(Credit: Steve Thurston, 2023)
Joseph Ribis, standing, and Lexis Figuereo, share a light-hearted moment at the Saratoga Springs City Council meeting, Feb. 21, 2023. The pair have been at odds over the Black Lives Matter protests from 2021 and later.
The Saratoga Springs City Council agreed to pay current invoices, more than $36,000, to the lawyers representing former Mayor Meg Kelly and former Commissioner of Public Safety Robin Dalton. The council also voted to allocate $10,000 more for each to cover legal charges related to an investigation by the New York State Office of Attorney General.
“Unfortunately, the investigation is still not over,” Mayor Ron Kim said before the vote during the Feb. 21 city council meeting.
The OAG subpoenaed Kelly and Dalton in July 2022 for “any and all” documents related to BLM and protest activity starting in January 2021 or later. The subpoena came in the wake of the arrests made of BLM activists. Many off the charges were dismissed.
Activists have maintained that the police and city used excessive force or broke the law regarding peaceful protests. The subpoena asked for text messages, documents, emails and other communications about the protests, the protestors and other related people and activities.
Under the city’s charter, former city officials, employees, volunteers on city boards and similar people are due financial compensation for legal fees if the fees relate back to the person’s official duties. The city first allocated money to cover the legal fees last September, and the mayor at that time said more money might be needed.
[Read more about the OAG investigation here and again here. Read our extensive coverage BLM Saratoga here.]
Earlier this year, the city council considered just what a “reasonable amount” of fees would be as they considered but did not pay the invoices.
Taking the advice of his attorney, BLM Saratoga’s Lexis Figuereo said he will not speak in-depth about the investigation.
“Saratoga BLM activists and supporters met with the AG’s office and heard an update from them on the status of their investigation into the conduct and policies of the SSPD,” Figuereo texted to FoothillsBusinessDaily.com recently. “Their investigation is ongoing, it is clear that they are taking these issues seriously and are engaged in an in depth investigation.”
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Figuereo said at Tuesday's city council meeting that members of the BLM group may be filing a claim against the City of Saratoga Springs and the Saratoga Spring Police Department.
The claim would cover events dating back to the protest march of July 2020. Those involved are considering whether they will file as BLM Saratoga or as individuals, he said.
The claim will cover excessive use of force by police during the protest, the use of rubber bullets in a July 2020 protest and false charges, among other issues, he said.