City hires law firm to investigate Councilwoman Robertson's complaint

TEDESCO

Appearing on Talk1300 Saturday, Police Chief John Tedesco said the city hired an independent law firm to investigate a complaint filed by Councilwoman Anastasia Robertson, D-D-District 2, against Police Benevolent Association President Tom Hoffman.

The complaint revolves around statements Hoffman made at the September Council meeting. During the public forum section, Hoffman said Robertson was part of a crowd that was attempting to incite officers to use violence while they were recording the scene on their cell phones.

However, his rendition of the episode was debunked when Robertson produced her actual cell phone video showing that while tensions between the officers and the crowd were thick, Robertson was trying to calm things down. She released the video first to News Channel 6 and then held a press conference days later.

Tedesco said he was at the Council meeting and as such would be a witness in the investigation so the city opted to hire an outside law firm – Bailey, Kelleher and Johnson – rather than have Internal Affairs conduct the probe. Mayor Lou Rosamilia was also present.

ROBERTSON

He added that he hopes part of the investigation includes an attempt to locate additional video footage of the Aug. 30 incident.

On that day, officers were at a domestic incident involving a white woman and a black woman. Upon their arrival, the white woman left the scene while officers questioned the black woman in an effort to find out what was going on.

The crowd in the North Central neighborhood interpreted that as officers allowing the white woman to walk away while placing the black woman under arrest. Hoffman, who took over as president of the PBA when Bob Fitzgerald retired, said members of the crowd spit at officers and “tried to bait officers into a physical confrontation.”

Hoffman called on the city to investigate Robertson and Robertson filed her own complaint against Hoffman. The Times Union says she claimed Hoffman engaged in official misconduct, which is a misdemeanor.

Days earlier, Robertson enraged many by a posting on Facebook that stated there is a concerted and organized effort by white people to exterminate black people. She referred to this country as AmeriKKKa.

 

 

Video contradicts PBA president's statement

ROBERTSON

After watching the nearly10-minute video of the incident on Aug. 30 involving Councilwoman Anastasia Robertson, D-District 2, I have to say Police Benevolent Association President Tom Hoffman was given bad information, greatly exaggerated the story or outright lied to the Council.

At Thursday’s Council meeting, he called out Robertson for trying to bait police into a physical confrontation while officers were investigating a disturbance in North Central.

As Hoffman tells it, two cops heard a disturbance near Fifth Avenue and 101^st Street at around 5 p.m. – people yelling and what not. When they arrived they found two women in a fight or just ending one. One woman took off, she was white. The other stayed around, she was black.

A crowd gathered and the officers called for backup. There were six police cars at the scene. Among the crowd that gathered was Robertson and she did indeed have a cell phone and was taking video.

That’s pretty much the end what Hoffman said that is backed up by the video Robertson provided Channel 6 news. You would think, after being told there were people videotaping, he would have fact checked his story before he told it … or maybe even looked at some of the video.

Hoffman said the officers were spit on and were being prodded into getting physical with the residents – many of whom were black – while attempting to capture it all on video. A member of the crowd was Robertson, he said, and pointed her out as one of the antagonists.

“Councilwoman Robertson assisted and incited and encouraged public unrest and anti-police sentiment, all while not knowing all the facts of the case,” Hoffman told the Council in dramatic fashion. “Councilwoman Robertson was unethical, unprofessional and acted in a manner detrimental to her position on the city council and to the residents of this city. You can’t talk about public safety and aid in public unrest.”

Spend 10 minutes and watch the video by clicking here. As near as I can tell, there was some tension and the situation could have gotten out of hand but neither side crossed the line as the black women told officers she and her domestic partner had had a fight. There was one cop kind of being a jerk and one in the crowd too … there are jerks all over the place and they are the ones who usually cause all the problems.

Anyway, on the video you hear what sounds like Robertson’s voice telling people to “calm down” and “don’t make it worse.”

Robertson, who left the chamber as Hoffman was giving his speech, didn’t want to comment but said she will at a later time. She did tell the reporter nothing of consequence happened off camera and what she provided was what transpired. She didn't say why she was videotaping.

It was a rough week for Robertson. Before Hoffman spoke on Thursday, she addressed the crowd regarding comments she made on Facebook about the race riot happening in Ferguson, Missouri. On one of the posts she spelled America, “AmeriKKKa” and said there is an orchestrated effort by whites to exterminate blacks.

There is racism and there will be racism as long as there are bigoted, narrow-minded people – back and white. Racism goes both ways. I’m guessing, though, the vast majority of people are not racist. Like anything, it’s the fringe thinkers on both sides who cause all the trouble.

 

PBA president: Councilwoman Robertson race baited officers



ROBERTSON

In his first public appearance since becoming president of the Police Benevolent Association, Sgt. Tom Hoffman called on the Ethics Committee to investigate, and possibly remove, Councilwoman Anastasia Robertson, D-District 2, for trying to incite white police officers into becoming physical with a group of blacks.

Many residents were outraged by Robertson’s comments regarding the race riots in Ferguson Missouri, but that’s not why Hoffman was upset.

Hoffman relayed a story that happened on Aug. 30, at about 5 p.m.

He said officers on patrol first heard a disturbance – yelling and screaming and what not - in the area of Fifth Avenue and 101^st Street. When they pulled over to find out what was going on, one woman took off while one stayed. The woman who ran was white and the woman who stayed was black, he said, and she was upset “and could not calm down.”

As officers were learning from the woman she was having a domestic dispute with her female partner, a crowd began to gather and “became unruly towards them (the officers) with insinuations of racial bias because the young lady who stayed at the scene was black and the young lady who left was white.”

He said many of the bystanders had their cell phones out, and tried to “bait the officers into a physical confrontation.”

“Because of the professionalism of our officers they remained calm and inverted in a potentially dangerous situation,” he said.

He said one of the bystanders with their cell phones “in the face” of officers was Robertson.

“’This is why the black community doesn’t respect the police,’” he said she told one of the officers. “’You only go after black people.’”

“Councilwoman Robertson assisted and incited and encouraged public unrest and anti-police sentiment, all while not knowing all the facts of the case,” Hoffman said. “Councilwoman Robertson was unethical, unprofessional and acted in a manner detrimental to her position on the city council and to the residents of this city. You can’t talk about public safety and aid in public unrest.”

As Hoffman was finishing his speech, Robertson packed up her things and left the chamber – which was met with a mix of catcalls and applause from the audience.

“I have been a proud member of the Troy Police Department for almost 25 years,” Hoffman continued, “and I have never witnessed more disrespect towards the group of men and women who put their lives on the line every day for the members of this community.

Unlike Councilwoman Robertson, members of the Troy Police Department do not see black and white.”   

Earlier this week, many residents were upset with Robertson’s comments that included spelling America, “AmeriKKKa” and for stating that there is a concerted effort by whites to exterminate blacks.

She responded to critics prior to the public comment period of Thursday’s Council meeting.

“When I responded I was, like many other people, struggling, trying to understand what was happening in Ferguson and other situations throughout the country,” she said, adding the comments were made as an individual and not in her capacity as councilwoman. “I do recognize that my word choice was unfortunate and offensive to some of the citizens of Troy. That was not my intent to be offensive or alienate anyone.

“I am looking to create a more stable environment in a community where we can all live in peace together. I only want what’s best for the residents and the citizens of Troy.

It’s unclear if the Ethics Committee will investigate Hoffman’s claims. Earlier this year, the Ethics Committee opted not to look into a complaint about another Facebook post Robertson made urging residents to sue the city in light of the melee at Kokopellis and accusations of police brutality.