Nicquel Terry
ASBURY PARK — The city Police
Department has launched an internal investigation into reports of police
brutality against citizens during a large fight early Saturday on Springwood
Avenue.
Police Chief Mark Kinmon said
Wednesday that a number of community members contacted police last weekend and
said officers were overly aggressive during the fight. However, no one has
filed a formal complaint, he said.
“They were upset that the
police were rough and used excessive force,” Kinmon said. “That’s when Monday
morning, we sat down and I instructed our internal affairs unit: ‘Don’t wait
for someone to come forward; look into it.’ ”
Who is policing police conduct?
The fight started outside
Porta, a popular restaurant nightclub, about 2 a.m. Saturday and then spilled
over to Springwood Avenue, where six people were arrested and one person was hospitalized,
Kinmon said.
The incident prompted City
Councilman John Moor to call on city police to put restrictions on the
nightclub, saying the fights and other disruptive behavior have become “a
disgrace to the city.”
At the council meeting
Wednesday, at least three residents expressed concerns about police brutality
stemming from the fight. Among those was Duanne Small, who brought 25-year-old
Shakeria Hill to the podium with him to show the audience her broken arm.
Hill was one of the six people
arrested after the fight that involved 100 people, police
Small said a police officer
pulled Hill by her hair and slammed her on the ground. He also said 24-year-old
Knoryl Hammer was hospitalized for a concussion, brain bleeding and bruised
lungs because of police aggressiveness.
Hammer, charged with aggravated
assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and
obstructing the investigation of a police officer, also attended the meeting.
“The police viciously beat them
in the streets and claimed that it was a fight to justify their actions,” Small
said. “No one was ever out there on that street fighting. I watched seven
videos, and not once did I see any of these kids fighting.”
Kinmon said neither Hill or
Hammer has filed complaints, but he encourages those who believe they
experienced police brutality to assist the department in its investigation.
Moor said Wednesday was the
first time he had heard of the reports of police brutality. And Councilwoman
Amy Quinn said the city would be following up on the incidents.
Kinmon said this is not the
first time police in Asbury Park have been accused of brutality.
“Am I concerned about
widespread police brutality or police misconduct by the Asbury Park police?
No,” Kinmon said. “But when we can identify an officer involved and that he or
she acted inappropriately ... we take action.”
'Wild, wild West'
Meanwhile, Moor on Wednesday
demanded city officials put restrictions on Porta, which attracts hundreds of
people on weekend nights and often has a line wrapped around the building.
The venue serves as a
restaurant specializing in pizza during the day hours and also hosts events.
“It’s like the wild, wild West
down there,” Moor said. “We continue to bring (the owners) in and slap them on
the wrist, and it’s doing no good.”
Kinmon said he and City Manager
Jack Kelly planned to meet with Porta’s owners Thursday to discuss solutions to
the issues. The club owners did not immediately respond Thursday to an emailed
request for comment.
Kinmon said Porta attracts a “dangerous-sized
crowd that is somewhat unmanageable at times.” Also, there have been reports of
disorderly drunken patrons in nearby neighborhoods, as well as trash on the
streets.
The club also is putting a
strain on the city’s police department because many patrol officers have to
respond to calls at Porta on weekends, Kinmon said. Porta employs one or two
off-duty police officers, but it’s not enough, he said.
“We assign our personnel where
we think they are needed the most,” Kinmon said. “When they are pulled away
from there to respond to large fight calls at Porta, it takes away from what we
want them doing ... addressing violent crime, gangs and gun violence.”
If conditions don’t improve,
the club could risk having its liquor license suspended, be forced to reduce
its hours or temporarily close, he said. The City Council would have the
authority to make that decision.
Moor said he wants to see a
signed agreement between the city and Porta owners that requires the club to
hire more security.
“My intentions are not to close
the venue down,” Moor said. “My intentions are to make them a nice
establishment that isn’t killing the police department and making everyone in
that general area miserable.”