Borough President hosts event honoring Black Brooklyn soldier who was brutalized by police

(Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

By Curtis Brodner

(NEW YORK) Video of Virginia police pulling over, pointing guns at and pepper-spraying a Black soldier, Army 2nd Lt. Caron Nazario, caused outrage when it was made public in mid-April.

On Wednesday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams hosted an event honoring Nazario on the steps of Borough Hall — the soldier’s first public appearance since the video was released, PIX11 reported.

Nazario has been avoiding speaking about the incident due to his ongoing lawsuit against the police who brutalized him.

At Borough Hall, he emphasized his gratitude to his community for the “outpour of love and support” that he experienced in the wake of the attack.

The Black and Latino 27-year-old was in uniform when he was pulled over. Video of the encounter shows Nazario calmly asking what was happening with his hands out the car window as police pointed guns at him, demanded he exit the car and then pepper-sprayed and arrested him.

He didn’t immediately exit the car because he didn’t want the police to think he was reaching for a weapon when he unbuckled his seat belt.

The Windsor Police Department dropped all charges against Nazario and fired Joe Gutierrez, the officer who pepper-sprayed Nazario on April 14, according to The Washington Post.

Nazario is suing the department for violating his constitutional rights.

Adams and other community leaders joined Nazario at Brooklyn Borough Hall to honor his service and condemn his treatment by police.

“I sat down and watched that video with my son and showed him this is the reality of young Black and brown boys across America,” said Adams. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Virginia or Vernon Avenue in Brooklyn, this is your reality and the reality we want to change.”

The borough president called for Gutierrez to be charged, tried and convicted for the attack.

Nazario grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant and is an alumnus of George Westinghouse High School.

Community leaders expressed pride at his handling of the situation — positing that his extraordinary calm during the intense situation may have saved his life from police who were pointing guns at him.

“He’s what we call in Bed-Stuy the pride and joy of Bed-Stuy,” said the Rev. Conrad Tillard, per PIX 11. “We want the county to know this young man is a true American hero.”

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