Boro Park’s Night Of Shame And Disgrace

I was sitting in a local hotel room in Albany, after a late New York State Assembly legislative session, when I received the first call that alerted me to a volatile scene in Boro Park. I was secure in the knowledge that the community’s relationship with the NYPD and my personal relationship with the 66th Precinct and One Police Plaza would foster a climate of understanding and conciliation.

Confident that Boro Park residents would conduct themselves in the manner of bnei Torah, of shomrei Torah u’mitzvos, I expected the next caller to tell me it was all over, that calm heads had triumphed and that people continued to go about their extensive pre-Pesach preparations. Instead, for nearly four hours lawlessness, chaos, and disorder reigned in Boro Park and cast the community in a light from which I hope we can recover untainted. But I am not sure we will.

I could not believe – I did not want to believe – that in our community, where the most perilous or controversial activity our teens engage in involves the intricacies of a page of Gemara, the same fourteen to seventeen year olds who spend 10 hours a day slumped over books of Jewish law created a chillul Hashem of unparalleled magnitude.

The images of rampaging hordes – of hundreds of teens with long payes, most too young to have even the faintest hint of facial hair – was disgraceful and heartbreaking.

Whatever the flashpoint, it is inexcusable for mobs of teens to set bonfires and descend on a police cruiser, breaking windows and threatening officers inside. We are a law-abiding community, and what happened on the night of April 4 was a disgrace and a tragedy for all of us.

Arson and mayhem should never be tolerated. This runs counter to everything we teach our children and violates every principle upon which this community prides itself. This is not who we are, and those images broadcast across the city by TV news crews have likely done lasting harm to us.

There was so much misinformation and disinformation on the street that night, with people invoking the Holocaust. How dare they? What were they thinking? And to repeatedly yell the anthem of Al Sharpton, “No Justice, No Peace,” was beyond what I would have believed our community capable of. To see our young people comport themselves in this disgraceful way was terribly painful, and innocent individuals are dealing with the repercussions.

Bystanders were harmed and had to be hospitalized because a situation that should have been contained only escalated. We all have to do some very serious soul-searching, because this was not an isolated group of troublemakers; there were hundreds in the streets – a mob in every sense of the word. Rabbis and religious leaders must deal with this as seriously as they do any other critical issue that arises in our community.

Within a short while, after repeated conversations with Councilman Simcha Felder, who was on the scene minutes after the original incident, it became apparent that this disturbance was not dissipating and I rushed back to Boro Park to deal with the ramifications of a situation that clearly was out of control. The anguish in Simcha’s voice was unbearable as he described the negative developments on both sides. It was a surreal experience for both of us.

From the outset I have stated that those instigators found guilty of inciting the crowd and those guilty of arson should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I cannot, however, disregard the obvious mistakes that were made by the NYPD. At certain points, clearly, police officers should have had more leadership, and command was unclear.

With three helicopters hovering over Boro Park and scores of police squad cars and ambulances racing to the scene, the makings of a surefire spectacle were in play for hundreds of bored teens who don’t have enough excitement in their lives and are looking for an excuse to cause mayhem. If the purpose was to neutralize the situation, it wasn’t going to happen in a carnival-like atmosphere that could only ensure an escalation.

It was a tragic night for Boro Park and the NYPD, but we have moved toward closure and resolution of the anger and tension. Chief of the Department Joseph Esposito has always been a star, beginning his meteoric rise through the ranks at the 66th Precinct, as commander. I have always held him in the highest regard. He has been a friend and continues to be a friend to me personally and to our community.

Whatever happened this week was out of character, and now we are moving on. We look forward to working with Chief Esposito, clearly stated his position in his letter to Simcha and me:

In directing police officers to disperse a crowd that formed in front of the 66th precinct stationhouse Tuesday night, I used language that was inappropriate. However, I can assure that nothing I said reflects any personal bias against you or the community. The Police Department’s and my own principal concern Tuesday was the preservation of public safety as events unfolded in Borough Park. I don’t want my words that night, or anything else for that matter, to come between the police and the Borough Park community after decades of excellent relations between both. Towards that end, I am happy to meet with you at your convenience to discuss further this matter or any of the concerns you may have.

What we lost Tuesday night, April 4, was immeasurable: self-respect and the respect of other communities throughout New York City. The images of rampaging youths with sidelocks, black coats and beaver hats are burned onto the consciousness of New Yorkers. We cannot erase that, and we cannot yet know the repercussions for our community in Heaven and here on earth.

Perhaps with our extended families around the seder table and at otherPesach meals, we can devote some time to our children and grandchildren and reiterate what constitutes conduct becoming a religious individual.

On Pesach we recount how we merited the redemption from Egypt because we did not alter our names, our manner of dress, or our language and speech. Three thousand years later, the speech on the streets of Boro Park that day fell very short of those standards.

Analogies to the Holocaust and proclamations of “No Justice No Peace” were a disgraceful desecration of God’s name. And it led directly to bystanders being Maced, a 90-year-old man on his way to his evening shiur being forcibly shoved to the ground and having to be hospitalized, and a four-hour spree of firestarting.

Yes, this has been a very painful week for our community. And while it may be over on the streets of Boro Park, it should not be over in our hearts. We have some serious introspection to do, for ourselves and for our children.

Dov Hikind represents New York’s 48th Assembly District, an area that encompasses Boro Park, Dyker Heights, Kensington and sections of Flatbush.