CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Last night’s, Thursday's 71st precinct council meeting was well attended with a number of Crown Heights Jewish Residents, including a large group of Bochurim from Chovevei Torah who were there following the incident where one of their classmates was injured after being hit by a brick, and approximately 15 Shomrim members. All in attendance had one concern in mind: the recent escalation of beatings and rock throwing at Jewish children.
This concern was apparently not just that of the Jewish crowd, but was also expressed by the NYPD's top cop, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who attended the meeting, addressing the audience. Mr. Kelly said that despite the recent downturn in the economy, crime is down citywide.
Lies and Deception at the Precinct Council Meeting
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Last night’s, Thursday’s 71st precinct council meeting was well attended with a number of Crown Heights Jewish Residents, including a large group of Bochurim from Chovevei Torah who were there following the incident where one of their classmates was injured after being hit by a brick, and approximately 15 Shomrim members. All in attendance had one concern in mind: the recent escalation of beatings and rock throwing at Jewish children.
This concern was apparently not just that of the Jewish crowd, but was also expressed by the NYPD’s top cop, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who attended the meeting, addressing the audience. Mr. Kelly said that despite the recent downturn in the economy, crime is down citywide.
One resident raised the question of how many more officers will be killed before the police react more aggressively? He brought up the recent incident where a group of four Black teens threw a rock a bus loaded with Jewish girls, where after Shomrim apprehended all 4 of the group, police chose to release them. “What kind of message does this send?” he asked, referring to Yosef Abrahamson, a 16 year old boy who wrote an essay entitled “If I Were Police Commissioner For A Day,” which won him an award in the Police Athletic League essay competition. “He is now confused,” the resident said, referring to the way this incident was handled.
But it seems the police just did not take the message to heart. At the podium, Peter Simonetti, Commanding Officer of the 71st Precinct, callously dismissed the residents’ concerns of crime increase, claiming to have made arrests in every single incident, a blatant lie which shocked those in attendance.
Mr. Simonetti claimed that there were a number of arrests made in the incident with a rock being thrown at the bus after the bus driver was brought in to identify them, only the bus driver was never asked to make any identification. The bus driver was informed that since it was a group and he would not be able to point out which specific one actually threw the rock, the police would be unable to charge any of them.
This all occurred a mere few days since Mr. Simonetti, who has taken an active part and stand in Crown Heights politics, made a bias claim which was quite apparent at last night’s meeting. Mr. Simonetti perpetrated the idea that CrownHeights.info was inaccurate with its reporting of the story of the gang assault on a Jewish boy in front of a Shul on Lefferts Avenue.
Mr. Simonetti claimed that the boy and his father antagonized the attackers at the park which is what led to the assault, only the boy was never near the park, he was sitting on the Shul steps waiting for his father to finish Davening Mincha.
Following the question and answer session at the meeting, the police commissioner announced that he had to leave for another engagement and thanked everyone for sharing their concerns and attending the meeting, saying that “the Precinct meetings are a great tool for the police to interact with the community,” adding that they are vital.
Outside, a group of residents with the community’s real interests at heart, approached Mr. Kelly and expressed their dismay and lack of confidence in Mr. Simonetti’s leadership of the local precinct, the issue of the vehicle airbag thefts was brought up and the operation of the many extra officers on foot-patrol. They referred to the operation as useless since it seems that most of their crime control has involved writing tickets, not preventing airbag thefts.
The meeting left Jewish residents shaking their heads, with the summer barely starting and no solutions in sight. “Will we have to hide out in our homes like in past years?” asked one, summarizing the entire meeting.
OUtRAGED RESIDENT
plenty od talk and no action, the commissioner and inspector had absolutely no answers to the community’s questions and concerns they either outright lied or told the questioner that they will adress their questions personally after the meeting. IF THE RESIDENTS WANTED TO ASK PERSONAL QUESTIONS AND RECIEVE PERSONAL ANSWERS THEY COULD HAVE WROTE A LETTER. they came to a community meeting to get PUBLIC ANSWERS. The meeting showed the comeplete incompetence and hostility of the new xo salmonetti, he displayed anger and utter hostility to concerned residents who approached him for conversation. We need the words CPR every nyc patrol car to mean something again as confidence in our police department is at an all time low.
was there
I like how that guy who spoke about the resent attackes at the meeting conected them all who seem to have been 15 to the murderer or russel timahenko lee woods convicted also only at the age 15 of his first crime…
its intresting how the guys point of speaking at heart to top cop on how he has to be strickter with the 15 year olds was egnored and all was said they made arrests. who cares if they did or didn’t that wasn’t the point lee woods was also arrested and he killed a cop because at 15 he didn’t get tought the proper lesson.
and that was the point
hmmm
I wonder why is it that those crimes of rocking the bus and the gang assalt on young boy were not considerd bios attacks… what else are they?
the 4 that rocked the bus. they are students in a private school. they wouldn’t rock there own busses filled with black kids if they did they would get beeten with a stick. that school parents have to sign waivors allowing corprual punishment with in the school.
the parents wouldn’t let this fly at home the school would not let this fly at school… they are only
left to the mersy of jews and the letter of the law “dont get cuaght… do what u want… or better yet don’t get seen… do what you want… hmm there parents and the school did they even know they got cuaght???
so these kids are suposoed frombgood families why on earth are they rocking a bus other then that its full of jewish kids…
and the 7 teens who beat up on the young boy outside his shul…
why wasn’t this a bios crime…?
oh! and why on earth are the polotitions desiding who and what is considered bios..
shouldn’t it be left up to the cops and the atacked boy who should deside that…
and why on earth would a jewish self made polotition make sure this was not made into a bios crime.
OUTRAGED FOR THE OUTRAGED
While jews and african americans alike expressed outrage at incidences of theft, muggings, beatings, bad communication between residents and cops and cops on the beat “protecting”??? us by writing tickets on cars for things like (i personally witnessed the tickets issued) a tire on the sidewalk $115 or loose licsence plate etc. it’s mind boggling that a jewish resident gets up and loudly expresses his thanks and aprreciation to inpector salmonelli for doing a great job in crown heights SAY WHAT? I think this resident erred and wound up in the wrong pricint community meeting he must have been from different neighborhood not our neighborhood.
Shlomo
Why don’t we let Chanina Sperlin work this out with Mayor Bloomberg? Unless Bloomberg has no opponent that is credible, he will need Chanina’s support to deliver the community’s votes. The Mayor will give Chanina a storefront and do photo ops in Crown Heights. The Police will be good during this time period.
To Shlomo
Dude,
Did you fall off your rocker? If it benefits the community, Chanina won’t do it.
THE SHORT, FAT AND UGLY
what do the short, fat and ugly have in common? it wasn’t just a hello that welcomed crown heights criminal Yanky Prager, it was a salute. It didn’t come from another member of the community, it came from Peter Salmonneti. yes, the precient commander. Prager then returns a salute by getting up and praising the commissioner for bringing him here and Salmonetti for doing a great job in fighting crime. Prager himself is a career criminal. why would an inspector associate himself with one. Prager praises Salmonetti for doing a great job for allowing himself to run his criminal enterprise. wouldn’t you be happy? who is a bigger criminal? Salmonneti you gig is up. pack your bags up and move on. i think there is a position opened in Rikers Island. either as a criminal or an inspector that is were you belong together with Prager and his gang.
Ahuva
unfortunatly, the incident that took place at Chovivei Torah is not under the 71st Pct. It falls under a different one.
But I will say that I spoke to a commander at the 71st regarding our boys coming home at 8pm from Yeshivas Erev everynight and have seen more patrol cars around at that time. So thank you cops for making sure our boys are safe when walking home from Yeshivas Erev.
resident
Cops were writing tickets today on my block. I male on 1 side of the street, 3 females (2 using their cells at the same time) on the other side.
That’s what they’re doing. Not protecting us.
Here come the excuses
Why are there police cars always parked at night by the station, aren’t they supposed to be patrolling our streets?
Why is the inspector waisting his time working with a group of criminals, instead of fighting them.
You don’t fight crime with criminals, you fight crime against criminals!
The inspector was not even in Crown Heights for Three weeks and he managed to make a mess out of things, how is it that he made good people (shomrim) look bad and bad people (stern and prager) look like heroes. Shame on him!
upset
I would boycott the next meeting. Everyone should decide that we are not going to the next precint community meeting. What is the point they dont listen to us anyways.