Showing posts with label NYPD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYPD. Show all posts

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Delita Hooks, medical office employee who attacked political blogger Suzannah B. Troy, never held accountable

Dr. Andrew Fagelman

Delita Hooks is a medical office employee of Dr. Andrew Fagelman, who sees patients in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. According to police and Court records, Hooks attacked a patient visiting another doctor. The victim of the attack, Suzannah B. Troy, has been seeking justice for the attack for seven years.

After Troy had filed a police report about the assault, Hooks reportedly filed a cross complaint described as false by Troy. Troy has compared Hook's police report to be as fabricated as the one filed by Jussie Smollett, a network TV drama actor, who falsely reported being the target of an attack.

Read more :  Jussie Smollett objects to comparison to girl who lied about dreadlocks being cut [NBC News]

Troy attempted to report the false cross complaint filed by Hooks as a crime, but she was turned away by police in the First Precinct, including NYPD supervisor Sgt. Chen, who she recorded in secret audio and tweeted to or mentioned top NYPD brass, including the NYPD police commissioners from Raymond Kelly to William Bratton to James O'Neill.

For Smollett's part in filing a false police report, prosecutors in Cook County, Illinois, made a decision not to prosecute the filing of a false instrument with police, a decision that later triggered the appointment of a former U.S. Attorney to review prosecutorial handling of the Smollett case. No similar decision to review the Office of Manhattan District Attorney's handling of Hooks' filing of a false instrument with police has been made.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

With NYPD seemingly out of control, de Blasio set to end first year presiding over an ungovernable New York City

Mayor de Blasio heads a bi-racial household, yet, in wake of NYPD double homicide, he cannot unify a multi-cultural city

Two NYPD officers killed in Brooklyn ; suspect reportedly commits suicide ; de Blasio in hot seat

Rather than inspire from a place of equality, justice, due process, and the rule of law, Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton are resorting to invoking fear to frighten New Yorkers, moving them in a direction of hatred and suspicion.

At Saturday night's press conference at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn, where the fallen officers were taken and later pronounced dead, in his brief remarks, Mayor de Blasio invoked a sense of fear to motivate New Yorkers into action, saying that, "every New Yorker should feel they, too, were attacked," that "our entire city was attacked," further requesting that New Yorkers should report any information about plans for attacks on police, a sense of fear that NYPD Commissioner William Bratton reaffirmed by saying that New Yorkers should consider this like the Homeland Security alert system, an alarum code that the Bush administration notoriously abused to keep Americans living in fear of terroristic attacks, so that the administration could keep pushing its political goals, as well as its agendas of war and surveillance.

The reply messages of violence were further fueled by Patrick Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, or PBA, who Saturday night laid blame for the officers' deaths before Mayor de Blasio and police reform activists.

The ratcheting up of inflammatory rhetoric and tensions comes at a time when the de Blasio administration had been trying to fluff its nominal accomplishments in its first year.

Activists, who are calling for an end to discrimination, violence, and state-sponsored forms of oppression, are reaching for understanding and unity. However, elected officials and police union leaders remain entrenched in language of fear and suspicion.

RELATED


de Blasio set to end first year presiding over an ungovernable New York City (Progress Queens)

Two NYPD officers killed in Brooklyn ; suspect reportedly commits suicide ; de Blasio in hot seat (Progress Queens)


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Contacted Joe Hartunian at Sen. Schumer's Office regarding NYPD reform

Follow-up on request for assistance in creation of a new commission with powers to investigate and prosecute NYPD corruption and misconduct

2014-12-01 Senator Charles Schumer Office Fax (NYPD Commission Follow-Up Letter) (FILE COPY) by NYPDFivePoints

Activists ask for a new commission, modeled after Knapp and Mollen, to investigate NYPD and IAB, but this time with the power to prosecute cases of corruption, authority that both the Knapp and Mollen commissions lacked

Joe Hartunian, a legislative staff member to New York's senior U.S. Senator, was contacted to day as a follow-up to a letter sent on December 1.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked in the letter for his assistance and support for the creation of a new commission to investigate a pattern of corruption and misconduct and the lack of accountability at the New York Police Department, including at its troubled Internal Affairs Bureau.

As soon as there is new information, a new update will be provided.

RELATED


Written letter to Senator Charles Schumer asking for his assistance and support for the creation of a new commission to investigate and prosecute NYPD corruption, including at IAB (Scribd)

Exigen crear nueva comisión que investigue quejas contra NYPD (El Diario)

Written demand to Mayor de Blasio to appoint a new commission to investigate NYPD corruption, including at IAB (Scribd)


Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist. Flatiron Massage is located in New York City.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Bill Bratton Using Breathe Right To Get Through Protests, Until Demonstrations Peter Out

Arrogant remarks by NYPD Commissioner shocking the conscious of average New Yorkers

Bratton : I'm breathing easier, thank you very much, because I know that the protests ''will peter out.''

In an interview with The New York Observer, NYPD Police Commissioner William Bratton was asked about the thousands of civil rights activists, who have been taking to the streets to demonstrate in disapproval of a Staten Island grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the chokehold homicide of an innocent, unarmed man.

“These things to tend to peter out on their own, people get tired of marching around aimlessly,” Commissioner Bratton said yesterday of the large demonstrations, adding “And we’re gonna have a lot of rain tomorrow, and the history of these things is that they don’t go on forever, they tend to peter out on their own.”

“These things to tend to peter out on their own, people get tired of marching around aimlessly,” Commissioner Bratton told The New York Observer.

Reaction on Twitter to Commissioner Bratton's insensitive remarks ranged from dismay to outrage.

Commissioner Bratton is facing calls for his resignation over escalating instances of police misconduct, corruption, brutality, and homicide.

RELATED


After Huge Demonstration, Bratton Expects Eric Garner Protests to ‘Peter Out’ (The New York Observer)

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Sen. Schumer asked for help to appoint a new commission to investigate and prosecute NYPD, IAB corruption

Letter to Sen. Charles Schumer - Help us appoint a new commission to investigate NYPD, IAB

Activists ask for a new commission, modeled after Knapp and Mollen, to investigate NYPD and IAB, but this time with the power to prosecute cases of corruption, authority that both the Knapp and Mollen commissions lacked

Sen. Charles Schumer, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked for his assistance and support for the creation of a new commission to investigate a pattern of corruption and the lack of accountability at the New York Police Department, including at its troubled Internal Affairs Bureau.

"The nation needs a substantive examination of the overreach, the corruption, the brutality and murder, the abuse of discretion, and the lack of accountability of police departments in the nation, beginning with the NYPD, the largest police force in the nation. As your office contemplates how best the U.S. Senate can take part in the national debate over the need for policing reforms, we hope that in the meantime you will call for either Manhattan District Attorney Vance, U.S. Attorney Bharara, or Assistant Director Venizelos to create a new, independent commission with subpoena power to investigate -- and prosecute -- corruption, brutality, and murder by the NYPD, including corruption at IAB, along with other violations of constitutional rights, civil liberties, and civil rights."

The letter to Sen. Schumer was sent after a prior e-mail to City Hall, dated 13 October 2014, went unanswered.

RELATED


Written letter to Senator Charles Schumer asking for his assistance and support for the creation of a new commission to investigate and prosecute NYPD corruption, including at IAB (Scribd)

Exigen crear nueva comisión que investigue quejas contra NYPD (El Diario)

Written demand to Mayor de Blasio to appoint a new commission to investigate NYPD corruption, including at IAB (Scribd)


Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist. Flatiron Massage is located in New York City.

2014-12-01 Senator Charles Schumer Office Fax (NYPD Commission Follow-Up Letter) (FILE COPY) by NYPDFivePoints

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Communities United for Police Reform replaces BerlinRosen as public relations firm as CPR ramps up NYPD criticism of de Blasio

BerlinRosen is closely linked to the de Blasio administration. It's lobbyists regularly counsel Mayor de Blasio. BerlinRosen even represents Mayor de Blasio's own lobbying outfit, the Campaign for One New York.

BerlinRosen's close ties to de Blasio meant that CPR couldn't make aggressive demands for NYPD reform, because BerlinRosen wouldn't allow Mayor de Blasio to be outflanked or embarrassed by police reform activists.

In a move that may spell political trouble for Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-New York City), the police reform group, Communities United for Police Reform (CPR), has hired a new public relations firm, Progressive Cities, to replace BerlinRosen. Dan Morris at Progressive Cities will replace Daniel Levitan at BerlinRosen as CPR's spokesperson.

When BerlinRosen was supervising CPR's external communications, City Hall was in a better position to keep CPR in check. For example, CPR effectively sided with Mayor de Blasio's regressive appointment of William Bratton as commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD). Mr. Bratton is known for his support of policing tactics that unfairly target Blacks and Latinos ; nevertheless, many Latino elected officials issued statements of support to the press in a campaign some government reform activists said echoed the hallmarks of lobbyist-generated synchronicity for the convenient packaging of Latino elected officials' approvals. Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Harlem) and Senator José Peralta (D-Queens) were joined by U.S. Representative Nydia Velázquez (D-Brooklyn), Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (D-The Bronx), Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda (D-The Bronx), and Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) in supporting the Bratton appointment, even though grassroots police reform activists were protesting the appointment out of concern for Commissioner Bratton's reliance on a racial policing theory known as "Broken Windows."

Yesterday, the online news publication Progress Queens sent an e-mail request to Mr. Levitan, asking if BerlinRosen worked on pre-swearing in public relations work for Mayor de Blasio, and, if so, asking how BerlinRosen was being paid. However, Mr. Levitan did not answer the request. A few hours later, news broke that BerlinRosen was being replaced by Progressive Cities as CPR's public relations firm.

In the time since Mayor de Blasio was sworn into office, BerlinRosen has regularly courted controversy.

BerlinRosen has advised City Hall's non-profit, lobbying arm, the Campaign for One New York, which relies on funding from the mayor's political supporters. Through the Campaign for One New York, Mayor de Blasio is actively engaged in a non-stop campaign of lobbying other government officials using private monies, subverting government work into the hands of public relations officials, lobbyists, and private donors. BerlinRosen was also the mastermind behind a controversial "dark money" mailer that sought to quell voter anger in the time leading up to the closure of Long Island College Hospital (LICH) in Brooklyn. (The thin-skinned mayor and his political operatives were trying to deflect voter anger at Mayor de Blasio's betrayal on the LICH closure.) In an exposé published by The New York Post, it was revealed that Mayor de Blasio seeks counsel from lobbyists, including those at BerlinRosen, comprising the integrity of government work at City Hall. BerlinRosen also positioned itself itself in the middle of a $1.5 billion, zone-busting real estate development deal for the old Domino Sugar refinery in Brooklyn, that may have duplicitous implications for impropriety, since BerlinRosen led discussions between the real estate developer and the same de Blasio administration its firm regularly counsels. Eventually, City Hall approved the waterfront development deal.

Mr. Morris, the Progressive Cities chief, formerly worked at the campaign consulting firm Red Horse, before founding Progressive Cities, according to a report in The New York Observer. Red Horse is closely associated with Mayor de Blasio and Council Speaker Mark-Viverito. Police reform activists were hoping that the change in the public relations firm advising CPR would lead to aggressive demands for police reforms. However, the close political ties to City Hall and City Council may make Mr. Morris another administration flack, perhaps less than Mr. Levitan. Whilst it is known that CPR plans to publicly challenge Commissioner Bratton's "Broken Windows" theory of policing, which the mayor and the First Lady have supported, it is not known if CPR will call for Commissioner Bratton's resignation, as have grassroots police reform activists.

RELATED


Liberals growing frustrated with Bill de Blasio (The New York Times)

Leading police reform group pushing NYPD for major changes (The New York Daily News)

Mayor de Blasio has failed to end racial policing in New York City (Progress Queens)

Mayor Criticized for Not Moving Faster on Marijuana Policy (The Wall Street Journal)

Amid reports of friction, de Blasio and Bratton assail the media (Capital New York)


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Friday, November 7, 2014

El Diario : Activists call for a commission to investigate NYPD corruption, including at Internal Affairs

Five governmental offices with jurisdiction over NYPD are asked to create a new commission, modeled after Knapp and Mollen

"Activists say the CCRB is negligent and that the City needs another panel to address complaints made against police"

On Columbus Day, a small group of protesters walked to five government offices, demanding that as a result of "negligence" by the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), the government should appoint a commission to be responsible for investigating corruption at the New York Police Department. The five stops on the walking protest tours were : the Mayor's Office, the main headquarters of the NYPD, the District Attorney of Manhattan, the U.S. Attorney for Manhattan, and the FBI headquarters in New York.

RELATED


Exigen crear nueva comisión que investigue quejas contra NYPD (El Diario)

Written demand to Mayor de Blasio to appoint a new commission to investigate NYPD corruption, including at IAB (Scribd)


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Teachout Wu Cuomo Mark-Viverito Bratton Whistleblower Fired NYPD Eric Garner - Twawking Tweets Episode 2

Twawking Tweets - Episode 2 - Top NY political tweets on Twitter

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito fires an NYPD whistleblower.

In this episode, the following issues were discussed :

  • Zephyr Teachout's possible endorsement of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's reelection campaign ;
  • Tim Wu criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for having supported Leut. Gov. candidate, Kathy Hochul ;
  • Mr. Wu's announcement of his support of the Cuomo-Hochul ticket ;
  • Rob Astorino asks Preet Bharara to release information about the federal investigation into the Moreland Commission scandal before Election Day ;
  • New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito fires a whistleblower ; and
  • A reminder that Speaker Mark-Viverito denied that race was a factor in the homicide of Eric Garner.

Twawking Tweets is sponsored by the Twitter account, @InformedVoting.

RELATED


Twawking Tweets - Episode 2 - Top NY political tweets on Twitter (Progress Queens)


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Monday, September 15, 2014

In Jackson Heights, NYPD arrest and handcuff man, aggravating his injuries

Commissioner Bratton and Mayor de Blasio say we have community policing, but the police can't even speak Spanish to communicate with the community. And when I translated that the man's arm is broken, the cops put him in a impossible situation, and they painted the man as uncooperative. The man has an injured or broken arm ; he's handcuffed, but the cops complained that the man would not stand up. Before I started filming with my iPhone, I witness one police officer putting his foot on the small of the man's back to hold him down.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Mark-Viverito fires Council whistleblower for disputing Commissioner Bratton's stats on NYPD use of force

City Council aide ­Artyom Matusov was fired for exposing a misrepresentation by Commish Bratton that "implied the percentage of arrests in which force was used had dropped in recent years"

Speaker Mark-Viverito's War on Whistleblowers

A Harvard University Kennedy School of Government-educated City Council staffer was fired on Friday after he blew the whistle on inaccuracies in the official testimony provided by NYPD Commissioner William Bratton last Monday.

In the City Council hearing, on the subject of police use of deadly chokeholds, Commissioner Bratton testified that police use of force was declining, stating that police officers used force in about 3 per cent. of the time out of an annual arrest rate of about 400,000. After City Council staffer Artyom Matusov heard the testimony, he did some number crunching, and Mr. Matusov discovered that Commissioner Bratton's calculations couldn't hold water. According to statistics analyzed by Mr. Matusov, Commissioner Bratton's testimony was incorrect, because police officers self-reported arrests in which force was used at a rate more than double than the rate to which Commissioner Bratton testified. That doubled rate covered approximately only 10 per cent. of annual arrests, meaning the actual use of NYPD force during arrests could be extrapolated to be at a much higher rate.

Mr. Matusov claims that he was fired, "because Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito wanted to punish him for blowing the whistle on Mayor de Blasio’s police chief," The New York Daily News reported.

In an interview with The New York Daily News, Mr. Matusov claimed that speaking out about Commissioner Bratton's faulty testimony cost him his job, because Speaker Mark-Viverito retaliated against him to protect Mayor de Blasio from any political fallout from Commissioner Bratton's perjury.

Mr. Matusov noted how Speaker Mark-Viverito owes her political career to Mayor de Blasio, telling The New York Daily News that, “Remember, he appointed the speaker.”

RELATED


Council aide claims he was fired for disputing Bratton (Capital New York)

City Council analyst : I got fired by Speaker Mark-Viverito for saying Bill Bratton lied about NYPD's use of force (The New York Daily News)

City Council aide says he was fired for exposing Bratton’s bogus data (The New York Post)

Melissa Mark-Viverito Won’t Say Race Was a Factor in Eric Garner’s Death (The New York Observer)


Flatiron Massage | Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist in New York City.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Crucita Alvarado - Missing Person - Coney Island

Call 911 or (800) 577-8477

Tomorrow will mark one month since Crucita Alvarado was last seen. She has been missing since Tuesday, Aug. 12, and her family is searching for her. Ms. Alvarado is also known by her nickname, ''Lucy'' or ''Miss Lucy.''

RELATED : Grandmother, 73, Missing For More Than A Week From Coney Island (WCBS2 New York)

Ms. Alvarado, who is 73 years old, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and she is believed to have wandered off and gotten lost. If anybody recognises her, please call 911 or the NYPD tips line at : (800) 577-8477.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Past NYPD experience with video cameras shows pattern of editing to thwart accountability for misconduct

The NYPD have a history of manipulating their own videos, as a 2004 City Council report found

Excerpt from Chapter 7 of "Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn"

A special report from the City Council Committee on Governmental Operations showed that, “In the aftermath of the numerous confrontations between demonstrators and police at the February 15th rally the Civilian Complaint Review Board (“CCRB”) investigated 54 complaints containing 114 allegations of misconduct by police officers.” Among the NYPD violations the report found was that the police department’s Technical Assistance Response Unit provided to CCRB heavily edited videos in a deliberate effort to disguise the police officers who committed violations. “Thus, many complaints were dropped where the officers went unidentified.” This is how the NYPD operated when it knew its actions were not going to be supervised or subjected to any accountability.

From Chapter 7 of ''Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn'' by Louis Flores (Scribd)

How can CCRB, much less the public, have faith and trust in NYPD officers maintaining control over their own body cameras ?

According to news reports, the New York Police Department are considering a pilot program to video record police officers on duty. NYPD Commissioner William Bratton told reporters that the pilot program under consideration would allow police officers to control the activation of their own body cameras, raising concerns amongst police reform activists and civil libertarians.

How can the press honestly report that this is a "pilot program," and that a police department program aiming to film their own operations is about to be created ? The NYPD have been filming their own operations for years. What is more, many charge that the NYPD make video recordings of activists' peaceful and lawful political activities, which constitutes violations of activists Constitutional, civil rights, civil liberties, and other rights. Some of these records also violate a court order known as the Handschu Agreement. The proposal to use body cameras has been criticised by civil libertarian advocates, who question the police motivations to record innocent citizens. With the NYPD's experience and technology, they have already demonstrated a track record of how they mishandle their own video records and of the recordings of innocent New Yorkers. Based on a report about police misconduct published over a decade ago by the New York City Council, it has been shown that the NYPD cannot be trusted to record themselves, because, in the past, the NYPD have deliberately edited videos of their own performance with the blatant intention to circumvent accountability and oversight for their own misconduct, brutality, and other violations of police procedures.

Some police reform activists believe that recording police while they are on duty is a good reform, but not all police reform activists agree. Others take share the same concerns of civil libertarians. However, if there is a way to fully address the concerns of civil libertarians, for the use of body cameras to work, police officers should not be able to control, limit, turn on, or turn off their body cameras in any way. For body cameras to work, both the audio and video should be recorded during the entire duration of police officers' shifts. This information should be stored for as many years as it would be needed to facilitate the frequent federal, state, and municipal investigations into police misconduct. However, it remains to be seen whether the concerns of civil libertarians can truly be addressed. Over the decades, the NYPD have created so much distrust in New York City. The proposal to use body cameras is already polarising some in the police reform activist community. Based on the lack of trust and faith between the NYPD and citizens, it's difficult to tell whether everybody's concerns can be fully addressed.

RELATED


50 NYPD cops set to begin wearing body cameras in pilot program (The New York Daily News)

''Roots of Betrayal : The Ethics of Christine Quinn'' by Louis Flores (Scribd)

Report and Briefing Paper, The New York City Council, Committee on Government Operations, 16 June 2004 (Scribd)


Massage Therapist NYC

Michael Hayes, LMT, has practiced massage for more than 20 years as a licensed massage therapist. Flatiron Massage is located in New York City.

Monday, September 1, 2014

La rentrée 2014 : Election and Omnibus Update

Reforms come about by taking action

Remember the hospital closing crisis was manufactured by the Gov. Pataki's Berger Commission and by Gov. Cuomo's Medicaid Redesign Team

AS NEW YORKERS PREPARE FOR THE ANNUAL REENTRY, it's that time of the year when everything happens all at once : the summer ends, a new school year begins, the high season of the arts is upon us, and the primary elections are only one week away.

The last year has been remarkable for civic engagement and activism. We made many gains, like voting Christine Quinn out of office. We still face many challenges, like holding the de Blasio administration accountable to fully overhauling the New York Police Department and implementing other reforms. Voters are building upon this by vowing to hold Gov. Andrew Cuomo accountable in the Democratic Party primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Ever since news broke of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's admitted interference with the Moreland Commission's anti-corruption investigations, the Cuomo administration has been in a downward spiral. Voters are angry that each year, politicians promise us a "change election," but no change ever comes. Gov. Cuomo campaigned for office in 2010, promising to end corruption up in Albany. By many press accounts, it took less than four years for Gov. Cuomo to embody the culture of corruption up in Albany.

Back in 2010, the Cuomo campaign told St. Vincent's activists, "We'll see you after the election." What happened ? Not only did the governor fail to take action to save community hospitals in New York City, but he appointed mean old man Stephen Berger of the 1990's Berger Commission to keep closing full-service hospitals across New York City. Gov. Cuomo turned out to be another weasel of a politician, who had no intention of serving the common good. Instead, he was intent on an austerity agenda that would dismantle hospital infrastructure and enact Medicaid cuts that would negatively impact entire communities across New York City.

This reoccurring pattern of political and community betrayal was what finally led voters to vote former Speaker Quinn out of office after 15 years of failure. That long period of time exasperated voters. It finally woke voters up to the opportunity cost of reelecting unprincipled incumbents, who gamed the system for their own benefit, not the communities'. Voters no longer have patience for wasting time on failed leadership. This impatience explains why activists began to protest mayor-elect Bill de Blasio last December, after he announced his regressive appointment of William Bratton as NYPD commissioner. In the time since, all New Yorkers have come to see how Mayor de Blasio was never fully committed about ending police brutality or overhauling other controversial police policies, like the Broken Windows approach to policing that essentially criminalises the poor and minorities. Minorities in New York get arrested trying to use public transportation. That stark example of discrimination that once ran rampant in the racist South now takes place right here in New York City. If the mayor was committed to a complete overhaul of the NYPD, then he would have each of appointed a culturally competent police commissioner, ended Broken Windows policing, and updated and strengthened civilian police oversight, disciplinary proceedings, and other forms of police accountability. The true test of reforms is very simple : Does the status quo come to a complete end once reforms are implemented ?

Other issues awaiting the mayor that will determine if he is going to truly roll-out an aggressively progressive reform agenda, or if he is just going to keep recommending neoliberal policies that are approved by big business lobbyists. Only a civically-engaged electorate can hold elected officials' feet to the fire.

As promised in a previous newsletter, here is an omnibus update :

  • Governor's Race. Please remember that Gov. Cuomo exacerbated the hospital closing crisis in New York City by appointing Stephen Berger to close more hospitals on top of the large number of hospitals that closed following Mr. Berger's first commission report on hospital closures. Last Sept. 9, Mr. Berger was still advocating for more hospital closures. How fitting that exactly one year after that article was published, voters get to cast votes to reject these healthcare cuts that The New York Times reported went too far. Equally important, activists continue to call for reforms to end campaign and political corruption, but the media that made the Moreland Commission scandal an issue has since retired the issue, proving once again that, like with former Speaker Quinn, it is up to citizens journalists and activists to keep pressing for an end to corruption. Many bloggers are writing about the Moreland Commission (like the Perdido Street School blog and the Atlantic Yards Report blog), and it is up to voters to stay the course on an issue like this, especially when the media gets distracted or is subverted. Indeed, the bombshell report published by The New York Times about the Cuomo administration's reported obstruction of the Moreland Commission failed to mention the corrupt role of the Partnership for New York City in Albany politics. Likewise, The New York Times never reported Brad Hoylman's employment at the Partnership for New York City when he was overseeing Rudin's luxury condo conversion application at the same time when Bill Rudin was a director at the Partnership for New York City. When the media won't tell the whole story, it is up to us to keep each other informed. Keep seeking out new bloggers and alternative news Web sites. Take an average of multiple sources of information as a way to read between the lines. The Cuomo campaign is under so much stress from angry voters that Gov. Cuomo is reportedly considering dumping his running mate, former Rep. Kathy Hochul, in favor of embracing the reform candidate, Tim Wu. This is kind of what is looks like when the system turns on itself under the scaled-up participation of reform-minded voters. Whatever you do, I hope that on Tuesday, Sept. 9, you will please call your friends and families and make sure that everybody goes to the polls and votes Gov. Cuomo out of office.
  • Christine Quinn. After almost 85% of Democratic Party primary voters voted former Speaker Quinn out of office last September, Ms. Quinn has been desperate to worm her way back into the business of politics. Baring an indictment by federal prosecutors or a negotiated plea deal calling for Gov. Cuomo to resign, Ms. Quinn's latest scheme is to shill for Gov. Cuomo in apparent exchange for a commissionership appointment in his next administration. As you may recall, last year Ms. Quinn exploited identity politics as an election year gimmick. Now, Ms. Quinn is using women's issues against another female candidate, Zephyr Teachout, to benefit a man, Gov. Cuomo, who sided with Republicans to jam the state legislature, one consequence of which was the stalled Women's Equality Act. This is a classic example of Ms. Quinn's corrupt approach to government : putting the most politically-expedient, self-serving politics ahead of long-over due reforms. It's no wonder that Ms. Teachout called out Ms. Quinn. "Christine Quinn is the one who stood in the way of paid sick days for New York City women," Ms. Teachout said, adding, "There are several ways Christine Quinn has stood in the way of core Democratic values. She was Mayor Bloomberg’s staunchest ally. She represents the corporate wing of the Democratic Party." Some political bloggers are privately worried that if the electorate is not careful, Ms. Quinn will attempt a political comeback similar to that of Richard Nixon after he lost the presidency in 1960 and the California governorship in 1962.
  • GMHC. Many LGBTQ and AIDS activists have scored a major victory by pressuring Gay Men's Health Crisis to get rid of an entire slate of bad management. After an activist-driven campaign to force GMHC to reform itself, CEO Marjorie Hill, Chairman of the Board Mickey Rolfe, Director Manny Rivera, and former communications director Dirk McCall have separated from GMHC. Some activists have reservations about a new director, Roberta Kaplan, and the agency's new CEO, Kelsey Louie. However, if GMHC is to ever renew itself, then it certainly has a better chance now, under new leadership, than before. Time, and your continued oversight, will tell.
  • LGBT Sell-Outs. Keep checking the LGBT Sell-Outs blog, as an updated poster will be revealed soon.

RELATED


Married to a sleazy political consultant, Errol Louis uses NY1 to protect all political consultants (NYC : News & Analysis)

Pledge 2 Protect latest advocacy organization to hire The Advance Group, masking donors behind a law firm (NYC : News & Analysis)

Tone deaf to calls for NYPD reform, de Blasio stands by Bratton and Broken Windows policing (NYC : News & Analysis)

USAO mum on new revelation about Cuomo's e-mail deleting policy (NYC : News & Analysis)

  • NYPD. Following the homicide of Eric Garner in Staten Island from an illegal choke hold by police, activists organised a rally outside City Hall calling for Commissioner Bratton's resignation, an end to the discriminatory Broken Windows approach to policing, and for a federal investigation into corruption at NYPD. Partly as a result of political cover provided by "veal pen" groups like VOCAL-New York and the Communities United for Police Reform umbrella group, the mayor has turned a deaf ear to grassroots activists calling for a complete overhaul of the NYPD. As with many political, social, and legal issues facing society, all one has to do is follow the money to identify what is blocking reforms. When one pulls back the curtain on the flow of money to some of the "veal pen" groups, one will see how in this year's city budget, over $7 million was allocated to some police reform groups, money which the de Blasio administration essentially used to strong-arm community groups to down-play police reform. This, and George Soros' financial connections to each of Communities United for Police Reform and to Mayor de Blasio, help to explain why a 1% policing policy, like Broken Windows, could be so vehemently defended by Mayor de Blasio, a blatant contradiction to the lip service he likes to give to his self-anointed progressive sensibilities. Again, reforms will only come about when the citizenry stays engaged, regardless of the empty rhetoric from politicians. Talk is not reform ; rather, reform can only take the shape of tangible changes that put an end to the status quo, in this case, of relentless incidence of police killings, police brutality, police discrimination against citizens -- all with no police accountability.
  • Follow the money. The corrupt roles of big money donations and lobbyists continue to undermine elections in New York. In the 2009 municipal election cycle, the Working Families Party used an affiliate, Data and Field Services, Inc., to allegedly game the city's campaign finance laws. Those activities are now the subject of an investigation by an independent prosecutor. In the 2013 municipal election cycle, we saw how Working Families supporter The Advance Group and possibly other lobbyists coordinated their management of official campaigns with the activities of Super PAC's, a violation of the city's campaign finance regulations. And in this year's state election cycle, the Working Families Party is at it again : political operatives with connections to the Working Families Party were behind the use of Mayor de Blasio's 501(c)(4) nonprofit political arm, the Campaign for One New York, to send campaign-like literature spinning positives about the closure of Long Island College Hospital in the 52nd Assembly District in Brooklyn. That dark-money LICH mailer has propped up WFP-endorsed candidate Peter Sikora, because it takes some of the heat off the hospital closing. The value of that mailer, if indeed partly coordinated to benefit Mr. Sikora, may violate campaign finance regulations if not properly declared. Given the subversive activities of the Working Families Party during each of these election cycles, it is clear that their intention is to win political elections, not to save hospitals from closing. As if we all need to remember, 13 full-service New York City hospitals have closed or downsized since 2006. The true test of reform would have been the saving of LICH under Mayor de Blasio's watch. He failed ; LICH is closed. Now, voters in Brooklyn must decide for whom to vote in the Sept. 9 Democratic Primary in the 52nd Assembly District : Jo Anne Simon, who endorsed the disgraced Charles Hynes for Brooklyn District Attorney in last year's election, or Doug Biviano, who is the anti-lobbyist candidate calling for reforms to government. Whilst the de Blasio administration relies more and more on the same lobbyists behind the dark-money LICH mailer, such as BerlinRosen, government reform activists wonder if the media's initial reporting about the mayor's nonprofit political arm will go the same way of reporting about the Moreland Commission : by becoming history. Under conditions where those in elected office lack media scrutiny, it becomes essential that voters turn to bloggers and alternative news Web sites for information in order to cast informed ballots.
  • Department of Justice. Besides voting, how else can average citizens participate in efforts to bring about unfinished reforms ? The first step is to test the system to determine how broken it is. This is what I have done with the U.S. Department of Justice. Under President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder, the Department of Justice has been politicised to enable and extend the Bush era's use of warrentless wiretapping, to crackdown on whistleblowers and activists, and to harass enterprising reporters in an effort to abridge freedoms of speech and of the press. Against this backdrop, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain records from the Department of Justice pertaining to the government's vindictive prosecution of Lt. Daniel Choi, who led the heroic effort to end the military's discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The Department of Justice has promised to answer an appeal of its initial constructive denial of the FOIA request. The second step to reform is to see what happens when the system realises that it being tested. Juxtaposed with how the DOJ answers the FOIA request, I await how the U.S. Attorney's Office will act upon an updated statement I filed to support the complaint against the corrupt lobbying firm, The Advance Group. Either the DOJ makes good on each of the FOIA request and on investigating how politicians and lobbyists have made swiss cheese of campaign finance laws, the DOJ makes good on one but not on the other, or the DOJ makes good on neither. Either way, we will soon find out how much integrity the DOJ has when it comes to upholding the government's own principles of justice. Also outstanding are the U.S. Attorney's Office's own investigation into the unfinished work and the possible obstruction of the now-defunct Moreland Commission. Political bloggers speculate whether federal prosecutor Preet Bharara will hand down indictments in his Moreland investigation before this year's general election. On a larger scale, some activists believe that Attorney General Holder is expected to step down from his post. We will find out shortly in what shape he leaves the DOJ.
  • NYC IBS Support. A new support and advocacy group for people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome is forming in New York City. The group is searching for a doctor to be a medical information sponsor for the group. If you are a gastroenterologist and are interested in being the group's information sponsor, or if you live with IBS and would like to join, please send an e-mail to : newyorkcityibs (at) gmail (dot) com.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Brattons continue to make controversial, out-of-town trips

PUBLISHED : SUN, 24 AUG 2014, 02:10 PM
UPDATED : SUN, 24 AUG 2014, 08:04 PM

The first time Commissioner Bratton resigned from NYPD, it was to stem an investigation into over 20 out-of-town trips during his first tenure

Bill Bratton - Week-end Out-Of-Town Trips - Party Animal photo Bill-Bratton-with-Martini-Glass-Drink_zpsd295c399.jpg

The Brattons were recently at the swanky Willowbend Country Club on the Cape. Who's paying this time ?

In a gossip item published on The Boston Herald's Web site, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton was placed in the posh setting of the Willowbend Country Club in Mashpee, in Massachusetts' Cape Cod. Commissioner Bratton was said to have gathered with other law enforcement officials, including a local Cape district attorney, Michael O’Keefe.

It's unknown if this was the same event that The New York Post reported that Commissioner Bratton reportedly skipped or if this was a separate event from that one.

Either way, Commissioner Bratton's wife, Rikki Klieman, attended a function at the swanky country club for a July 18 cocktail party held in honor of the married couple. It's unknown how Mr. Bratton and Ms. Kleiman's arrangements were paid for that week-end jaunt.

The Brattons are known for being intensely social. During his first term heading NYPD, Commissioner Bratton was often seen ending many late nights at Elaine's, the famous restaurant and bar in the Upper East Side, where Commissioner Bratton could rub elbows with the likes of Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, and other bold face names.

In 1996, Bratton chose to resign the NYPD's commissionership to forego a formal investigation for having accepted multiple unauthorized trips paid for by corporations and individuals. While there were no allegations that Commissioner Bratton broke the law for having taken those trips during his first tenure, his resignation was the only way to do damage control by preventing the negative impression of accepting paid trips from getting worse.

If Commissioner Bratton made a trip to the Willowbend Country Club subsequent to the July 18 honorary cocktail party, that would make at least two trips that the Brattons had arranged to make to the Cape.

Last May, Commissioner Bratton made a trip to Israel, which he was careful to point out was "largely not personal." Before he was reappointed as NYPD commissioner by Mayor Bill de Blasio, Commissioner Bratton served as a policing and security consultant.

In 2008, The Los Angeles Daily News published a report that as of November of that year, Commissioner Bratton had travelled for 71 days for that year during his term of his commissionership of the LAPD. According to the report, it was rumoured that Commissioner Bratton was networking amongst policing and security insiders in a lobbying campaign to head Scotland Yard in the U.K. or Homeland Security in America. Critics complained that Commissioner Bratton's travels made him absent during major crises in Los Angeles, and that he was more focused on politicking for his next gig.

Building up new contacts with government officials in the security industry will prove valuable to Commissioner Bratton once he resigns from the NYPD and returns to consulting, as some New York police reform advocates now predict. How are the Brattons financing all of their trips during Commissioner Bratton's second term ? Have the Brattons returned to their habit of accepting trips paid for by corporations and wealthy individuals ?

Conflict of interest rules prevent public servants from receiving valuable gifts when public servants are basically exploiting their office for private gain.

RELATED


Commissioner Bratton parties at swanky Willowbend Country Club on the Cape (The Boston Herald)

Bratton skips party to deal with chokehold death tragedy (The New York Post)

L.A. Police Chief William Bratton's travels irk home crowd (The Los Angeles Daily News)

Commissioner Bratton is out amid probe ; feared inquiry would taint him (The New York Daily News)

NYPD Commissioner Bratton is bitten by travel bug (The New York Daily News)

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Activists calling for complete overhaul of NYPD face dreadful reality : Is de Blasio blocking reforms ?

PUBLISHED : SUN, 17 AUG 2014, 04:30 PM
UPDATED : MON, 18 AUG 2014, 11:57 AM

In an Orwellian twist of tongue, de Blasio said last week that New York City has a long history of "peaceful protests."

Although Mayor de Blasio has promised to confront the NYPD's illegal use of chokeholds, he's remained quiet about his OEM head, the former NYPD Chief Joseph Esposito, who has been documented to have used chockeholds against Occupy activists

In 2012, former New York Police Department Chief of Department Joseph Esposito placed a petite blonde Occupy activist in an illegal chokehold. Chief Esposito approached the young lady from behind, squeezing the backside of her body up against his front side. Despite this obviously illegal use of brute force against an otherwise innocent citizen activist, Chief Esposito was appointed to be the head of the Office of Emergency Management by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Not even the political, social, and legal fallout from the NYPD's use of a chokehold, which caused the death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner, has caused the mayor to comment on Chief Esposito's violent use of chokeholds.

Furthermore, when the mayor said last week that, "For decades and decades we have had the tradition in this city of respecting and properly managing peaceful protests, and the right of people to express themselves," he was blatantly lying, because the NYPD have a notorious history of engaging in violent attacks against peaceful protesters. Has the mayor aged so much in office that his brain has deteriorated to the point that he cannot recall how NYPD responded to each of the 1988 Tompkins Square Park riot, the 1998 Matthew Shepard memorial march down Fifth Avenue, the 2002 World Economic Forum protests at the Waldorf-Astoria, the 2003 antiwar protests against the invasion of Iraq, the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden, and the recent Occupy Wall Street movement ?

RELATED


Former NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito locks Occupy activist in chokehold (The New York Daily News)

Why Broken Windows Policing Is So Broken (Gawker)

NYPD Chief Anthony Bologna - OWS Chokehold photo anthony-bologna-nypd-chokehold_zps71d3d05e.jpg

Not only did NYPD Deputy Inspector Bologna lock a young Occupy activist into an illegal chokehold, but he also pepper sprayed a group of innocent young ladies, who were participating at an Occupy demonstration, as well.

Is this what Mayor de Blasio meant when he said that the NYPD has a history of "properly managing peaceful protests" ?

After Dep. Insp. Anthony Bologna was publicly excoriated for having pepper sprayed the young ladies on video, the corrupt Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, decided not to prosecute Dep. Insp. Bologna. What kind of miscarriage of justice does this foreshadow for other New Yorkers, who have been assaulted and battered at the hands of officers, who have used brute force against civilians in police custody ?

RELATED


OWS Pepper-Spray Cop Anthony Bologna Will Not Be Prosecuted (DNAinfo)

NYPD Eric Garner Chokehold photo eric-garner-chokehold-ground_zps8a6b99e0.jpg

Mayor de Blasio defends his administration's approach to policing, even as its discriminatory impact on minority communities is being blamed for police harassment that led to Eric Garner's death.

In a report report last week, The New York Daily News reported the NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and the mayor's "approach to policing have been under scrutiny since the death of Staten Island man Eric Garner."

The de Blasio's approach to fighting crime, known as the Broken Windows theory of policing, targets very minor infractions and low-level crimes on the premise that more severe crimes can be prevented if people get locked up early. This approach has resulted in the "mass criminalization of the poor," wrote Alex Vitale in The Gotham Gazette, noting that, "Hundreds of thousands of mostly young black and Latino men are put into the criminal justice system for mouthing off in class, taking up two seats on the subway, and possessing marijuana."

In communities of color and in low-income sections of the city, residents have come to view the de Blasio administration's treatment of minorities in a discriminatory manner, a violation of the mayor's central campaign promise to end police discrimination and police brutality.

RELATED


Mayor de Blasio: 'Idiotic' and 'ludicrous' to think I'd dump Bill Bratton (The New York Daily News)

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio walks thin blue line in Eric Garner's chokehold aftermath (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Neoconservative Roots of the Broken Windows Theory (The Gotham Gazette)

NYPD Rosan Miller Chokehold photo rosan-miller-in-chokehold-pregnant-woman_zps153f8e29.png

Even a woman, in her seventh month of pregnancy, has been placed in an illegal chokehold by NYPD. And the mayor still does nothing about the illegal and brute use of force by police.

NYPD officers are apparently free to assault and batter innocent New Yorkers while they are being placed in police custody.

Last month, Rosan Miller, 27, drew the brutal ire of police for grilling food on a sidewalk. The de Blasio administration's Broken Windows approach to policing is out of control if Ms. Miller can be arrested for preparing her meal outdoors during the summer.

What made Ms. Miller's arrest all the more shocking was that she was in the late term of pregnancy. In spite of being seven months pregnant, that didn't stop police from placing her in an illegal chokehold, a move that could have denied the precious flow of oxygen not only to Ms. Miller, but to her unborn fetus.

RELATED


Pregnant woman apparently put in chokehold by NYPD cop during dispute over illegal grilling (The New York Daily News)

How Dare Mayor de Blasio Tell New Yorkers To Submit to the NYPD (Vice)

Video of NYPD cops arresting man in Bronx goes viral photo VideoofNYPDcopsarrestingmaninBronxgoesviral_zpsb22a5cc2.png

Mayor demands that New Yorkers submit to arrests, even though police knowingly use brute force and make false arrests all the time, even when people are only seeking public accommodations on mass transit, a blatant violation of the Civil Rights Act.

In February, a man was violently arrested after he deboarded a Bronx bus, after police accused the young man of failing to have paid his fare. Police made the arrest in compliance with Commissioner Bratton's Broken Windows policy of aggressive policing.

To add insult to injury, Mayor de Blasio scolded New Yorkers last week, saying, "When a police officer comes to the decision that it’s time to arrest someone, that individual is obligated to submit to arrest,” adding, “They will then have every opportunity for due process in our court system.”

As Mayor de Blasio becomes more and more tone deaf to the cries for a complete overhaul of the corrupt NYPD, he is going to keep sticking his foot in his mouth, proving the predictions of some political bloggers, who have said that the mayor risks losing support amongst minority voters, and eventually ending up, due to mounting discontent over other issues, as a one-term mayor.

How soon will it be, before voters realise that the mayor's support of Broken Windows policing can be traced back to a backdoor non-agreession pact he made with large real estate donors, as evidenced by the mayor's obsession with checking in with lobbyists and political insiders -- as opposed to the voters, themselves ?

RELATED


Disturbing Facebook video raises question: Police brutality or resisting arrest? (PIX 11)

The NYPD Keeps Coming Up With Ways to Arrest Poor People (Gawker)

Friday, August 15, 2014

Longtime brutal foe of OWS, NYPD Dep Insp Ed Winski back to old tricks again

Deputy Inspector Ed Winksi, known to aggressively arrest activists for exercising Freedoms of Assembly and Speech, was present for questionable arrests during #NMOS14 NYC

Promoted up the NYPD ranks from Captain to Deputy Inspector in reward for his tactics and methods to suppress activists, Winski has earned the ire of advocates for free speech

New York Police Department Deputy Inspector Ed Winski was present for at least one false arrest of activists taking part in the Manhattan event in coordination with last night's National Moment of Silence in remembrance of the victims of police brutality. The #NMOS14, as the national events were tagged on Twitter, inspired similar demonstrations across the United States after police in Ferguson, Missouri, shot an unarmed Black teenager, Michael Brown, on Aug. 9. Mr. Brown's murder by police was preceded by the murder of another Black man, Eric Garner, this time by NYPD, on July 17. Both cases have stirred passions for an overhaul of discriminatory and militarized policing tactics.

Dep. Insp. Winski can be seen in the above Vine video as the "white shirt" police officer, who is standing behind another white shirt officer on the left. Ironically, Dep. Insp. Winski oversaw what activists are now calling a false arrest during the #NMOS14 NYC demonstration that was meant to draw attention to racially-motivated policing tactics.

Dep. Insp. Winksi was first identified in a blog post by the political blogger Suzannah B. Troy in the above viral video originally uploaded to the Vine account of ReQ Cartier.

Deputy Inspector Winksi is the subject of a Change.org petition started 2 years ago, calling for the mayor of New York City to fire the out-of-control police officer.

Many police reform activists have decried the fact that the city's new mayor, Bill de Blasio, has kept Dep. Insp. Winksi amongst the NYPD's top ranks. Mayor de Blasio campaigned last year on a promise to overhaul the NYPD, but since his election last November, the then-mayor-elect made the regressive appointment of William Bratton as police commissioner. The mayor further raised raising questions about his commitment to overhauling the NYPD when he defended Commissioner Bratton's use of a disputed theory of policing known as Broken Windows, which targets people of color and low-income communities for over-policing. Many police reform activists view Commissioner Bratton's use of Broken Windows as a replacement for the discredited NYPD tactic of stop-and-frisk, which was recently ruled to be unconstitutional. Commissioner Bratton's controversial appointment flew in the face of Mayor de Blasio's promise to end racially-motivated policing tactics that target people of color and low-income communities.

That Dep. Insp. Winski is back to his old tricks only adds to the impression being made by police reform activists that Mayor de Blasio basically exploited his bi-racial family, most prominently his son, Dante, in a focus-group tested campaign commercial just to win last year's mayoral election, and that Mayor de Blasio never had any serious intention to overhaul the NYPD, much less to either end the pattern of false arrests of activists, to end the over-policing of people of color and low-income communities, or to establish a commission to investigate corruption by the NYPD including its Internal Affairs Bureau.

RELATED


Petitioning Bill de Blasio : Fire Deputy Inspector Ed Winski and Call For an Independent Investigation of NYPD (Change.org)


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