On Dr. John L. Flateau: “He Uplifted Us to Positions of Power”

Eric Gonzalez,
Brooklyn District Attorney
The collective of sorrow of the church — as people came in, paid respects, as we speak today about the man that Dr. Flateau was and what he meant to this community and what he meant to all of us in our individual capacities, it’s tremendous grief but it’s also a rejoicing of a life well-lived.
Dr. Flateau embodied what it meant to live a life of service. He was a keen reader of politics. He was a stalwart for justice and the champion of education. Dr. Flateau is rightfully recognized at this church as the giant of Bedford-Stuyvesant, of Central Brooklyn, of New York City. He touched on so many disciplines, all the disciplines that really mattered to make sure that black people, Latino people, and people of color in this city got a fair shake. He never sought the spotlight for himself. He was a wise counsel. He was an inspiration. Today, we have so much of the leadership of our city and our state represented here in church to say thank you to the family for sharing your husband, your father, and your brother.

He, as we now have learned, and sometimes it’s a generational thing, but Council and Chief of Staff to David Dinkins, a brother and a fight to the Honorable Annette Robinson, the late great Al Vann, and to my mentor, DA Ken Thompson. When I ran for district attorney, John sought me out. I said he sought me out, and that was not by accident because he wanted to make sure that the path of justice in Brooklyn would stay strong. He understood what I was asking. My goal as district attorney was to make sure that we continue to restore trust in our law enforcement systems. That our community could never really feel safe, could never actually be safe if we didn’t trust our justice system.
When I turned to him for help, he helped create what I call the Safety Plan for Brooklyn. You see, when I became DA, I issued a report. It’s called Justice 2020, but really, it laid out the goals of Dr. Flateau. What would the justice system look like if we centered fairness as the central focus point of that system? In that, we talked about the school-to-prison pipeline. How do we shut that valve? How do we prevent people from making money on the incarceration of black and brown people?
These were so central to the work, and as we continue to fight for a safer Brooklyn, it’s never been lost on me as District Attorney that we can never truly feel safe unless our justice system continues to fight and center people’s lives. The humanity in people’s lives is the core element of what justice is really about. A sense of justice has to be that we’re going to be treated fairly. For me, Dr. Flateau was a mentor as well. He talked to me about how we move this system. Brooklyn has progressed, and I’m a son of Brooklyn. I grew up and was raised in Brooklyn. My family came from Puerto Rico to Bedford-Stuyvesant and to Williamsburg, and I ultimately grew up in New York in Brooklyn. I remember what Central Brooklyn was like when I attended school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, in East New York, and in Coney Island when I went to high school. We’ve made a lot of progress, Brooklyn, but leadership like Dr. Flateau has uplifted so many of us to positions of power today.

I take this moment in front of all of you to say, as District Attorney, I recommit myself today and every day to the mission of Dr. Flateau about making the justice system work for all people. Very importantly, the mission of Dr. Flateau was to bring black and brown communities together because if we were going to really create a fair and equitable justice system, we had to speak to the values of our community. These values of justice and safety, that no child should ever lose a life to gun violence in our city, are so on point. I recommit to this community today that we will continue to do the work together, and there are a lot of partners here. There are a lot of partners in fighting gun violence, and part of that fight is to do that with the community leading the way.
Once again, I offer my condolences personally, but I don’t think that everyone knew in the community how much Dr. Flateau touched lives. How many of you understood how — and I know that his sons mentioned that — his work is really being carried out at different areas: Medgar Evers College, Attorney General Tish James’ office and the work she’s doing in fighting for redistricting and all of the work that we have been doing locally in our justice system.
And that it is his thinking, his teaching, his motivation, and his lessons that continue to push this city forward. So, thank you family, thank you all of you who feel that emotion. Know that the work continues, and as your DA here in Brooklyn, I pledge that we’re going to continue to move our city in a fairer direction and we’re going to continue to make the lives of Brooklyn residents safer. Thank you, church.