In the Media

Jews of color hold Black Lives Matter march Downtown

08/01/2016
Brooklyn Daily

Jews must support the Black Lives Matter movement to fight for the rights of people of color in their own religion, said dozens of Jewish activists who rallied for police reform Downtown on July 28.

“Black Lives Matter is a Jewish issue because there are black Jews,” said April Baskin, vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism congregation, who came all the way from D.C. for the event. “The freedom and safety of black people is tied to our Jewish values for justice and safety for everyone. Our country collectively has not been vocal enough.”

Tonight: ‘Jews for Black Lives Action & Vigil’ To Call For Police Reform

07/28/2016
Park Slope Stoop

The organization Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ) will hold a rally this evening (Thursday, July 28) which will begin at 7pm in front of the Barclays Center. The rally will then proceed down Atlantic Avenue towards Brooklyn Heights. The march will culminate in front of the Brooklyn Detention Complex at 275 Atlantic Avenue, where mourners plan to light Yarzheit candles for those lost to police violence.

The NYPD Is Already a Small Army—Now It Is Hyping Terror Threats to Militarize Even More

"You name it, we are buying it," says NYPD Chief Bill Bratton as city purchases $7.5 million in military-style gear.
07/26/2016
Alternet

The NYPD is already the largest and most well-resourced police force in the United States, with more than 34,000 officers on its payroll and a budget that hovers over $5 billion annually.

New York City Policing Reform, Derailed

07/25/2016
New York Times

Two years ago this month, Eric Garner was gang-tackled and smothered by New York City police officers on a Staten Island sidewalk. His death helped to spark a national outcry and a push for better ways of policing the police. Among the reforms sought by the New York City Council are two bills to protect civilians from being harassed and unlawfully searched.

Bill Bratton lowered crime, but legacy shows he was out of ideas

07/25/2016
New York Daily News

When NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton eventually leaves 1 Police Plaza, he will be remembered for the innovative CompStat program and its data-driven approach to fighting crime.

But critics said it was time for new ideas — and he was fresh out of them.

“He realizes there have to be changes and many of those changes he’s not comfortable with,” said Marq Claxton, director of the Black Law Enforcement Alliance, who worked for 20 years in the NYPD.

Report suggests NYPD's ‘broken windows’ policing doesn't work

06/23/2016
New York Daily News

A hot-button Department of Investigation report released Wednesday contradicts the NYPD’s claim that “broken windows”-type arrests drive down more serious crime.

The rate of summonses and arrests for minor quality-of-life crimes like disorderly conduct, public urination and open-container violations had no real impact in driving down felonies over the past six years, the report found.

'Broken Windows' Policy Doesn't Work, NYPD Watchdog Says

06/22/2016
DNAinfo

MIDTOWN — Broken windows policing may be broken, according to a blistering new report by the Office of Inspector General for the NYPD.

A six-year analysis by the NYPD IG, which falls under the Department of Investigation, has found there’s no correlation between the number of quality-of-life summonses issued for offenses like public urination and alcohol consumption and the drop in felony crime.

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