Hundreds of marchers gathered Friday evening in support of Randy Cox, a man paralyzed in the back of a New Haven police van, hours after the family said they want civil rights charges filed against the officers involved in the incident.
鈥淚f I say my neck is broke, don鈥檛 take it as a joke,鈥� protesters chanted as they marched from Stetson Public Library to the New Haven police department.
Cox's family said Friday that the New Haven police department's newly announced reforms don't go far enough 鈥� that the department needs a deeper culture change.
New Haven's mayor and newly appointed Chief of Police Karl Jacobson met protesters at the police department and expressed support for the march.
Cox, 36, was in the back of the van without seat belts last month when the driver braked suddenly to avoid a collision, authorities said. Cox flew headfirst into a wall of the van. Family members said he remains paralyzed from the chest down.
New Haven's reforms announced Thursday, include requiring that officers follow posted speed limits and that they don't use electronic devices while driving. Officers also have to ensure prisoners are wearing seatbelts, and must check on their physical health throughout the detention process.
Cox鈥檚 sister, LaToya Boomer, questioned why police officers need to be forced to act with compassion.
鈥淲hy do you need a policy that says when someone needs help, you give them help?鈥� Boomer said at a Friday morning news conference. 鈥淗im saying, 鈥業 think my neck is broken鈥� should be the end of discussion.鈥�
Scot X. Esdaile, president of the 黑料吃瓜网 NAACP, said he agreed that there鈥檚 a deeper culture issue within the police department.
鈥淲hen they dragged him out of the van by his legs, and when they threw him into the wheelchair 鈥� that鈥檚 a whole culture in the New Haven Police Department,鈥� Esdaile said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a compassion issue. That鈥檚 a character issue.鈥�
Justin Elicker, mayor of New Haven, said during a question-and-answer session on Friday that every officer he had spoken to agrees that the incident was unacceptable. And he agreed that the department needs a culture change.
鈥淧olicies help lay the foundation, but it鈥檚 much more than that,鈥� Elicker said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about the people that we recruit, the culture that we foster within the police department. It鈥檚 about holding those officers that don鈥檛 align with those values accountable when there鈥檚 an issue.鈥�
Esdaile also argued that these policies may be difficult to enforce.
鈥淭he New Haven police department has been bullies for many years,鈥� Esdaile said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a culture in the New Haven police department. We鈥檝e seen where leadership has tried to make [changes] in the past, police officers would call out sick, and the officers would go in before the mayor and turn all their sirens on to show the mayor that they weren鈥檛 going to make any changes 鈥� that 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 mess with us.鈥欌��
The five officers involved in the incident are on paid administrative leave while the 黑料吃瓜网 State Police conduct a criminal investigation. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump says the family and their attorneys are 鈥漜autiously hopeful鈥� about the state鈥檚 investigation. Cox鈥檚 family is also in talks with federal Department of Justice officials about a possible civil rights investigation.
鈥淔rom what we see on that video, it is clearly a violation of his civil rights. They violated his rights under the Fourth Amendment, the Eighth Amendment and the 14th Amendment,鈥� said Crump, an attorney for the Cox family. 鈥淭hey had deliberate indifference to his medical care.鈥�
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the mayor of New Haven; he is Justin Elicker, not Luke Bronin.
