I’ve watched administration after administration in Mount Vernon mishandle crisis after crisis — not with honesty or urgency, but with political spin, silence, and self-preservation. The safety of the people, the integrity of leadership, and the moral compass of this city have too often taken a back seat to ambition. And now, with the arrest of Coach Dwayne Murray, it feels like history is repeating itself — again. What’s so sad is that many people in Mount Vernon have become so numb to the dysfunction that it’s just another day, business as usual. The political chaos, cover-ups, and evasions are no longer shocking; they’ve become expected.
As a retired law enforcement officer, a grandfather of two young girls, and someone who spent decades protecting children and communities, I was deeply disturbed by the charges against Mr. Murray — Sexual Conduct Against a Child in the First Degree, a Class B felony in New York. But what’s even more troubling is the behavior of our city’s leadership before and after the arrest — and the timeline that no one seems willing to clarify.
Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard issued a statement saying she received a “vague, anonymous, and suspicious” message about sexual misconduct and, acting as a mandated reporter, she immediately contacted the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
But that account is now in direct conflict with a public statement made by Mr. Murray himself.
In Murray’s own words, he said that the Mayor personally contacted him on Monday, April 28 — the very same day political figure Greg Bonaparte says he sent the Mayor a detailed message at 8:12 a.m., outlining serious allegations of sexual misconduct and theft involving someone close to her. That means the Mayor contacted the alleged suspect on the same day the tip came in. The only question is — and it’s a critical one — who did she contact first? The District Attorney or the suspect?
Because in 33 years of law enforcement, I have never seen — and would never recommend — contacting the suspect in a child sex abuse allegation before or during communication with the DA’s office. Doing so could interfere with the investigation, compromise evidence, and raise questions about the intent of the contact.
This isn’t a matter of political rivalry or personality conflict. It’s about the public’s right to know whether mandated reporting was done correctly, without favoritism, personal interference, or political hesitation.
WHAT DID THE MAYOR KNOW AND WHEN DID SHE KNOW IT?
The Mayor’s official statement claims the allegations were vague, anonymous, and possibly politically motivated. But the timeline tells a different story. If the accusations were serious enough to report to the District Attorney, why did the Mayor also contact Murray about the allegations on the very same day? And that leads to an even more troubling question: How did the Mayor know it was Murray? His name was not explicitly mentioned in the text — so did she already know about the alleged relationship? If not, what led her to call him directly? These are not minor details. If the Mayor acted with prior knowledge, the public deserves to know when she learned of the allegations and from whom. And if she had no prior knowledge, then her decision to call Murray raises even more red flags. Only the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office can answer these questions — and they must.
If the Mayor had reached out to the DA first, she would have followed the law. If she had reached out to Mr. Murray first, she would have compromised the integrity of the process. Either way, this confusion can only be cleared up by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office. The public deserves to know exactly when they were contacted, and what was reported to them.
In her public statement, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard identified herself as both a minister and a New York State mandated reporter—a role that carries legal responsibility under Social Services Law § 413 to report any suspected child abuse or maltreatment to the appropriate authorities immediately and without interference. However, by contacting Dwayne Murray—the alleged subject of the complaint—on the same day she claims to have reported the matter to the District Attorney, Mayor Patterson-Howard violated the core principles of the mandated reporting process. New York State law is clear: mandated reporters are not to investigate, notify, or alert the person named in the allegation. Doing so not only risks compromising the investigation, but may also constitute a breach of legal duty or even obstruction, depending on the circumstances. Her actions raise serious ethical and legal concerns that demand further scrutiny.
Let’s also be honest about another uncomfortable truth: the people of Mount Vernon are not immune to the broader problem of county and state officials disregarding misconduct when it involves their political allies. We’ve seen this before. Former Westchester District Attorney Anthony Scarpino consistently failed to hold influential figures in Mount Vernon accountable, even when wrongdoing was in plain sight. New York State Attorney General Letitia James has likewise shown a pattern of political selectivity — even when it involves the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars, as long as the misconduct is tied to fellow Democrats. This culture of protection has allowed corruption and incompetence to survive for far too long.
However, with Susan Cacace serving her first term as Westchester County District Attorney, there is hope that we may see a shift — that this office will prioritize the law above loyalty and pursue justice without fear or favor.
Because while the DA has the legal authority to investigate, the public has the moral authority to demand the truth. When it comes to child safety, silence is complicity. Politics cannot be allowed to override legal duty.
We must now ask:
- What time did Mayor Patterson-Howard contact the DA?
- What time did she call Mr. Murray?
- Why haven’t either of those timestamps been disclosed?
- Who else in City Hall knew and remained silent?
Mount Vernon cannot continue to operate on insider silence and media management. When a child’s safety is at stake, there can be no hesitation, no blurred lines, and no backchannel calls to friends under investigation.
This is about more than one man. This is about the integrity of leadership in the City of Mount Vernon. It’s about whether our elected officials are upholding the law or navigating around it.
Let me be clear for the haters! And there are a lot of them! I’m not writing this for any political purpose — I’m writing this out of a need for truth and transparency, something the people of Mount Vernon rarely see. I did not make the statements — they did. And when children are involved, we must set aside politics and get to the truth. For the children, I demand the truth, even if you won’t say it in public!
And until we get complete transparency from the DA’s office and the Mayor herself, we’ll keep asking the only question that matters:
Where is God in all of this? And how long will Mount Vernon let politics stand in the way of justice?
7 Comments
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The exchange between the Mayor and Bonaparte happened April 28th, The DA in her press conference said she had been investigating Murray since April 12th , that is 16 day prior to Bonaparte informing the mayor, if The Mayor notified the DA on the 29th the next or even that same day the 28th then her alerting them without a name meant urging them to investigate meant nothing because they were already investigating for 16 days
Thank you for raising that point — it’s an essential detail in understanding the whole timeline. Suppose the DA was already investigating Murray as early as April 12th, and the Mayor contacted them on April 28th or 29th. In that case, her report may not have triggered anything new, primarily if she didn’t provide a name.
But that makes the situation even more troubling: Why did the Mayor tell Murray about the allegations in the first place? According to Murray himself, she contacted him on April 28th — the very day Greg Bonaparte sent her the text outlining the accusations. If the investigation was already underway, what purpose did it serve to notify the alleged suspect? Please tell me why the Mayor would do that? I’m not making that up; Murray stated it on Facebook, and I know you’ve seen it. Willingly or unwillingly, she compromised the investigation by alerting the suspect!
Whether she knew about the DA’s timeline or not, the question is no longer just about when she reported — it’s about why she contacted the person accused and what that says about judgment, process, and accountability.
That’s what the public deserves answers to.
Might be the dumbest article I’ve read from yall. Somehow the person who had the information in this who is Greg has no blame when his wife is the school board president and directly to the school superintendent. This child was in the school system and yet nowhere in this article do you call on what did the school district know, the teachers, principal and administrators? Instead you focus on the mayor who stated she sent it to the DA and appears was a tip to them about Dwayne. How long did Greg have this information and held it to use towards the mayor? Kinda nasty to see BW try to act like it wants the truth when the biases in this story are quite revealing. Do better as a “journalist” this slop is nothing but gossip bullshit. Shameful
We appreciate your passion — but let’s clarify a few things.
This piece was not written to defend Greg Bonapart, his wife, or anyone in the school system. If members of the Board of Education, including his wife, had knowledge of the alleged abuse and failed to act, then yes — they should absolutely be held accountable. That deserves investigation, and if more evidence surfaces, Black Westchester will follow it without hesitation.
But this article focuses on what the Mayor herself admitted to: that she received a message containing allegations and that she personally contacted the alleged suspect, Dwayne Murray, the same day. That is not gossip — that is a direct conflict of interest and a potential breach of mandated reporter responsibilities, especially for someone who is also a trained social worker and minister.
This isn’t about protecting Greg Bonapart. It’s about documented actions taken by public officials in positions of power. If you find that inconvenient, that’s fine. But calling this “gossip” doesn’t erase the fact that a mayor calling the subject of a child abuse allegation on the same day she forwarded a tip to the DA raises serious ethical and procedural concerns. We did not make that up, the suspect stated it in his own words in the video in the article, and you have the nerve to call it gossip LOL
We’re not interested in political spin — on either side. We’re interested in truth, accountability, and the protection of children. If that makes some uncomfortable, maybe that’s because it’s doing exactly what journalism is supposed to do.
If you have information about what the school district knew and when — we welcome it. Let’s get all of it on the record. That’s what real truth-seeking looks like.
Thank you for reporting, reiterating and clarifying that these are spoken and written facts by both the mayor and the suspect. As far as Bonaparte and his wife is concerned, we do not know as of yet who alerted the DA of these allegations. So before we begin to throw shade and try to make a narrative about the Bonapart’s; because that’s convenient for some to reflect and do, wait until the details play out. Somebody went to the DA with this information on April the 12th and it could have very well come from the Bonapart’s. Please, let’s not do the usual Mt Vernon thing and begin again to ignore and deflect from the facts of a horrible potential crime because they like who we like politically. We have to be better than this. I’m not clear at all how one could call reporting the KNOWN FACTS as slop. We must stop this immediately. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and a trusted coach of young girls is in jail because as the DA said, he admitted to some of the allegations. This is why we have the right to remain silent, because anything you say can and WILL be used against you in a court of law. To keep it plain, these nigros should have just shut the hell up, but they didn’t and inadvertently told on each other trying to get ahead of this story for sake of their political careers.
Thank you for your thoughtful and grounded response.
You’re absolutely right — the facts that have been presented so far come directly from the public statements of both the Mayor and Mr. Murray. That’s why we’ve taken great care to stick to what has been documented, stated, or confirmed — not speculation or hearsay.
As you said, we do not yet know who alerted the DA on April 12th. It very well could have been someone close to the Bonapartes — and if that comes to light, it will absolutely be part of the story. But until we have that information, we’re not going to throw accusations at them, just as we shouldn’t excuse questionable actions from others because of political alignment.
This isn’t about personalities. It’s about process, responsibility, and protecting children.
You’re also spot on in saying this is the kind of moment where Mount Vernon must rise above the usual finger-pointing, distraction, and tribalism. We cannot allow serious allegations involving a minor to be minimized or redirected because people are more comfortable defending who they know than confronting the truth.
At Black Westchester, we’re not interested in protecting anyone’s political career — we’re committed to reporting what’s right, what’s legal, and what’s in the public interest. As you said so clearly: right is right, and wrong is wrong.
We appreciate your clarity, and we hope others will read your comment and take it to heart.