Police Commissioner Ray Kelly blasted community leaders for what he believes was a lack of response to the recent spate of gun violence that left 77 injured or killed in the city last week, according to the New York Daily News.
“Many of them will speak out about stop-and-frisk” but are “shockingly silent when it comes to the level of violence right in their own communities,” Kelly said at an event in Harlem on Tuesday, according to the paper.
Kelly argued that there has been no demonstration about and shot in the leg at Bed-Stuy's Roosevelt Houses playground over the weekend.
“I'd like to see some political outcry,” Kelly said, according to the Daily News. “I want them to be outraged that a three-year-old child is shot on the streets.”
Elected officials were outraged at Kelly’s comments, with City Councilman Jumaane Williams, D-Brooklyn, calling his words “presumptuous and patently false,” as well as an “insult” to communities like his, according to the article.
“Maybe he'd like to come with me when I go to the families of the victims just hours after they’ve lost a son and see just how silent I am,” Williams said.
In an email statement, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (57th A.D.) called the increased violence "deeply troubling," and attributed it to the fact that there are too many guns and too few jobs: "It is unnecessarily divisive for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to cast blame on others who do not have direct responsibility for the safety of our city."
Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Prospect Heights, agreed, writing via e-mail that "[b]laming elected and community leaders will not bring back the lives of those who died from senseless violence over the last few days."
"The NYPD needs to increase and re-distribute resources through hiring more police, developing new community policing strategies, supporting preventive organizations that interrupt and stop violence, and engaging the community in a real dialog geared towards ending violence. The police commissioner's comments are a distraction from the fact that stop-and-frisk is a failed policy," she added.
Jeffries suggested city and civic leaders put their heads together to find solutions to violence, rather than letting it divide the city.
"Moving forward, it is my hope that Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his administration will work closely with civic leaders to address the violence problem and improve the relationship between the police and the community," he said.
Second, its time to confront the banks that take our collective desposits and make business loans to these gun companies who in turn make far more firearms than the legitimate market needs. The bankers financing the gun lobby are Mayor Bloomberg's friends & his past and current business partners. It's time to connect the dots.
Fourth, I propose that some of the excess US Military troops currently protecting these foreign countries also be assigned to select areas in NYC to assist NYPD patrolling our streets. Any takers?
Kelly is right and it's about time the Commisinor spoke up. Since most crime is commited by minorities and most jails are full of them. I HOPE AND PRAY THAT KELLY RUNS FOR MAYOR,
But I just needed to correct you on your statement in regards to 75,000 US Marines protecting the Japanese borders. There is no way that the US goverment would place more the 1/3 of the Marines in Japan. In total the Marines are a small outfit a little over 203,000 strong. The purpose of the treaty was two fold to keep an eye on the Russians during the cold world and to prevent the Japans from going back to Imperial ways. In actually the number of throops stationed in Japan at any given time is in the range of 7,500 to 10,000. This throops are there as a preventive measure against Korea, China and any other unfriendly countries in the region. It seems that you mean well by wanting to bring throops to help fight probelms within our borders but unfortunately we need to keep an eye else where too.
Pat, what have you done to help with the problem; since I assume you are part of the community? Perhaps you can educate us in what we are doing wrong. I am of the persuasion that “leading by example” is one way of helping the community. So Lead, bad mouthing and not doing anything is worst then doing nothing at all. It seems you are great at doing a lot of finger pointing and saying that we should be doing something. Well be positive and lead the way what should we be doing?
All kidding aside I am not opposed to the stop and frisk policy, it has done some tremendously good things mainly taking guns out of the community. However, I am strongly opposed to the application of it by the police officers who apply it. These officers bring their stupidity, ignorance, and disrespect of a person solely based on their looks, and ethnicity. As a male Latino making over 6 figures a year, a homeowner, part-owner of a small business, in my early 50’s I must look menacing since I was have been stopped and frisk for no apparent reason. I was harassed by the police at the Bedford Ave train station; their reason was that there is a high rate of criminal activities taking place on the G line @ the Bedford Ave train station. I always walk my fiancé to and from the train station every day. At night I will meet her @ 7 to walk her back home. On an extremely cold winter evening 3-4 months ago, I was standing inside the train station on Bedford and Lafayette Ave waiting on her. There was another gentleman waiting on his better half there too..
St.John's Washington is a Stage aka the "Strip" for hustlers since the late 80's. That whole strip should be under federal watch. IRS, FBI ATF DEA. any where that you have low rental property next to 24hr bodegas and drugs yo u gonna have the formentioned problem. Why vent and complain on a blog. when u can go complain to the cops. Neighborhood gotta step up. with violent crime. "Snitching was only denounced with in the criminal element. Seeing something and not saying something with your name attached means your accepting the demise of the neighborhood your work hard for.