At 6:10 a.m. on Friday morning, May 16, as Local 1549 member Alberta Spruill was getting ready to go to work, 12 police officers broke down the door to her 6th-floor apartment in Harlem, tossed in a flash grenade, and handcuffed the 57-year-old woman to a chair.

The misguided “no-knock” arrest was launched after a drug dealer/informant told police there were guns and drugs in the sixth-floor apartment. Shortly after the break-in, Ms. Spruill experienced chest pains. She died in an ambulance on her way to Harlem Hospital at 8 a.m.

On behalf of the union, Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez expressed condolences to her family. Ms. Spruill’s sister arrived the next day from South Carolina.

Ms. Spruill worked for the Dept. of City-wide Services for 29 years and was planning to retire this year, said co-workers. Her job was to maintain civil service lists. She was a staunch union activist, a shop steward, a devoted member of the Convent Avenue Baptist Church and a beloved member of her community.

Acts of generosity
Neighbors gathered outside her West 143rd Street home and shared stories of her many acts of generosity. Flowers and a sign reading, “Alberta, we all love you and you will be missed. Tenants of 310 143rd St.” were tacked to the front door. On Saturday, members of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists rallied outside her building to protest the actions of the Police Dept.

While Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly immediately ordered a full-scale investigation by the Internal Affairs Dept. and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg issued an apology, community and union members were outraged and saddened by the tragic episode.

“The District Council 37 family and I join in mourning this needless death, which is a terrible blow to the relatives and co-workers of Alberta Spruill, to the Harlem community and to the fragile social fabric of our city,” said DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts. “The city must investigate thoroughly and the Police Department must adopt procedures to prevent such tragedies.”