Two lawyers resign from Bronx Defenders after appearance in video advocating cop-killing
Two lawyers with the legal-aid group Bronx Defenders have resigned after their appearance in a controversial “Hands Up” rap video advocating the killing of police officers.
The board chairman of the Bronx Defenders told New York City officials about the resignations of Ryan Napoli and Kumar Rao in a letter (PDF) on Wednesday, report the New York Law Journal (sub. req.) and the New York Times. In addition, the group’s executive director, Robin Steinberg, will be suspended for 60 days without pay.
Bronx Defenders receives about $20 million a year in New York City funds to represent indigent defendants and provide family court services. Napoli and Rao are shown counseling a client in the video; they told investigators they thought they would be able to edit the video before its release. Steinberg told investigators she thought the video was about police brutality and wasn’t aware of the endorsement of violence.
Though New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week he wouldn’t rule out defunding Bronx Defenders, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice says it accepts the remedial measures.
Rao said on Wednesday that the video producer’s girlfriend, who worked at Bronx Defenders, had asked him to appear in the video, the New York Times says. “This wasn’t some sort of nefarious project,” Rao said. “This was designed to be fully about raising awareness in the community about the kinds of legal services that an office like ours could provide for people affected by this issue.”
Rao’s lawyer said in a statement that Rao has always condemned violence and threats of violence. Rao is resigning because he believes it is in the best interests of the organization, said the lawyer, Charles Clayman.
The rap song in the video calls for retribution for police shootings of unarmed black men. “Cause I’m black, police think they got the right to shoot me,” the lyrics say. “Time to start killing these coppers.”
Headline changed at 1:25 p.m. to state the name of the organization involved in the controversy.
