Belief in Doing No Wrong

            In a review of the past few weeks’ events in relation to the NYPD, it seems that they are under the belief that they can do no wrong.

            We had the Eric Garner grand jury decision that the police were not wrong in performing the choke hold that killed him, even though that cop was brought to task for other instances.

            We had other police gunning down other unarmed black people in dark stairways or on the street and the police are still not held accountable.

            The police recently had the policy of stop and frisk. The number of black people stopped and frisked as compared to non-black was about 80% to 20%, if not greater. That is what finally led to the end of the policy instead of amending it.

            By appearances, the black populace was targeted by the police as the most dangerous people around. Could this be considered borderline racism? Perhaps.

            It was under this landscape the led Mayor De Blasio to give advice to his black son to be weary and be careful and act with caution in his behavior around the police. This was sound advice. To me, the mayor did nothing that any decent and responsible parent would do. He was 100% correct.

            However, the police were alarmed. According to them, the Mayor blasted them, pretty much saying that they were dangerous and they might pick on his son for almost anything. They felt betrayed and in fear of their safety. With the actions that the police take toward the black people, the question is – who is afraid of whose safety?

Actually, they are very afraid of each other.

            Police union boss Patrick Lynch blasted the mayor and demanded an apology. Many police demanded the same. At many functions, many police turned their backs on the mayor. Regardless of the situation, this was extremely disrespectful. These police should have been reprimanded.

            Further, there was a tremendous work slowdown. Tickets and summonses for minor offences plummeted 92%. Traffic violations dropped 94%. Drug arrests dropped 84%. In New York there is the Taylor law which forbids public employees from going on strike. To me, this tremendous slowdown is tantamount to a strike. Therefore, every member of the Police Department who took part in this slowdown should be punished according to the Taylor Law’s rules.

            For all the calls for the mayor to apologize, he won’t and he should not.

            The bottom line here is that the police and the union head labor under the false assumption that they can do no wrong. They fear for their lives, mostly in the black community. Sometimes depending on the situation, it is as if they have itchy or nervous trigger fingers. I can certainly understand the need to use their guns when necessary, though at times they can be bit too ready. Also, the police may be under the belief that if they are taken to court, they will be found not guilty for one reason or another leading to their belief in infallibility.

 

 

            Perhaps if the police stop the seeming targeting of the black community, if the police responsible for breaking the law (shootings, choke holds, etc.), and police are taught better community relations and restraint, then we will have better respect in both directions.

5 mph Reduction Means Little

Mayor De Blasio signed into law the new speed limit for New York City, changing it from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Let’s think for a second how fast that is. A person can walk fast at 4 mph. For a car, that is going extremely slow. Hence, the 5 mph difference amounts to next to nothing.

Why did the mayor want this law passed? Because it seems that he blames drivers for the number of accidents and fatalities on the roads with bikers and pedestrians. This is amounts to flawed reasoning. Let’s look at all three participants.

Drivers – There are many who drive a bit over the limit. There are many who say to themselves when the light is about to change: “I’m going to make that light”, and go through right after the light changes to red. They are in too much of a hurry to want to wait a few seconds. There are many who also go through stop signs; they slow down but either don’t stop or cut off the pedestrians. There are also those who refuse to wait for the bus under the el. They cross the double yellow line to pass the bus, putting everyone in danger ahead of them.

Bikers – Many bikers follow the traffic laws and stay in the bike lanes and who know to bike in the directions of the traffic flow. Then again, there are those who speed around, weaving through traffic, especially those who must make deliveries as fast as they can. Here again, we have the drivers, of any kind of vehicle (no exceptions), causing problems. They love to park in the bike lanes and block the bikers, forcing the bikers into traffic.

Pedestrians – This is the most free-moving of the group. People will cross the street when and where they want. Many times you see them daring drivers to hit them. Then again how many are on their phones and are oblivious to the traffic?

The bottom line is that everyone – drivers, bikers and pedestrians – all have their own minds. Everyone is going somewhere and everyone is trying to evade one another. Therefore I would ask the mayor to explain what 5 mph for drivers will accomplish. The answer is nothing.