Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that the city’s policy of stop-and-frisk is racial discrimination and unconstitutional.
Well I believe, like Mayor Michael Bloomberg, that to stop this policy will make us all unsafe. Furthermore, I would like to applaud the NYPD, under Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, for keeping us safe.
But there are those who wish to handcuff our diligent police officers from doing their job by taking away a vital tool, which is the policy of stop-and-frisk.
Bloomberg has stated that it has taken 8,000 guns off the street over the past decade and some 80,000 other weapons. Bloomberg also pointed out that as recently as 1990 the City of New York had more than six murders a day. Now we have an average of one per day. If murder rates had stayed the same in a period of 11 years, more than 7,300 who are alive today would not be alive. The policy has worked and has saved lives.
Now as far as Scheindlin’s accusations that the policy is racist, let me point out that many of our police officers are from minority groups themselves, and 97 percent of shooting victims are also black and Hispanic.
I believe with a change in policy more innocent children will be killed. In the end I feel more guns will enter our communities and the criminals will rule our streets. When that happens I feel those who can will sell their homes and move out of New York for a safer place to live. Now that, in my opinion, will be a sad day indeed when the middle class moves out.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
