A Small Man with a Big Man Job

 By Rafael Martínez Alequín

 

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In the early hours (2:15 a.m.) of Wednesday when the City Council stated meeting voted in favor of two laws sponsor by Council persons Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander, both of Brooklyn, my mind brought me back to November 1963 when two young Puerto Ricans were assassinated by the NYPD police under the viaduct of 96^th street on the Westside of Manhattan.

On November 22, 1963, while I, with members of Harlem’s CORE, we were to start a protest on the 24^th Pct. For the killing of two young Puerto Ricans, we heard the news that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The demonstration was cancelled.

To my memory the killing of Maximo Solero and Victor Rodriguez , renewed the calling for a Civilian Complaint Review Board.

The rhetoric against the establishment of a Civilian Complaint Review Board from the police brass, the Patrolman Benevolent Association (PBA) and the politicians in the late 1963 is the same as it is today. The CCRB enacted in 1993 during the administration of Mayor Dinkins is as ineffective board. Must of their ruling is in favor of the police.

The opponent of Intro 179 and Intro180 are using verbatim the same rhetoric as in 1963, with one exception: Neither Mayor Vincent Impelliteri, nor police officer John Cassese, the founder of the PBA used the racist language that was used last Friday by Mayor Bloomberg on his weekly radio show: “I think we disproportionately stops whites too much and minorities too little. It’s exactly the reverse of what they said.” This comments by the mayor amount to an endorsement of racially profile suspects.

The mayor is a small man on the shoe of a big man’s job.

Intro 1079 establishes an inspector general within the Department of investigation. Even BloomQuinn voted for it. The vote was 49 for and 11 negative.   Intro 1080 (Bias based profiling ban in New York City) was approved 34-17.

I made for Councilpersons Jumaane Williams and Brad Lander a reference to the Last Supper when Jesus said that one of the twelve disciples would betray him. There is the possibility that the devil with his 27 billion dollars may be able to find a Judah Iscariot among the 34 councilmember’s who voted in the affirmative for both Intros.  Let’s not forget that with the blessing of his twin Speaker BloomQuinn, and his fortune the devil bought a third term. 

Video by Rafael Martínez Alequín