Former tennis star James Blake has met New York’s mayor and police chief after being thrown to the ground by a policeman outside a hotel and mistakenly arrested. Blake said Officer James Frascatore – who is now on desk duty – should be fired.
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“This afternoon, we had a productive conversation with Mr. Blake about strengthening the relationship between police and communities across our city”, the mayor and commissioner said in a joint statement. But in a recent interview with WNYC, Kevin Marino, Blake’s attorney, says the apology doesn’t go far enough. Video released to the public shows Blake awaiting a vehicle to take him to the U.S. Open when an officer grabs him by the arm and neck, twists him to the ground and puts him in handcuffs.
With reporting from the Associated Press.
“We’re not looking for a quick lawsuit, we’re not looking for anything that’s going to be a quick and easy solution”, he said.
Though the meeting was held privately, Blake had called for NYPD Officer James Frascatore’s “badge” according to reports from Democracy Now!
Members of the New York City Council announced Monday following the meeting that they would push for bills that monitor an “NYPD Early Intervention System” for officers that are “overly-aggressive”.
De Blasio later apologized, saying, “This shouldn’t have happened and he shouldn’t have been treated this way”.
Asked what would have happened if he were not a famous tennis player in an incident like this, Blake said simply, “I don’t know”.
While noting “the video … is pretty compelling evidence by itself”, Blake acknowledged that his celebrity has played a role in his treatment since the incident. “I’m willing to respect that”.
“It was based on a shared commitment to accountability and a desire to build trust”. Bratton added, “We’ll see what he has on his mind”.
Blake was tackled by police officers looking to take down a fraudulent credit card ring operating in Midtown.
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Before the meeting, de Blasio told reporters he wanted Blake to understand “how much we are making fundamental reform in relation to police and community”, and trying to reduce “any unnecessary use of force”.
