Rochester mayor Lovely Warren has fired police chief La'Ron Singletary over the death of Daniel Prude. Last week, Singletary announced his decision to resign by the end of the month after facing public backlash over Prude's death following the release of the police footage of the incident.
On March 23rd, Prude's brother called the police due to concern over Prude's mental health. Rochester police arrived to find Prude incoherent in the street and intoxicated with PCP. The officers covered Prude's face with a "spit sock" hood, which are intended to protect police officers from saliva as protection from COVID-19. Prude was held face down in the street until he stopped breathing and was later placed under medical care. He was declared brain dead and died at a hospital a week later.
Warren cited the police system's mishandling of Prude's death as the reason for Singletary's termination. Even though an autopsy declared the cause of death as asphyxia, official police reports adduce it as a drug overdose. Warren also made the claim that she was unaware of Prude's death until months later, attributing it to the fact that his "death was not taken as seriously as it should have been by those who reviewed the case throughout City government at every level."
Protesters, however, are calling for Warren herself to resign as well. Many people are making the claim that Warren knew about the nature of Prude's death before she let on and that she did not take action until after the incident was made public. Additionally, her decision to fire Singletary even though he already planned to resign by the end of the month can be interpreted as a publicity stunt to make herself look better. But, even if it is all for publicity, if it helps push for institutional change in Rochester's policing system and forces the administration to investigate the incident then it is ultimately worth it.
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