BRONX TIMES REPORTER,30 SEPT. 25-OCT. 1, 2020 BTR
BY AL D’ANGELO
“Just a peaceful protest”
that cost $2 billion in damages.
How do our elected
offi cials allow this to continue?
Do they hate the president
so much that they felt
this rioting and looting will
refl ect badly on his administration?
I think they are
making a political mistake.
People are not blind to
what is going on in Seattle
and Portland and other areas
of our country that allow
this type of behavior. Make
no mistake, the elected offi
cials in those areas have
turned a blind eye to the
lawlessness. The police are
told to stand down, which
resulted in the verbal and
physical abuse of those who
represent law and order. The
more you tie the hands of the
police the more emboldened
the law breakers become.
Common sense tells you
the fi rst time a “protester”
breaks the law, they should
be arrested, that would allow
the message to the protesters
to be clear.
Shame on these elected
offi cials who by their silence
condone this lawlessness.
Shame on those public
offi cials who raised money
so lawbreakers could make
bail and by so doing condone
lawlessness. Shame on
those elected who allowed
mom-and-pop stores to be
looted and burned. The job
of an elected offi cial is to
protect and serve. Who are
they protecting if not the
law-abiding citizens?
Police are retiring in record
numbers. Thirty-seven
police offi cers have been
killed so far this year, that’s
37 families that have lost fathers,
mothers, brothers,
sisters, aunts and uncles.
These are the same men
and women who, 19 years
ago, were running into the
Twin Towers to save lives
while others were running
away. We promised that day
19 years ago, that we would
never forget. Now we want
to defund the police, assault
them and degrade them. Violent
crime is on the rise in
all these riot-torn cities and
the politicians, who by the
way have their own armed
security, look the other way.
It’s time for the citizens of
this country to take out the
trash and vote out all who
would destroy our cities for
political gain. It’s time to
embolden the police and tell
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
TIPPING POINTS
Whether by design or happenstance,
the cumulative effects
of actions and inactions
provoke change. Ineffective
change is often triggered by
our inability to recognize a
threshold; the critical point
that challenges acceptance
and tolerance. Inabilities to
properly identify, address, and
foresee issues disrupt societal
equilibrium. This disruption
promotes imbalances, which
leads to “tipping points” that
affect our communities.
The upticks in nuisance
and criminal behaviors
throughout our communities
are related to action, inaction
and lack of foresight. The broken
windows theory and invocations
of subsequent policies
lends example. “Broken windows”
is based on hypothesis
suggesting unaddressed visible
signs of crime, maladaptive
behaviors and civil-social
disorder foster neighborhood
decline. Decades ago, theoretical
analysis of rampant crime
brought laser like focus to
broken windows theory. It is
plausible that perceived immediacy
to suppress rampant
fl oods of criminal activities
warranted vigorous methods.
Perhaps, the controversial
stop-and-frisk approach
to address widespread, ungovernable
crime was needed
for limited periods. However,
failure to limit and modify
this aggressive police policy
at an appropriate time led to
intensifi cations of untenable
aggressive and unsustainable
law enforcement methods.
The lack of foresight to invoke
modifi cation eventually led
to a state of intolerance and a
“tipping point.”
Newton’s third law of motion
says, “For every action in
nature there is an equal and
opposite reaction.” Law enforcement
policies and criminal
legislations have resulted
in continual volleys of action
and reaction. There is distinct
linkage between high crime
rates of the past, the formation
of broken windows theory,
stop-and-frisk policing, lower
crime rates, social injustice,
2015 criminal justice reforms,
recent bail/discovery reforms,
2020 police policy reform and
recent spikes in nuisance
issues and crime.
Legislators must institute
commonsense middle-ground
reforms that promote better
quality of life and environments
of fairness and faith in
our criminal justice system.
Our legislators are responsible
for the undue stress and
strain that is a consequence of
neighborhood degradations.
Their emotion-laden dubious
decisions have made our communities
playgrounds for disrespectful
law breakers. A tipping
point that changes these
playgrounds into amusement
parks for respectable law-abiding
citizens is imminent. To
paraphrase modern day ethicist,
the late Dr. Rushworth
Kidder: In decision making
the long-term always includes
the short-term; however, the
short-term does not account
for the long-term. When given
a choice community takes precedence
over the individual.
Effective policy is fair, balanced
and sustainable. If not,
prepare for “tipping points”
and sequential actions synonymous
with Newton’s
third law.
Community Footnotes:
There is an increase in automobile
thefts and petty vandalisms
throughout the 45th
Precinct footprint. A rash of
video evidence documents nefarious
individuals lurking
around parked vehicles and
encroaching on private property
during the overnight
hours. Be proactive: lock car
doors and remove all valuables
when exiting your vehicle.
Importantly, please report
all incidents to NYPD.
Smart meters (gas and
electric) are being installed
in our neighborhood. Aclara
Smart Grid Solutions is Con
Ed’s installation contractor.
Call Aclara at 1-800-686-4207
to schedule an appointment.
If opposed to smart meter installations,
call Con Edison
at 1-800-576-2005 to discuss
possible options.
NYC is facing a profound
economic shortfall. To soften
the blows of tough decisions,
state legislators must authorize
NYC borrowing power.
Please call Assemblyman
Benedetto at 718-892-2235 and
Senator Alessandra Biaggi
at 718-822-2049 to support
this motion.
Monthly meetings are
postponed until further notice.
Previously paid dues
for 2020 will be carried over
to 2021. Our community has
traditionally exhibited a “we
are family” attitude. Communicate;
make that phone call,
text message, or email. Please
check on family, friends, and
neighbors especially the elderly
and vulnerable. Any
area homeowner or renter interested
in membership to the
Spencer Estate Civic Association,
inbox George Havranek
on Facebook or send email to
spencerestatecivic@gmail.
com. Remember: “Inclusion
brings solutions.”
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate Civic
Association
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
Several key elected offi cials
have performed terribly in offi
ce, but the media has failed
to react to their fi ascos.
There is a distinct difference
between the worldview
held by politicians and most
pundits, and that of the average
citizen. The inability of
the former to recognize the
wisdom of the latter is seriously
harming the nation.
Politicians and many of
those who make a living out of
writing or broadcasting about
them focus on career issues,
party politics, or furthering
an ideological perspective. To
some extent, that blinds them
to the actual performance of
the individuals in question.
That has never been more
clear than in the rapid decline
of key American cities over
the past several years.
The nation’s metropolises,
particularly those administered
by leftist and progressive
mayors, have been besieged
by nearly unprecedented disorder
and maladministration
in recent years. From coast
to coast, mobs have burned,
looted and assaulted innocents.
Rather than staunch
the bleeding, mayors whose
loyalty lies not with their citizenry
or the law have stood
by, too frightened of being accused
of offending the supporters
of groups such as Antifa
and Black Lives Matter to
do their job adequately.
In Portland, rioters have
attacked a government offi ce
building as well as a federal
courthouse. In Seattle, an entire
portion of the city was
completely taken over by leftist
mobs. In New York City, the
most famed shopping districts
were looted. The massive increases
in shootings and other
crimes have brought the Big
Apple to its knees. In Chicago,
the body count of murders resembles
that of a small war.
It would be reasonable to
assume that the elected offi -
cials at any level, and particularly
those in the affected cities,
would move forcefully to
both counteract the onslaught
on their own and accept any
assistance they could obtain
from Washington.
Stunningly, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi called federal
law enforcement agents
“stormtroopers” when they
attempted to defend federal facilities
from the rioters.
Chicago’s’ Mayor Lightfoot
has criticized her own citizens
who seek to defend themselves
from criminals, and has opposed
Washington’s assistance.
Seattle’s mayor failed
for a prolong period to clear
the invaders away from the
district they occupied. Portland’s
mayor is sympathetic
towards Antifa. It is clear that
New York’s mayor considers
appeasing radicals more important
than insuring law
and order.
Those who have the frontline
duty of protecting the
residents of these and other
besieged cities have been attacked
by their own local
governments. Police chiefs
in both Portland and Seattle
have resigned in protest. Both
are female, and one is also
Black; any claim that these
law enforcement heads are
somehow biased on race or
gender is ludicrous. The New
York City Police Force, almost
universally recognized as the
most fair, most professional
and most accomplished in the
world has, under the de Blasio
Administration, become demoralized
and hamstrung.
These mayors, as well as
Speaker Pelosi, have pushed
aside the needs of the citizens
and the local businesses that
serve them. They have done
so in the pursuit of their personal
and party goals and loyalty,
despite the massive harm
it has caused.
One would assume that
these acts of outright incompetence
or malfeasance would
be highlighted by a media that
CIVIC CENTER
COMACTA
(cont. on page 31)
CIVIC CENTER
The Morris Park
Community
Association
(cont. on page 31)
link