Mosque to be Built Near Ground Zero

Matt Sledge
Matt Sledge

Associate Blog Editor
Posted: May 12, 2010 11:18 AM
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Cop on "The NYPD Tapes" Under Fire, But Community Meeting Is Calm
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Read More: 81st-Precinct , Adrian Schoolcraft , Bed-Stuy , Bedford Stuyvesant , Brooklyn New York , Compstat , Nypd , Steven Mauriello , Stop And Frisk , The Nypd Tapes , Village Voice , New York News
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Comments 5

The Village Voice has some nasty things to report about Steven Mauriello, the NYPD commander for Bed-Stuy's 81st Precinct. His orders have "strained the limits of probable cause." He's been calling crime victims, haranguing them until they withdraw their complaints. He tells his officers he wants one apartment building "blown up." All told his actions have "caused an undercurrent of resentment among residents."

Mauriello is a man under fire, both for his tactics and for his recorded comments the Voice is running in its provocative series on police tactics, "The NYPD Tapes" (Part 1, Part 2). But a Community Council meeting for the 81st Precinct last night, the first since the series began, was mostly sedate. Nobody mentioned the articles.

After a call to order and a prayer from members of the Community Council, Mauriello got down to business: rattling off crime statistics. There have been 14 shootings so far compared to 11 last year this time; the precinct's gone the last 24 days without one. Robberies are down 9%. Burglaries are down 22% -- and "we map this daily, so we know."

The catalog of stats and figures seemed slightly ironic, given that Mauriello, and more importantly the NYPD as a whole, have been fiercely criticized the last few months for relying excessively on the CompStat computer program.

It's charged that just these numbers are too easily distorted by the cops (by knocking attempted rape down to a misdemeanor, for example) to make themselves look better. Fans of HBO's The Wire know this practice as "juking the stats."

In February an NYPD officer named Adrian Schoolcraft went public to the Daily News, claiming that the practice was widespread in the 81st Precinct. The New York Civil Liberties Union has long argued that cops across the city are juking the stats by performing an excessive number of "stop and frisks" of young black and Hispanic men on slim pretexts, while simultaneously downgrading major crimes.

Now the Voice is releasing tapes Schoolcraft recorded from internal precinct meetings in a steady drip of articles. They seem to confirm the NYCLU's worst fears.

The families sacrificed a member of their families that died on 9/11, as first responders. For a fireman or policeman to function at his or her job, one must have a support system, commonly referred to as "family."

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:

Monstrosity?" It's a community center that everybody can use, for cry'n out loud!

if they put a synagogue, a church and a Buddhist temple in it then maybe we could have a conversation, though I still pretty much believe that what is required in a sister project with a church in Riyadh before this project would become good for America..

Then let the said churches apply for a permit to build their structure. Don't you think they would have done that if another building was necessary?

Do you propose to export Christian Americans to fill the church that you suggest be built in Riyadh?

Yes, Dorothy, there is a Santa Claus!

Intrepid wrote:

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:

Monstrosity?" It's a community center that everybody can use, for cry'n out loud!

if they put a synagogue, a church and a Buddhist temple in it then maybe we could have a conversation, though I still pretty much believe that what is required in a sister project with a church in Riyadh before this project would become good for America..

Then let the said churches apply for a permit to build their structure. Don't you think they would have done that if another building was necessary?

Do you propose to export Christian Americans to fill the church that you suggest be built in Riyadh?

You do not think there would be Christian clergy willing to shepard a flock in Riyadh? Or, Christians that would live in a Riyadh monastery? Do they have to be American Christians to meet your criteria?

Foofie always seems to get into trouble every time she posts an opinion.

Foofie wrote:

parados wrote:

Quote:

Yes. Families of NYC police and firemen are a privileged class. Thank God you understand.

They are? On what basis?

On their risking their lives on a daily basis to protect the citizens of NYC, many of them being ingrates for that service.

Do they get paid for this service? Do they receive a nice paycheck at the end of the week?

Foofie wrote:

The families sacrificed a member of their families that died on 9/11, as first responders. For a fireman or policeman to function at his or her job, one must have a support system, commonly referred to as "family."

Most of the rest of us have the same thing.

Quote:

Yes, Dorothy, there is a Santa Claus!

No, no. You mean Victoria. Dorothy was the Wizard of Oz.

Intrepid, You're falling into Foofies trap; we're discussing the US and our laws, not the religions of other countries and their laws.

You do not think there would be Christian clergy willing to shepard a flock in Riyadh? Or, Christians that would live in a Riyadh monastery? Do they have to be American Christians to meet your criteria?

There are more than a million Roman Catholics in Saudi Arabia, most of them are expatriates Filipinos and Indians who work there, but who do not have the citizenship of Saudi Arabia[2][1]. The percentage of Christians of all denominations among the about 1.2 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia likely exceeds 90%[3]. There are also Christians from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya and as well a number of Christians from sub-Saharan countries who are working in the Saudi Kingdom[4].

Saudi Arabia allows Christians to enter the country as foreign workers for temporary work, but does not allow them to practice their faith openly, because of that Christians generally only worship in secret within private homes[5]. Items and articles belonging to religions other than Islam are prohibited[6]. These include Bibles, crucifixes, statues, carvings, items with religious symbols, and others[7].

Foofie wrote:

Intrepid wrote:

hawkeye10 wrote:

Quote:

Monstrosity?" It's a community center that everybody can use, for cry'n out loud!

if they put a synagogue, a church and a Buddhist temple in it then maybe we could have a conversation, though I still pretty much believe that what is required in a sister project with a church in Riyadh before this project would become good for America..

Then let the said churches apply for a permit to build their structure. Don't you think they would have done that if another building was necessary?

Do you propose to export Christian Americans to fill the church that you suggest be built in Riyadh?

You do not think there would be Christian clergy willing to shepard a flock in Riyadh? Or, Christians that would live in a Riyadh monastery? Do they have to be American Christians to meet your criteria?

Wasn't my criteria. It was Hawkeye's. I was responding to him. You obviously didn't undestand the intent.

cicerone imposter wrote:

Foofie always seems to get into trouble every time she posts an opinion.

Foofie is a woman? I thought Foofie was a guy.

Intrepid wrote:

Foofie wrote:

parados wrote:

Quote:

Yes. Families of NYC police and firemen are a privileged class. Thank God you understand.

They are? On what basis?

On their risking their lives on a daily basis to protect the citizens of NYC, many of them being ingrates for that service.

Do they get paid for this service? Do they receive a nice paycheck at the end of the week?

That is a non-sequitor, unless one may think money is the only motivator in society. Gee, if that was so there would be no priests. I guess money then is a non-sequitor, especially when one realizes that more money can be made in safer occupations. Also, the salary of firemen and policemen may seem like a lot of money to someone living in Podunk, USA; however, based on the high cost of living in NYC, firemen and policemen are not "fat catting it."

Intrepid wrote:

Foofie wrote:

The families sacrificed a member of their families that died on 9/11, as first responders. For a fireman or policeman to function at his or her job, one must have a support system, commonly referred to as "family."

Most of the rest of us have the same thing.

You are comparing apples to oranges, so to speak.

Intrepid wrote:

Quote:

Yes, Dorothy, there is a Santa Claus!

No, no. You mean Victoria. Dorothy was the Wizard of Oz.

I stand corrected. [Foofie bows deeply.]

I've never understood this obsession with churches in Saudi Arabia. This isn't about freedom of religion in S.A. We don't discard our freedoms because another country doesn't have them.