Glen Cove Police Department and local leaders hosting a virtual Town Hall

Members of the Glen Cove Police Department, local religious leaders and local officials and elected leaders will gather on a virtual Town Hall July 2 at 7 p.m.

“The Glen Cove Police Department will share its policies, practices and procedures and/or other measures that are in place to reassure the community, especially black and brown community members, that improper policing, horrific examples of which we have been exposed to and reminded over and over again in recent weeks, will not take place in Glen Cove,” stated the City of Glen Cove Office of the Mayor Facebook page.

This Town Hall comes after George Floyd, 46, of Minneapolis was killed by Minneapolis Police Department officers, ultimately leading to a series of protests and several reforms in states across the U.S., including New York.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the 'Say Their Name' Reform Agenda package on June 12.

The reforms include the repeal of Civil Rights Law 50-A, which privatized the records of police officers, firefighters and correction officers and bans chokeholds by law enforcement officers. The package also prohibits false race-based 911calls and appointed the Attorney General as the independent prosecutor in cases of police involved deaths.

 State Assemblyman Charles Lavine, who voted in favor of these reforms, will be among the speakers at the virtual Town Hall.

“We have to talk about reality and the reality is that there is in fact implicit racism and bias, not only in the United States, but everywhere in the world,” Lavine said. “Our advantage in our democratic system is that, when it works at its best, it provides us an environment in which we communicate. And sometimes that communication, the expression and that communication can also involve the expression of truth, but we don’t get to speak a language of aspiration, which is what being an American is all about, without honest discussion.”

Lavine added that Tuesday, June 24 was Election Day, stating that Americans should participate in the democratic process by voting. “We are going to do our best to make sure that more Americans come out and vote on Nov. 3 because this is how we secure change,” he said.

The virtual Town Hall will also include Rev. Roger Williams and Deacon Sheryl Goodine of First Baptist Church of Glen Cove, Tenke, State Senator James Gaughran and Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.

“This is an opportunity for the community and law enforcement in Glen Cove to be out in front of other municipalities when it comes to anti-racist efforts that are needed in this transformative moment in our nation’s history,” Williams said. “I am hoping that everyone in the city will join us to be informed about how our police, who are sensitive to the tragic events in recent weeks, have trained and prepared our men and women sworn to protect and serve.”

“The death of unarmed Black men and women is a horrible reminder of a dark time in this nation’s history,” he added. “I am glad that our city has and is taking steps to not let that history be a part of our future.”