Senator Checks In On Clinton Hill Drug Trade

As someone who has lived in Clinton Hill for the last decade, I can confirm that the area has indeed changed, sometimes for the best, sometimes for less than the best. The drug dealing, at least in the part of Clinton Hill where I live, was only slightly worse ten years ago than it is today.

It’s important, I think, for people to realize that it’s not just the cops’ or the politicians’ or the residents’ fault the drug problem hasn’t been remedied: IT’S EVERYONE’S FAULT. Are cops in collusion with the dealers who have been busted selling dope on the same corners for years? Without a doubt. Are the politicians aware of the problem but simply failing to act unless its serves their election year agendas? Without a doubt. Do the people who fail to stand up to the well known dealers and regular customers WITHIN THE COMMUNITY only emboldening both groups? Without a doubt.

In my opinion, the cops and politicians should be removed from any useful discussions regarding how the drug problem is handled. Both are, at very best, simple stop-gap measures provided when it serves the CITY’S best interests, not its RESIDENTS. How many times do people need to have this sad truism thrown in their faces before they finally start to recognize it as fact?

If the people who live in Clinton Hill are to be serious about the biggest problem Clinton Hill faces, its residents are going to have to finally step up to the plate and say enough is enough. The sad part is, most of them, either because they’re too scared or afraid of offending someone or dont want to ruin longtime *friendships* or simply because they are 100% complicent, never will.

I say sad because unless the people who live here now do something to preserve and even save their neighborhood, they will lose it. Completely. Some might argue that the current residents are destined to lose their place in the city through gentrification anyway, so why try? And it’s just that type of attitude that got those same people where they are today. It’s time to put up or shut up, or deal with the consequences. If the convictions are sincere, the choice of action should be more than crystal clear.

just for the record, cosgrove got promoted to deputy inspector for the job he did as commanding officer of the 88th precinct and was reassigned a couple weeks ago to a tougher precinct, which wouldn’t happen if the department didn’t think he had done a good job in his last post. there are jobs in the department for good administrators that just aren’t that good at reducing crime. cosgrove didn’t get one of those.

Actually I meant that the NYPD and the Officer should be held accountable (just not criminally)

Sorry, that should be 11:33PM

With respect to the police shooting in Queens, I think that even though the incident could be categorized as (1) an accident; (2) an error in judgment; (3) negligent homicide; or (4) depraved indifference to human life, an innocent person did in fact die as a result of poorly trained law enforcement. And to this end, the officers involved, the NYPD and the City must be held accountable. Realistically, there will be massive media attention on this case but in the end the officers, unjustly or not, will be exonerated. The family, however, will most likely win a multi-million dollar wrongful death suit in civil court and get some form of justice in this manner.

As for the actually shooting incident, police officers must be better trained when engaged in undercover work in high risk areas. They MUST understand that when undercover cops, especially black and Latinos, are attempting to blend into a particular scene (e.g., subway train and hot street corner) that it often occurs to the point that they are indistinguishable from the common perp on the street: they’re adorned with the same baggie jeans, timberland boots, hooded pullovers, puffy jackets and baseball caps.

If I was Sean Bell I would’ve mistaken the officer for a hit man too! Just think about it: (1) you come out of a strip club at 4am in the morning; (2) you’re probably drunk and tired; (3) you just had a huge verbal altercation with another group of men outside of the club and threats are made on both sides; (4) you and your friends walk around the corner and get inside your vehicle; (5) it’s late November and all of the windows are up; and (6) most likely everyone is talking about the night and the car stereo comes on immediately blasting the previous played tune. Under these circumstances, no one is truly alert. Now Sean Bell is attempting to just pull his car out of his parking spot and out of the corner of his eye, he spots a man, dressed in bagging blue jeans and hooded sweat jacket, with a huge automatic pistol drawn and aimed directly at the driver’s side window, fast approaching the vehicle on his left. His heart pumps, he flinches and he’s engrossed by fear because for all that he knows one of the homies from the club has followed them and is about to pump a barrage of bullets into his car. With all of the confusion and noise inside the car, he doesn’t hear the officers and have enough time to discern the badge necklace from a hip-hop medallion chain. In the split second that he has to make up his mind as to what to do, he has to rely on the glimpse of an unknown man charging his vehicle in a menacing way with weapon drawn. So he does, the natural thing (I certainly would’ve done the same), he floors the gas pedal and attempts to get the car and its occupants out of firing range. Meanwhile, the undercover police officer interprets this as an act of violence against him but he shouldn’t have given the circumstances stated above. He then proceeds, in violation of department rules, to pump an entire clip into the car as the vehicle was already by him. As the other officers arrive on the scene in unmarked police vehicles and proceed to block in the Mr. Bells car from both the front and the back, they’ve descended upon a vehicle with a panic and confused driver whose head is probably buried between his legs and under the steering, frantically attempting to use the last moment of his life to avoid being gunned down by a perceived group of gun toting criminals. When 51 shots are going off in 10 seconds, no one hears “It’s the Police don’t move” or sees the fact that it’s undercover officers. At this point, it’s complete chaos and mayhem and unfortunately an innocent person lost his life because the NYPD failed to follow the books.

First, the officers should have all been inside their unmarked vehicles and used their sirens to identify themselves as police officers from a safe distance and pulled over the car like in any other traffic situation. To have a lead undercover cop attempt to ambush a car of men, single handedly at 4am in the morning under the above circumstance was downright foolish and negligent. Was it criminal? Probably not, but very close. Was Sean Bell justified in reacting the way that he did? Hell yeah! I would’ve done the same! The number one rule in the hood when faced with a dangerous situation, get out of harm’s way and ask questions later. I’m a big supporter of law enforcement but this case simply breaks my heart – it was just a massive fuck up and unfortunately all of the affected families will have to pay the price for one officer’s stupid “mistake”.