After breaking the news of the video showing NYPD officers beating Ehud Halevi, the New York Daily News picked up another story published by CrownHeights.info of police arresting Moshe Sani minutes before Rosh Hashana, and spending the first night in prison. The Daily News story sheds light on the already strained relationship between the Jewish community and the police.
Daily News Spotlights Another CHI Story of NYPD Aggression
After breaking the news of the video showing NYPD officers beating Ehud Halevi, the New York Daily News picked up another story published by CrownHeights.info of police arresting Moshe Sani minutes before Rosh Hashana, and spending the first night in prison. The Daily News story sheds light on the already strained relationship between the Jewish community and the police.
The following is the story which appeared in today’s paper on a full page in the Brooklyn section:
A video showing cops in Crown Heights beating an unarmed Jewish man is prompting more bad blood between Hasidim and neighborhood police, adding to tensions that are said to have been simmering for more than a year.
Residents say their relationship with the 71st Precinct and Brooklyn’s top brass was already contentious before footage of officers pummeling Ehud Halevy, 21, in an E. New York Ave. youth center went viral Sunday night.
The video adds to the anger precipitated by a previous recording, captured in September 2011, that showed cops arresting Moshe Sani, a graying Hasidic man who had fallen into a set of bushes on Albany Ave., as he begged the officers to let him go free because Rosh Hashana was about to begin.
“They just pick on people,” Sani, 40, told the Daily News. “They did it again.”
Like Halevy, video of Sani’s collar first appeared on CrownHeights.Info, a news site for the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic community.
Conflicts between cops and Orthodox Jews are becoming more common, local leaders said.
“Blacks and Latinos are the ones usually complaining,” said state Sen. Eric Adams (D-Crown Heights). “The problem is impacting all communities.
“It’s gone beyond the Brownsvilles of the city,” he added. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not immediately respond to a request by The News seeking comment.
Sani said he was cuffed after he asked officers to stop interrogating a Hasidic driver who just been pulled over in a traffic stop, because Rosh Hashana was beginning.
“I said, ‘Bring your supervisor,’ ” Sani recalled in an interview with The News on Wednesday. “That made them crazy. (The officer) said, ‘Come over here. Why are you resisting arrest?’
“So I tried to walk away. He tried to run toward me. I put my hands on his chest to say, ‘Relax, I am leaving.’ Then I am in the bushes.”
Sani spent a night in police custody during the holiday that marks the Jewish new year, inciting anger among Crown Heights Jews.
Court records detailing the run-in were sealed, said a spokesman for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, but Sani said he was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer and received six months’ probation.
“I just wanted it to go away,” Sani said.
The Jewish Leadership Council provided The News with other cases it has noted since the Sani arrest, incidents in which Jewish crime victims have alleged that investigators were either too aggressive or non-responsive to their complaints.
“We have allegations against police all the time,” said Barry Sugar, who runs the Kingston Ave.-based organization.
Sugar’s most recent example highlights another Rosh Hashana drama. Last month, Shmuel Hahn, a 51-year-old father of 12, was jumped by four men, who beat him and broke his jaw.
Detectives have met with Hahn only once since the alleged Sept. 18 beatdown, prompting Sugar to write police brass demanding an explanation.
Halevy, 21, was accused of assaulting cops and hit with felony charges despite a videotape of the incident that showed him on the receiving end of a brutal police beating.
Elected officials and Jewish leaders have called for the firing of the two cops involved, and the incident is being investigated by the Brooklyn district attorney.
Halevy’s lawyer, Normal Siegel, said, “the goal is to eliminate biases within the NYPD.
“You can’t dismiss the possibility of anti-Semitism,” Siegel added. “There are racial, ethnic, class problems with the NYPD. It is an issue that the police commissioner and the mayor can’t ignore.”
It is important to note that this incident occurred when Deputy Inspector Peter Simonetti was acting as the Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct. During his command here in Crown Heights Simonetti had created an ‘us vs them’ attitude between the police and the community, leading to heightened tensions and volatility in the neighborhood.
Simonetti was removed the 71st Precinct back in April of 2012 and was replaced by Captain John Lewis.
Original CrownHeights.info story: http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=38036
tickets tickets tickets
all the cops do is give tickets tickets tickets!!
they do more bad then good to this community!
The real Question Is
What did Sugar, Sperlin, Hikind do in this case, and in the other cases during the Simoneti times???????
AND WHY?
What is it that Simoneti had with these 3 individuals that kept them completely out of the picture and super quite when there was any problems…
How odd is it that Sugar and others are using this case of ahud helevi to make noise about bios in the NYPD when in fact they are ALL VERY BIOS amongest there fellow jews… when it is convenient with them, and more importantly when it comes to there own political agenda.
770
AGAIN AN OTHER ARREST!! TERRIBLE WHY NOBODY IS SPEAKING, WHERE ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE VAAD, CCHJ AND ROBBONIM BUSY TO MAKE FIGHTS AND MONEY ON THEIR HASHGACHA!! VERY SCARY TO LIVE IN CH. ARE WE BACK AT THE TIME OF THE RIOTS 1991 MAY BE?
We need Guliani!
we need Guliani back in office.
he got rid of real crime in nyc.
how many crimes go unreported?????
to # 2
No, the real question is: What did YOU do? it’s not enough that you sit on your tush and do nothing! but you have to bad mouth people like Sugar who takes time from his work and has put a lot of energy into making CH safer!! SHAME ON YOU!
Police collaborate w/ anti Jewish blacks
Another related issue which must be presented publically is the fact that many times when the anti Jewish (or anti good citizen) faction of the black residents of Crown Heights commit assaults or crimes against Jews- men , women or children- the police have taken the sides of the perpetrators and behaved aggresssively to the victim, while hiding the story and threatening the victim not to publicize it. The police have somehow continued to do this over the years with no fear of consequences. What has happenend here is a DIRECT RESULT of the above.
shlomo as always with bad English
one more example to stupid israely! don’t ever resist to cop in nyc. why russian don;t do this
p.s. it very lo tzanua picture of woman officer. it not for religious site, so big***
AYL
i remember what happend to moshe sani on his way to bais levi yitzchok erev rosh hashana. was really wrong what police did . he is such a nice guy and baal tzedaka. i hope he finds his bashert very soon.
Anon
Got a big probelm in CH with precinct 71. Attend the rally
CHLEAKS.COM
Comment #2 Wrote:
“Sugar who takes time from his work and has put a lot of energy into making CH safer!!”
How so? Give one example of something that he accomplished?
THE FACTS!
Turns out the supposed 911 caller was not a security guard & that the room was in-fact the designated sleeping-quarters for residents who need a shelter, & that Mr Halevy was authorized & had been residing there for 30+ days confirmed by (video footage) & by the center’s personnel
cop’s failure to even attempt to contact the one in-charge after Halevi’s told the cops “that this 911caller is not in-charge here nor security,
Halevy even offered them how to reach the boss to verify & that there are available youth upstairs who can verify the facts of who is in-charge & that the center has never had a security guard nor does the caller have any authority in this center,
instead the cop’s SADISTIC-URGE to beat someone to a pulp ASAP caused him to ignore all (training &) protocol, of avoiding antagonizing the accused or escalating before figuring out or consulting a seargesnt
a few seconds ago · Like
why ?
why can’t we tell off directly to the police in their faces ?? because if we do we will get arrested ?? does that make any sense ??
why # 2 ?
we should all tell the police off in their faces and not be scared of them !!!
to number #5
I am author of #2
You ask what did I do?
Haha!!!
Ask Sugar what I have done…
Sugar can give the impression he does, but what is it that he actually does…
Now having said that, I still appreciate how sugar does stand up and make noise…
How ever I have a problem with him when he picks and chooses of when he will make noise, and how interesting is he only makes noise when it works for him… and or his politically hacked friends not for the common victim “Jew” or etc.
Look at the above story for one sample of this.
So my question to you!!!
What did you do?
One thing I know is you have never even questioned why? sugar does what he does, you have obviously NOT done any research, and for this I will help you.
Here is a task list for to better understand how corrupt and careless the sugar and his team are.
1. Ask Sugar himself if you should do as he does and make noise!!! if all he does is make noise then why would he care if you made noise… see if he agrees.
if he does more then make noise, I ask what is it that he does?
2. What is it that sugar did to help keep this jew in the above article out of jail on Erev Rosh Hashana (Mind you: he got arrested for…. making noise and sticking up for another jew)
Yosef
That was Erev Rosh Hashana going in2 the year Eyin Bais, not Eyin gimmel correct that plz it was 13 months ago not 30 days ago.
listen up!
Police are NOT afraid to show their power over the Jewish residents because they know Jews mostly DON’T CARRY GUNS OR KNIVES AND THAT THEY WILL NOT BE SHOT AND THAT THEY WILL BE GOING HOME TO THEIR FAMILIES THEY ABUSE THE JEWISH VICTIM! !!! it is a no brainer!
huh?
what id this guy do that he was arrested?
How sad!
The police can charge anyone with resisting arrest even if it is not so. Notice that even as Mr Sani was in the bushes the cop said to him “Are you resisting arrest?” That gets them off every time. They need no proof. Even if he did resist arrest later in the video, they were already ready to charge him then bc that is the only proof they need when they want to harrass someone by arresting them.
Hope he brings a civil suite
I hope this guy looks up a civil rights lawyer and sues the city in Federl court.
So sad
Looks like they just needed to fill another arrest since they get paid nicley for over time.
Yosef
I would like to point out that the officer arresting him is Officer CAstio who was mean to these bochurim as well, http://www.crownheights.inf…
and I have seen him being anti semitic and over aggressive to others in Crown Heights
Maskil
This video is a couple of years old!Btw,in this case one has to admit the man was treated fairly and only the minimum amount of force was used.No beating whatsoever.
Hello
Yimach shmom
Pinchas
Don’t expect help from this Jewish Mayor. This enlightened Jew is promoting Obama. Nothing else about his Jewishness can be expected to be normal.