Studio 360 hasn’t yet said why they were talking to Andrew WK, but we assume it’s because they’re planning to party.
Promo for Flashpoint: A Tale of Two Police Forces
For the first hour of Friday’s Brian Lehrer Show, he’s co-hosting a special two-city call-in with Tony Sarabia of WBEZ in Chicago. It’s on live in both cities (10am NYC; 9am Chicago) to discuss how the NYPD and CPD are trying to curb gun violence, and how communities are reacting to different policing strategies. Tune in, call in Friday morning. More info here.
“Two teens beat a 70-year-old Queens man after asking him if he was Hindu or Muslim, police said Friday.” [NYDN]
This happened in Corona, Queens. The cops are searching for two Hispanic males. On one hand, it’s a savage act, plain and simple. On the other hand, there’s an element of sophistication within this savagery. The stereotypical American bigot, you imagine, doesn’t stop to consider such fine nuances as Hindu vs. Muslim before initiating an all-out assault — it’s all just a whole bunch ‘o’ brown, right?
But of course, it’s not, as is made clear by the suspect profiles — “dark haired” Hispanics going after someone who’s presumably South Asian, and just as dark.
This question, “Are you Hindu or Muslim?” is so strange to encounter in a New York crime story, especially for an Indian guy like me. For anyone who has roots in South Asia, it’s the question seemingly repeated, ad nauseum, throughout all spasms of Hindu-Muslim violence.
After all, many Hindus and Muslims in India or Pakistan are ethnically identical, distinguished only by their religiously-ascribed clothing or something just as superficial. During any episode of inter-religious butchering, the question is presumably thrust at anyone who doesn’t fit into a clear category. But even rampaging mobs can be savvy, and know very well that the person being asked is willing to answer with whatever identity is most practical at that moment.
From this cynicism was born a test of sorts: if the mob doubts the veracity of the answer — suspects that the person is in fact Hindu when he said Muslim, or vice-versa — it forces him to drop his pants, and reveal whether he is circumcised (Muslim) or not (Hindu).
The body, it figured, couldn’t lie.
Dramatic Drop in the Number of Summonses, Tickets After Sandy
In the aftermath of the storm….the NYPD said crime dipped in the days since Sandy, and according to the Office of Court Administration, so did the number of summonses. Continued
David Durk, Serpico’s pal and without whom “there would have been no police corruption exposé in The New York Times, no Knapp Commission investigations into the matter” (Mary Perot Nichols) died yesterday at 77. You can hear his incredible 1971 testimony before the Knapp commission here.
Reynaldo Cuevas, 20, was shot and killed by a police officer outside the bodega where he worked. His cousin, Mickey Rodriguez, 25, and aunt, Maria Rodriguez, 49, mourned his death.
And the #1 neighborhood for public urination is…
New York is a paradise for public urinators.
All those shadowy corners, combined with a stark shortage of restrooms and an anything-goes civic attitude conspire to rapidly lower the inhibitions of all those revelers wandering the streets with distended bladders on any given night.
Now,…
Watch as Radio Rookie reporter Temitayo Fagbenle investigates the police practices of vertical patrols and stop and frisk.
On the Street, Cops Say Stop And Frisk Is About Judgment Calls
Both former and current cops tell WNYC “reasonable suspicion” may be easy for lawyers and judges to define, but on the street deciding when to stop someone can be a difficult judgment call involving grey area choices in split-second moments. Read More
An NYPD officer stands by a line of “Interceptor II” vehicles on the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge, July 6, 2012. —A.P.
Timeline | The City’s Use of Stop-And-Frisk
WNYC created an interactive look back at the start of the policy, the legal challenges it has faced, as well as how the numbers have increased over time.
Three men face disorderly conduct and other charges after their arrests Saturday night, which officials are linking to a series of anarchist-related events — including an annual book fair – held in lower Manhattan this weekend. Two police officers also suffered minor injuries related to the events. Read more
