They need to look in the mirror
Penny Acquitted – Our Politicians Cry
Daniel Penny is a free man today. Many were happy, some shrugged, and some were angry at the outcome of the case. Most cops, and others who can be placed in a similar situation, were glad to see Penny exonerated. It seems like most New York City politicians had the opposite reaction.
They are not out on the front lines of the policies that they create. They are safely behind desks and podiums, easily able to point fingers with the comforting knowledge that they will never be in that position. Many even have their own security to take care of uncomfortable situations like the one Daniel Penny faced by himself on that fateful day. Security details made up of the cops they so often vilify.
Comptroller and former Councilperson Brad Lander has been an elected official in New York City since 2010. He stated, “Daniel Penny is not a hero.” He claimed that Neely’s death is “an indictment of broken systems that failed to provide him with the mental health care he needed.” He went on to blame “City Hall.”
Deputy Speaker of the New York City Council and Councilperson since 2018, Diana Ayala decried the verdict as well, stating the acquittal was a “miscarriage of justice.” She claimed that the jury’s decision came down to, “whose life was more worthy.”
Councilpersons on the Progressive Caucus stated that, “Neely was failed by the city’s social service system for years” (once again – no plan offered). They also claimed that New Yorkers will have to face a future of, “vigilante justice against the most vulnerable New Yorkers.” As if anyone in their right mind would want to go through the travails of Alvin Bragg’s legal machinations to defend the defenseless in the future.
Not to be left out of the NYC controversy, state assemblyperson Zohran Mamdani claimed the verdict was “not justice” despite the trial and diverse jury’s careful deliberation. He went on to state that Neely needed, “stable housing and consistent mental healthcare.”
And there are more politicians saying the same.
It seems like many of our elected officials, while decrying the not guilty verdict, place the blame on the people who are letting the current mental health system continue. The irony here is that they are pointing the finger of blame directly at themselves. Legislators have failed to change the current mental health system that is not working.
Yet, none of these clowns have made any significant attempt to change the law to protect New Yorkers and provide better care for the mentally ill. All the above individuals are legislators or former legislators. To the best of our knowledge none of them have gotten a law passed that strengthened the ability of mental health care providers to mandate care, force more effective inpatient treatment, create an effective prescription drug mandate for persons who are mentally ill, or innovate any program that has a chance of helping. None of them initiated an investigation into the disastrous ThriveNYC con, for instance, that soaked New Yorkers for over $1 billion, to no appreciable effect.
Nor have they taken action when cops were forced to shoot mentally ill New Yorkers in crisis – as has happened several times in recent years. None of these worthies have proposed a meaningful alternative to police responses to people in mental crisis. In essence: none of these people are doing the jobs we pay them for.
They just point fingers. They are blind to the fact that they are implicating themselves.
What is it You Want to Hear Mr. President?
Volodymyr Zelensky seemed to take a position more similar to Donald Trump’s this week after their meeting in Paris. He knowns that the incoming president holds his administration, and likely his very life, in the palm of his hand. Zelensky appeared to tell the president exactly what he wanted to hear. He is for peace, willing to reach a compromise, end the death, end the billion-dollar expenditures on weapons of war.
He does want assurances from Trump that the peace will be lasting, which is a fair and common-sense request; perhaps a “you broke it, you bought it” approach regarding the United States’ decades long meddling in Ukraine, and our failure to prevent the Russian invasion. But who knows; Putin may have invaded no matter what the United States’ response was, but many believe that if Trump was in the Oval Office none of this would have happened.
Regardless, Zelensky was quick to change his tune to accommodate what the new president wants. Here, then, is the important question. Did Zelensky do the same for Joe Biden? Did he say whatever the current president wanted to hear?
Seeing how quickly he changed his tune post-election; it seems like a legitimate question. Did Biden demand the correct answer from Zelensky and get it? Was a long proxy war with Russia always part of the US foreign policy game plan?
Given our decades of foreign policy manipulation, it wouldn’t surprise us in the least.
The NYPD Get Its Man
As a proud member of the NYPD’s Detective Bureau for most of my career, I had little doubt that the Brian Thompson murder would be solved with expediency and hard work. Undoubtedly, hundreds of detectives and cops worked hard on this case. Some probably haven’t been home in days.
Yes, it was a civilian who spotted him. Yes, it was an Altoona PD rookie who showed up, took the job seriously, asked the right questions, and identified the suspect. But without the NYPD tracking down those photos – included pushing out a facial photo within two days – none of that happens.
I just wanted to say congratulations on a job well done. There is more work to do, but everyone on the case can stop and catch their breath, get a few hours of sleep, and know the killer will not murder again. Great work!!
Thanks for reading The Ops Desk. Stay Safe!
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