigger and wealthier population, is larger than Dover and is the county seat."

Others in attendance, including Dodd's sister, defended his character and praised his efforts to serve the Hispanic community.

“I will not let this incident blemish the reputation of the entire force," Dodd said. "I will not stand for, nor will I tolerate, abuse of any kind from any officer toward a member of the public. And if this investigation sustains that showing, swift action will be taken.”

"This meeting is still a good first step," Ruiz said. "Our community is investigating, and reflecting, and examining, and processing. We urge this board to vote no on any resolution to make this day a day of healing, and instead to commit to working with the impacted community for healing, so together we can celebrate real progress when we have success in reform, instead of making empty declarations."

The Rev. Alison Miller, senior minister of the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship and a member of the Morris County Human Relations Commission, said the Dover Police Department, "like many institutions, is impacted by systemic racism."

Miller also chided Dodd for urging polite comments during the public session.

"We, who identify as white, need to learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable," she said. "I think it's inappropriate to say that this is a forum for healing, but then to say that you must express your rage in a way that does not make me uncomfortable, or for me to be polite. To me, that is akin to saying: Remember where you belong, and stay in your place."

"You don't understand what we go through as a black man, a black teenager, a Spanish person," said Eric Smith of Morristown. "You don't know what it is to get pulled over by the police asking if I got drugs in the car, and guns and [expletive] like that ...Racism starts by the simple traffic stop. The smaller things matter. Y'all don't see that, though, right?"

"You're right," Dodd replied. "I believed everything he said. I don't know what it's like to be a black man, and to be pulled over. To be asked if I have drugs in the vehicle. He's 100 percent correct. I don't know what that's like, but I would like to know."

Dodd repeated that his call for a day of healing was intended to be a "first step" to bring the community together.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp and Jeff Manis, deputy chief of the attorney general's Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, attended the meeting at Dodd's invitation.

Both declined to comment on the investigation, but Knapp said the reason he attended was "to hear their concerns. I was very pleased to see the turnout."

Manis also declined to speculate on a timeline for his office to complete the investigation.

The 4-4 resolution vote fell along faction lines on the all-Democratic board, those siding with Alderwoman Carolyn Blackman winning the battle. But without majority approval, the resolution did not pass.

"Healing cannot begin when there has been no remedy, repair or resolution," Blackman said. "While a day of healing might be a good step in the right direction in the future, the timing of this particular event is all wrong. The healing process cannot begin until we know the facts of the matter at hand."

William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.