Rockland: Ed Day admits comments 'caused additional fear and anxiety'

Rockland County Executive Ed Day on Thursday backpedaled from last weekend's midnight Facebook post whose harsh wording about a response to potential threats during local civil protests stirred controversy among community leaders and law enforcement.

A Spring Valley pastor who was part of an online meeting prompted by the post said it was "tone deaf" and lacked understanding.

Day's post at 11:59 p.m. Sunday was in response to several threats of violence posted on social media following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on his neck. 

ROCKLAND: Ed Day warns 'anarchists' come here 'at their own peril'

The post warned that "organized anarchists" threatening violence at local demonstrations would do so "at their own peril" and stated anyone promoting violence would be dealt with "swiftly and with extreme prejudice" – a phrase he later defined as meaning "dispatched with directly and promptly.”

The Republican county executive and former police commander also took a swipe at responses by New York's Democratic governor and the New York City mayor: "This is not DeBlasio nor Cuomo territory and there will be no equivocation on action."

The post, which has since been edited and also appeared to speak for law enforcement as a whole, led to a virtual meeting Tuesday between Day, police officials and clergy after which he acknowledged that the Facebook post, "while meant to be reassuring, caused additional fear and anxiety in local communities of color that were already on edge."

The meeting, he said, led him "to better understand this fear and the concerns that exist in our local community and that specific words matter, particularly when viewed through a historical perspective."

Day's statement also pointed out that "protesters are not the same as rioters," while noting that protests in Nyack and Nanuet had been "peaceful and respectful."

One of the meeting participants, Rev. Nathaniel Demosthene, lead pastor of First Timothy Christian Church in Spring Valley, called Day's original statement "tone deaf" and said it needlessly politicized the issue by criticizing Cuomo and DeBlasio.

"If you're in the first 15 minutes of watching the video of your own child die that way, would that statement calm you down or enrage you?" Demosthene said Thursday. "We're still in the first 15 minutes of shock, awe, pain and anger. All we ask is that he understand where we are."

Demosthene said Day represents Rockland County and his opinion of how Cuomo and DeBlasio do their jobs is not relevant. 

The pastor said Day explained that he had credible evidence that there would be outside agitators looking to do harm here, but said his response should have been to reach out to community and interfaith leaders "to not let outsiders define us."

"Bring Rockland together, don't threaten the outsiders ... If we had talked to each other more, I don't think the county executive would have been as tone deaf," Demosthene said.

"Moving forward we're looking forward to more positive racial relations in Rockland," Demosthene said, and Day pledged to maintain an open dialogue with the group.

Wilbur Aldridge, president of the Mid-Hudson chapter of NAACP, who was not among the leaders who met with Day, brushed aside the county executive's attempt to clarify his remarks.

“Once you have said something, you can’t take it out of the atmosphere,” said Aldridge, a West Haverstraw resident. “Once you have made statements that are inflammatory it’s very difficult to bring them back. If you’ve wounded somebody, they’re wounded.”

The discussion with local leaders took place via video conferencing. It was hosted by Rev. Yves LaTouche of Spring Valley's Church of the Nazarene and included Rockland Sheriff Louis Falco; South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Daniel Wilson, president of the Rockland County Police Chiefs Association; county Human Rights Commissioner Constance Frazier; and Rev. Raymond Caliman of Fairmount Baptist Church in Haverstraw, president of the Rockland Ministers alliance.

Robert Brum is a Rockland County-based reporter and editor. For subscriber-only Rockland County news, visit offers.lohud.com to sign up for a subscription. To subscribe to The Rockland Angle, a nightly email newsletter exclusively for Rockland County news, features and other essential information, visit lohud.com/newsletters, check the Rockland Angle” box and submit your email address.

Twitter: @Bee_bob