BLM leader Hawk Newsome speaks to reporters following debate - Screenshot courtesy of FNTV on YouTube

BLM leader Hawk Newsome speaks to reporters following debate - Screenshot courtesy of FNTV on YouTube

BLM leader threatens ‘riots’ and ‘bloodshed’ if Mayor-elect Eric Adams reinstates NYPD anti-crime units

Posted by: | |Categories Around The World, Featured, Politics and Policing
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NEW YORK CITY, NY – Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Hawk Newsome threatened “riots” and “bloodshed” in the streets if Mayor-elect Eric Adams re-establishes NYPD’s plainclothes anti-crime unit to battle New York’s surge in violent crimes.

Newsome and Adams participated in a debate at Brooklyn Borough Hall Wednesday over the Mayor-elect’s plan to return to tougher policing in the city. The debate was livestreamed on Instagram.

During his campaign, Adams promised to bring back a “reinvented: version of the anti-crime unit, which was formerly used to focus on guns, violent crime, and drugs.

During the debate, the two sparred over policing in New York City, with Newsome telling the former NYPD captain that Black Lives Matter would hold him accountable for future police misconduct. Adams shot back:

“You’re on the ground. Stop the violence in my community. I’m holding you accountable. Don’t hold me accountable.

“Being the mayor, being the borough president, being the state senator — I put my body on the line for my community, so I’m not here for folks to come and say, ‘Eric, we’re gonna hold you accountable.’

‘No, it’s us. We need to do this together.’

Following the debate, Newsome spoke to the media about the Mayor’s plan to return to the anti-crime unit and other tougher policing policies:

“If they think they are going back to the old ways of policing, then we’re going to take to the streets again. There will be riots. There will be fire, and there will be bloodshed.”

Newsome quickly tried to qualify his shocking threat, saying:

“I am not threatening anyone. I am just saying that it’s a natural response to aggressive oppression – people will react.”

The anti-crime unit has a long history in New York spanning decades of combating violent crime. However, the unit has spawned some controversies over the years.

Once called the Street Crimes Unit, several high-profile fatal police encounters put a shadow over the important work being done to reduce crime and make the streets safe.

In 1999, four plainclothes Street Crime Unit officers fatally shot Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22-year-old West African immigrant, outside his South Bronx home.

Facing intense criticism, in 2002, the NYPD “disbanded” the units and shifted many of those officers to another plainclothes squad already in place in some boroughs, the Anti-Crime Unit.

In 2014, Anti-Crime officer Daniel Pantaleo used a chokehold on Eric Garner during a fatal encounter on Staten Island. Garner reportedly repeated several times, “I can’t breathe.”

A Staten Island grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice both declined to bring criminal charges against Pantaleo. He was terminated from the NYPD after a department disciplinary trial led Judge Rosemarie Maldonado to recommend his termination.

“I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry for the anti-police movement and led to the national prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In June 2020, following weeks of protests and riots triggered by the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the anti-crime unit was shut down.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said he personally made the decision to banish the units, which have been responsible for a “disproportionate” number of shootings and misconduct complaints made against the NYPD in their decades-long history.

He called it a “seismic shift” that will have an immediate effect:

“This is a policy shift coming from me, personally. I think it’s time to move forward and change how we police in this city. We can do it with brains. We can do it with guile. We can move away from brute force.”

Although not entirely attributable to the anti-crime unit shutdown, NYC has experienced a massive surge in crime this year. The overall crime rate in the Big Apple rose 11.2% in October compared to a year ago.

The number of robberies jumped 15.8% (1,450 v. 1,252) and felonious assaults increased by 13.8% (2,123 v. 1,865) year-over-year.

Grand Larceny and auto thefts also rose significantly in October compared to the same period last year. Auto thefts are up almost 15% for the year versus 2020.

Fox News reported that gun arrests have jumped 13.9% this year compared to 2020, and there were 382 gun arrests in the city in October.

Rather than continuing his call policing with “guile” and “brains,” Commissioner Shea recently called for policing that sends “a consequential message”:

“The men and women of the NYPD have never wavered in their commitment to the collective public safety of all New Yorkers – as demonstrated by this ongoing, downward trend in violence.

While their devotion to service is commendable, effective crime fighting is predicated upon a collaborative effort from all aspects of the criminal justice landscape – as well as society as a whole.

“Additionally, our brave officers’ work must be reinforced by meaningful consequences that send a consequential message to those who find themselves on the path toward criminality.”

 
Editor note: In 2020, we saw a nationwide push to “defund the police”.  While we all stood here shaking our heads wondering if these people were serious… they cut billions of dollars in funding for police officers. 

And as a result, crime has skyrocketed – all while the same politicians who said “you don’t need guns, the government will protect you” continued their attacks on both our police officers and our Second Amendment rights.

And that’s exactly why we’re launching this national crowdfunding campaign as part of our efforts to help “re-fund the police”.

For those looking for a quick link to get in the fight and support the cause, click here.
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LET Unity

As crime skyrockets in police-defunded New York City, the mayor plans to run for state governor

October 7, 2021

 

NEW YORK CITY, NY – It’s already well established that Mayor Bill de Blasio won’t be the Big Apple’s mayor again due to term limits, not to mention, he’s already endorsed Eric Adams to become New York City’s next mayor.

But Bill de Blasio isn’t leaving the world of politics, in fact – he’s trying to up his politics game by running for governor in New York. Yet in the past month prior to his purported plans to run for governor of the state being revealed, the city he currently oversees saw an increase in crime.

According to reports, Mayor Bill de Blasio has informed associates that he intends to run for governor in New York. Mayor de Blasio has yet to make any formal announcement about this alleged endeavor, media outlets abound have circulated reports that his bid for governor is all but officially confirmed.

While speaking to the New York Times on October 6th, Mayor de Blasio was asked directly whether he had any intentions to run against Governor Kathy Hochul, which he responded with the following:

“I’ve talked to a number of people to say, I want to continue in public service. There’s a lot to do. Look I’m not going to make any political announcements. I’m only making a broad point, for the last year and a half I’ve had to lead the nation’s largest city through the COVID crisis.

I’m very proud of what the people the city has done. As we get farther down the line, when I have something more to say, I will certainly let you know.”

The office of the governor in New York over the past year has been embroiled in controversy, from the COVID nursing deaths to the alleged inappropriate sexual harassment of former Governor Andrew Cuomo that eventually led to him resigning from office.

Needless to say, the race for governor of New York in 2022 is going to be something to watch – and apparently, polling data shows that New Yorkers are not a fan of de Blasio potentially taking office.

An August Co/efficient poll put de Blasio over 20 points behind current Governor Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James in a hypothetical three-way primary contest. And with issues like crime in New York City, it’s understandable why residents of the state would be skeptical of the possibility of Mayor de Blasio becoming the state governor.

Data released by the NYPD earlier in October showed that overall crime rose by 2.6% during the month of September when compared to the same month in 2020 – noting an additional 243 incidents reported to police.

Among the largest of the categorical increases in crime was felony assault, which rose 18.5% with 1,802 reported incidents in September 2020 to 2,135 incidents reported in September 2021. Other crime trends in the data showed robberies increased by 6%, vehicle theft by 4.1% and grand larceny up by 0.7%.

When crime was running rampant this past September, Mayor de Blasio was reportedly reaching out to “several labor leaders” in an effort to “gauge support” for a potential gubernatorial run, according to a report from Politico.

An anonymous union affiliate told Politico that Mayor de Blasio was “letting the leaders know that he’s considering running for governor” and was asking them “hold off on making a decision” regarding endorsements for other potential 2022 candidates for office.

 

 

 

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About The Author

Scott A. Davis is a 28-year veteran of law enforcement. He served as a Police Sergeant and as a Detective in Pennsylvania. Scott retired from law enforcement in 2020. Prior to his law enforcement career, Scott was an award-winning journalist and recipient of two Keystone Press Awards.

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