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Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin said that amid peaceful vigils throughout the village to protest police brutality and celebrate the life of Floyd last week, threats were made targeting the village online.
“On one of the nights of the vigils, I was privy to confidential law enforcement sensitive information that confirmed social media posts that the village was indeed a prime target for unruly groups, vandalism, and theft,” she said.
According to Marvin, local police increased patrols due to the vigils, and at approximately 1 a.m. on Tuesday, June 2, they tracked down two cars whose occupants intended to commit crimes in the village's business district.
When confronted by officers, the suspects fled, and they were later identified and arrested after being involved in burglaries in multiple Westchester communities.
Following the threats and vigils, Marvin said that reinforcements in the form of State Police were called in to assist.
“The governor thought there was enough merit to these occurrences threatening safety and property to send the New York State police to patrol Bronxville and other towns and villages in Westchester County,” she said.
Though there was an increased police presence amid the civil unrest following Floyd’s death, some storeowners decided to board up storefronts as a precaution in Bronxville, while Citibank on Pondfield Road temporarily closed down altogether.
“Many (have) emailed me that (they) found it unattractive and disconcerting to see the plywood and I don’t disagree,” Marvin said. “However from the perspective of a merchant who perhaps put his life savings into a business only to see COVID-19 do devastating economic damage, it is totally understandable why they made the decision that they could simply not take another economic loss to their property.”
Marvin said that in the wake of the vigils and unrest in the community, she and Police Chief Christopher Satriale met with some of the “young people” who organized the vigils to break bread.
“I applaud these young people for their passion and their dedication and we vowed to work together going forward should they desire to arrange any more vigils,” Marvin stated. “They totally grasped that, unfortunately, it happens that not everyone who appears near a peaceful vigil is there to be peaceful and positive and in addition, since numbers cannot be controlled, there are also safety concerns. In essence, there can be unintended consequences that need to be planned for.”
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