NEWBURGH – The crusade against police by Newburgh City Councilman Omari Shakur was criticized Thursday night by fellow Councilman Robert Sklarz during a Zoom-cast session of the city council.
Shakur has been video recording police activity around the city and posting it on Facebook with his narrative that the police “are holding guns to our children” in what he called “an occupation of the city.”
In one recent recording, he used racial epithets to describe African American and Latino police officers.
Sklarz said those people who have complaints against police officers are not served by incorrect statements and “distortions” of facts and they are not served by language that “racially divided our city.”
“As a city councilperson-at-large, you represent all the city; you owe it to everyone to get the facts right before you speak,” Sklarz said. That prompted a harsh rebuke by Shakur. “You need to get your facts straight; that’s what you need to do. My facts are straight, and I will stand by every statement I made so get your facts straight,” the first-term lawmaker responded.
Other members of the city council chimed in at that point, telling Shakur to calm down and let Sklarz finish his remarks.
Listen to the complete exchange between Councilmen Robert Sklarz and Omari Shakur.
Earlier this year after Shakur went on a 20-minute profane-laced exchange during a police stop, the city council censured him.
