Lots of controversy already over New York City Mayor Elect Bill de Blasio's choice of Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton. He is the originator of the stop and frisk policy which decBlasio denounced in his campaign (even though he was for it and chummy with Ray Kelly before it became politically unpopular).
For those claiming that De Blasio never promised to stop end and frisk, let's recall the famous commercial starring Dante de Blasio, Bill's big-haired son, which essentially propelled him to Gracie Mansion: "He's the only one who ended the stop and frisk era". Yes, he said that, even though it made no sense. The commercial you can find on YouTube now says "the only one who will end the stop and frisk era". At any rate, that sounds to me like he's saying he'll 'end' it, not modify it.
Now we find out his ideas on Occupy Wall Street:
Michael Bloomberg's police commissioner, Ray Kelly, waited 63 days before sending police officers in riot gear to clear Occupy Wall Street protesters from Zuccotti Park back in 2011.
Bill Bratton, according to a former New York City official who talked to him afterward, said that if he were commissioner he would have "cleared them out right away."
(A spokesperson for Bill de Blasio, who yesterday announced that Bratton would be the new commissioner, did not confirm or deny the quote.)
Of course de Blasio won't say anything, that would require taking a stand that might be unpopular.
The looming threat of terrorism is forcing the NYPD to make difficult decisions about how to keep New Yorkers safe, Bratton said in his speech.
"What's the appropriate balance to ensure safety and at the same time ensure the liberty we so cherish isn't infringed upon?" he said. "We live in a democracy. Democracy is about transparency."
At least, "We are having discussions and debates about the issue rather than throwing hand grenades at each other," Bratton added.
Bratton said he is no fan of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which brought back the tent cities he had worked so hard to eradicate from New York and Los Angeles.
"Many cities made the mistake of embracing them with open arms," he said. "They [created] major problems for themselves…You can't allow people to occupy public space."
Keeping New Yorkers safe? How about the cops try not
shooting at them?
And as to the claim that Bratton is wildly popular with minorities in Los Angeles, Muslims might disagree with that.
And Muslim Advocates, a group that joined a lawsuit challenging the NYPD's allegedly unconstitutional surveillance of Muslims, is "seriously concerned" about de Blasio's choice, issuing a statement yesterday saying Bratton "has a troubling record of supporting the types of practices that have caused so much concern among New Yorkers, and mayor-elect de Blasio has made a campaign promise to reform the NYPD because of these very issues."
The group added that Bratton promoted "a widespread data gathering and mapping project targeting innocent American muslims in Los Angeles which was defeated only after public outcry and the intervention of then-Mayor Villaraigosa." On the plus side, at least he loves literature?
Muslims were also extremely upset with the surveillance they were subjected to by the NYPD and FBI, yet Ray Kelly was wildly popular with other New Yorkers and considered a
leading candidate for mayor as recently as two years ago. At least 75% of New Yorkers polled had no problem with Muslim surveillance tactics, so saying he is popular with certain groups isn't necessarily an endorsement.
So by my count, that's two strikes in only two days against de Blasio's choice. Occupy got 63 days under Bloomberg/Kelly. Under de Blasio/Bratton they would have gotten zero days. That sounds like going from the frying pan into the fire. I understand the 'hope' people attached to this seemingly progressive candidate, but I think this pattern is painfully familiar.