daniel prude

New York State Attorney General Letitia James hired one of the country's leading police defenders to offer expert testimony in the Daniel Prude case. In dozens of cases, Dr. Gary Vilke has essentially argued the same thing: police did nothing wrong. That's exactly what he told a grand jury in Rochester, emphasizing that RPD officers might even have been giving Daniel Prude a better chance at survival.

Now there are growing demands from the community for an explanation: why did AG James hire Dr. Vilke? What was her purpose for bringing on an expert whose testimony was easily predicted? Dr. Vilke has said that Minneapolis police did nothing wrong in their interaction with George Floyd. Our guests discuss it: 

• Natalie Ann Knott, criminal defense attorney
• Don Thompson, attorney representing Daniel Prude's brother 
• Chris Vanderveen, director of reporting at 9News in Denver, Colorado (see his  investigative piece, "PRONE")
  

It's been a year since Daniel Prude died after Rochester police officers restrained him during a mental health arrest. He had been rendered brain-dead during the March 23 arrest and was taken off life support a week later. 

What happened to Prude reignited an already active movement for racial justice, this time focusing on mental health and policing. 

Some police officers receive crisis intervention team, or CIT, training. It's a program that’s been in place since 2004. 

One year ago, Rochester Police encountered Daniel Prude in the early morning hours. One week later, Prude was dead. His story continues to change Rochester. We talk about the impact of his life, his death, and what is known as Daniel’s Law. Our guests:

• Samra Brouk, New York State Senator, who introduced Daniel’s Law
• Harry Bronson, New York State Assemblymember, who introduced Daniel’s Law
• Serena Viktor, member of the Black Healers Network of Rochester
  

Black Lives Matter activists marched through the streets of Rochester Tuesday as they marked the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude's ultimately fatal encounter with city police.

This week marks one year since Daniel Prude's encounter with Rochester Police that resulted in his suffocation, and ultimately, his death. Prude was in Rochester visiting his older brother, Joe, who didn’t learn the details of Daniel’s death until months later.

Police bodycam footage showing Daniel Prude the night he was restrained was released to the public in September, six months after his death.

A member of Rochester City Council, Mary Lupien, joins us. She discusses why she had information about Daniel Prude's death before the public found out in September. We also discuss how Lupien and mental health professionals see the Prude case and the need for changes in who responds to emergency calls.

Our guests:

• Mary Lupien, member of Rochester City Council
• Melanie Funchess, mental health advocate, and member of the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group and the Black Healers Network
• Chacku Mathai, mental health and substance use ex-patient, recovery advocate, member of the New York State Behavioral Health Services Advisory Council, and vice president for the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy