WASHINGTON — The DC Police Union says a DC Councilmember known for introducing local police reforms is partially to blame for violent unrest in the District this week.
Fourteen officers were injured at a protest outside the Metropolitan Police Department’s 4D Station, on Wednesday, according to Police Chief Peter Newsham.
The protests pushed for transparency from police and the District government following the fatal crash of 20-year-old Karon Hylton. On Thursday, DC Police released officer body camera footage that showed Hylton had been pursued by officers in a cruiser for roughly two minutes while he was driving on a rented moped.
According to the DC Police Union, close to a dozen officers were taken to local hospitals with injuries to their eyesight, concussions and blown eardrums.
DC Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton was highly critical of DC Councilmember Charles Allen in a statement his union released Thursday. He partially blamed Allen for putting MPD officers in danger.
“Due to the actions of people like Councilmember Charles Allen, MPD has been forced to handle these violent disturbances in a passive, and frankly, unsafe manner, causing significant risk and injury to our members” Pemberton stated.
Over the summer, Allen helped pass a police reform bill that banned the use of neck restraints and tear gas on protesters, among other things.
In his statement, Pemberton suggested new policies have also endangered the communities where police serve.
“This exposes our neighborhoods to violence and exposes local businesses to destruction and looting,” Pemberton stated.
Allen responded to the DC Police Union’s statement. He said his focus remains on the immediate investigation as to what happened in the Karon Hylton case.
“Just a reminder that Karon Hylton died following a police encounter with four officers that almost certainly violated department policy, ostensibly because he wasn’t wearing a helmet," Allen said. "It is not a stretch to believe if Karon were white, things would’ve been handled differently and he would still be here."