Rockland NAACP leaders join calls for justice in aftermath of fatal Evergreen fire plea deal
The leaders wrote letters saying that they are outraged that the father and son who started the fire will not get jail time.
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Three Rockland NAACP leaders are demanding justice after father-and-son rabbis received a plea deal in the fatal 2021 Evergreen fire case.
The NAACP leaders sent letters both to the Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh and a county court judge.
Who is the judge presiding over the fatal Evergreen Court fire case?
They wrote that they are outraged by the plea deal with no jail time for Rabbis Aaron and Nathaniel Sommer. The father and son started the deadly 2021 fire at Evergreen home for adults when they used a blow torch to Kosherize the facility for Passover.
The fire killed resident Oliver Hueston and volunteer firefighter Jared Lloyd.
Back in June, several Rockland firefighters expressed anger over the plea deal. Now, the NAACP joined in, adding that the decision indicates the lack of value some people place on Black lives since firefighter Jared Lloyd was Black and the NAACP encourages people of color to be volunteer first responders.
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"The best honor would be justice and that man did not come home to his child. So we felt that was a slap in the face to the first responders' community as well as the African American community and we couldn't go silent just letting that happen," said Wilbur T. Aldridge, regional director of the Mid-Hudson Westchester NAACP.
Aldridge said Walsh and the judge had not responded to the letter as of Thursday night.
A spokesperson for the Walsh's office told News 12, "...The agreement by the people is to the plea being entered into, the manslaughter counts and the reckless endangerment counts. As far as the sentencing, that's in the discretion of the court."
