Intercommunity Forum Addresses Racial Assaults

Several elected officials, educators, and community leaders gathered in the hall of Lubavitcher Yeshiva this morning for a breakfast and roundtable conversation about youth and race in Crown Heights, in response to several random attacks against Jewish residents that occurred over the past couple of months.

The turnout far exceeded expectations, and the seating was filled to capacity.

Among the attendees were: Outgoing Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; incoming Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer; David Lobel of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office; Fred Kreizman of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office; Assemblyman Dov Hikind; New York City Councilmembers Mathieu Eugene, Darlene Mealy, David Greenfield and Laurie Cumbo; Commanding Officer of Brooklyn South Patrol Borough Owen J. Monaghan; Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct George Fitzgibbon; Captain Mark Magrone of the Hate Crimes Task Force; David Pollack and Bob Kaplan of the Jewish Community Relations Council; John Flateau, Vice President of Medgar Evers College; Richard Green of the Crown Heights Youth Collective; several representatives of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council; Yaacov Behrman of the Jewish Future Alliance and Devorah Halberstam of the Jewish Children’s Museum.

Borough President Marty Markowitz said, “Any violence on any member of our community will not be tolerated and the message must be delivered to our youth that they must respect and celebrate the diversity that they are fortunate to be a part of in the Crown Heights community. Furthermore, any youth that are apprehended will be subject to the full extent of the law as a motivation for them to show respect.”

Eric Adams, Borough President-elect and State Senator for the 20th District that includes Crown Heights, echoed those feelings. “I am joining the call for community members of good will to come together and find solutions for the benefit of our kids.”

Charlene Gayle, a business owner and resident of the Crown Heights community, opened the conversation and stressed the importance of coming together. “The mindset of the youths involved in these violent acts must be changed. Community engagement is imperative to accomplish this,” she said.

Zaki Tamir, Chairman of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, said: “Most of the attacks have been by young people on young people. We need to find ways to get the message out to our youth that violence destroys a community, and that being involved in a bias attack can get a person in serious trouble and destroy their life.”

Yaacov Behrman of the Jewish Future Alliance told CrownHeights.info that he commends the local Jewish schools – particularly Darchei Menachem – for successfully imparting with their students not to retaliate with any acts of violence against members of the African-American community, rather to let the police determine the appropriate response to the acts of violence.

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22 Comments

  • Yossel

    I really hope this can be resolved. The Jewish community must get involved and not allow anti-Semitic attacks to destroy Crown Heights. That means voicing our concerns to elected officials and meeting with Black groups to hear our voices.

  • Citizen Berel

    This is all very good and very special and I mean it.

    Bottom line is that we don’t come from eggs and now like always we need to increase in avoidas Hashem because everything is in the hands of Hashem save for fear of Hashem.

    We have been through it all and we can endure all — but the party is over and it’s time to do Teshuva.

    Rosh Hashashana is coming — may we all increase in limud haChissidus in quality and quantity.

  • Bring the Kids

    Next time they should bring the kids along. Having to sit through boring speeches would probably be more punishment than the kids could deal with and no doubt would be enough deterrent for them not to do it again.

  • Blah Blah Blah

    I hope the breakfast tasted good and was worth the calories, because the simple answer is never going to happen. Until there is a camera posted on every corner of this jungle we call Crown Heights, the thugs will continue to get away with their garbage.

  • shomrim co.

    Why wasn’t Shomrim invited? They are the ones who actually care and do the work in this neighborhood.

  • Mother

    Why was the focus on kids safety. They made it sound like all kids are not safe. Why did not someone say,cut the c. . . It is our Jewish kids getting hurt and your black kids doing the hurting. Yes education is important but try locking up a couple of them and making this not “cool” That might help

  • What round table?

    First off, this looks like it was a square table, not a roundtable.

    Jokes aside, this looks like a huge pat-fest where all the noblemen of our time came to pat each other on the back, and show us all their contrived concern — long faces and all — in an attempt to lead us to believe such a meeting will change things.

    Pardon my skepticism, however for the most part the attendees of the meeting all have a reputation of doing exactly nothing – about anything. Instead of glamorous and luscious breakfasts, let’s see some concrete results instead of talk. Until then, count me in as not not overly optimistic.

  • This needs a law change in Albany and/or DC

    A partial solution to this is to have this crime classified as one that will have MANDATORY severe punishment.

    Just like laws classify certain assaults differently if they are against a police officer, a law needs to be passed that a random unprovoked assault be classified as one that has a MANDATORY LONG JAIL TIME and SUBSTANTIAL FINE $$$.

  • Yankel

    Children should be taught where they can go and where are the safe places on the way to and from school where they can find sanctuary in times of danger, parent must organize to establish safe havens within our community,we must start NOW1

  • SEREL CHANA MANESS

    ALL THESE LEADERS HAVE A SIMPLE SOLUITION,THE 7 LAWS OF NOACH,IT CANNOT WAIT,SO PLEASE PAST THIS ON,THIS IS AN EM

  • Daniel Botnick

    The only one who made any sense was the cop! The rest was a a rerun of what we have been hearing since 1991 and before. The guys doing this stuff are bad guys. Only a visible and vigilant NYPD will stop.

  • CHLEAKS.COM

    All this is, is a show for Chanina Sperlin and the corrupt cabal of the CHJCC.

    Sperlin and Co. Live for these things, they need these thungs to happen, they want these things to happen.

    Why?

    Because this is the only thing that makes them relevant. All the people sitting around the table are doing the same thing, using this as an opportunity to look relevant. “Never let a good crises go to waste”.

    This type of stuff keeps Crown Heights on the map, and therefore Sperlin and Co. Hope to cash in. They hope to get more government money so they can pocket it. This B.S. has nothing to do with the community. After all, it wad Sperlin that arranged this sham.

    More on this sham on CHLEAKS.COM

  • 1bigcholent

    At the 18:15 mark in video above, while Commanding officer of Patrol Borough Brooklyn Owen Monaghan speaks, the EDP Chanina Sperlin is the only one clapping for him.

    What an EDP!!!!

  • Simple to forward

    To 15:

    If you have Microsoft Word or similar, just highlight everything (including photos), then Copy, then switch to the Word docoment, and Paste. Save it, and then send the saved file as an e-mail attachment from your e-mail account.

  • Talk is Cheap.

    I’m sure the moderator of this site can drudge up how many times politicians have gathered, either at the JCM,770 or some community meeting and said “We will not tolerate this in our Crown Heights”.

    I recall a specfic conference when one of the “Spokespeople” of Crown Heights held up a Yellow star & proclaimed never again!….. guess what it happened again!

    It’s a shame these “Community Leaders” don’t all get together and actually execute a plan of action!

    After all, that’s why they are there, for the community right?

  • BLACKS/JEWS

    Jewish Community: Leaders, Rabbiem and activists allow children to be Raped, Molested and Sodomized. (While at the same time saying that they support victims) They allow rapists and molester in our shuls, schools, and Mikvahs. When a few children of our community (Not to minimize their pain/trauma) get punched in these “knockout” assaults they start screaming that we should install cameras on every corner, and that we need a stronger police presence.

    http://crownheights.info/communal-matters/411929/intercommunity-forum-addresses-racial-assaults/

    Black Community: Community asks judge to allow them to pay pedophile’s bail so they can beat him up.

    Which Community Would you rather be part of?

    http://www.yourjewishnews.com/2013/11/w8208.html

  • Jason

    Where was the great al sharpton and jesse jackson? IN HIDING until it happens to JUST ONE black kid, then all of a sudden its a game changer. The black community should realize by now that all they really want is violence to continue and to NOT ALLOW SHARPTON OR JACKSON into their community!

    We all need to work together, black, white, jew, non jew, everyone!!!!!