Cops Restore Order after Melee Breaks Out at Peekskill Meeting
Police backup was called in to restore order after a minor melee erupted last Monday night at a Peekskill Common Council meeting.
The fracas took place about one hour into the public meeting during the sometimes contentious courtesy of the floor portion. Reginald Johnson was at the podium and made some remarks about the Committee for Justice, which is led by activist Darrell Davis, who was sitting nearby in the audience.
“Although the Committee for Justice has a noble goal, I think the delivery of the message they bring is a very poisonous one,” Johnson remarked. “They do not speak for all black people in Peekskill. I do not think Peekskill is a racist city.”
Davis took offense to Johnson’s comments and yelled out, inferring that Johnson was speaking about him specifically, although council members and Johnson said Davis’ name was not mentioned. Johnson continued to criticize speakers who have made “offensive statements” at the podium, which he maintained had discouraged other residents from attending meetings and making their voices heard.
At that point, Davis directed another remark at Johnson, to which Johnson confronted Davis and yelled, “You can talk to me outside.” The two jawed briefly until Police Chief Eric Johansen stepped between them.
Meanwhile, according to a witness, an argument broke out in another part of the chambers between two women and punches were thrown. As many as six police officers appeared at City Hall but no arrests were made. Davis and one of the women were thrown out of the meeting.
When tempers simmered and the meeting resumed, Deputy Mayor Drew Claxton, who had screamed out to the women to “watch your mouth” during their altercation, remarked “I do apologize for the behavior that just happened in these council chambers.”
“I’m very upset with this,” Councilwoman Kathleen Talbot said.
Mayor Mary Foster, who after the fighting implored those who remained to respect each other’s freedom of speech and reminded them children were in attendance and watched the meetings on cable television, issued a statement the next day in which she stated she was “in the process of sanctioning the three individuals involved.”
“On behalf of the members of the Common Council and the City of Peekskill, I denounce the disruptive behavior that occurred at last night’s council meeting,” she said. “Peekskill is a great place to live, work, visit, and enjoy. This kind of behavior is not the norm, and will not be tolerated.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
