NYPD Blocks Access to Neighborhood Crime Stats; Bill to Set Them Free Held Up in Council

26 Sep

If you want to know whether crime is up or down in your neighborhood, you’re out of luck. While the NYPD releases the data for precincts — which are as big as many U.S. Cities — on their summary CompStat reports on-line, they don’t make the stats for sectors within precinct available to the public.

The Norwood News (where I was editor until last year) began raising the issue of the sector stat lockdown several years ago and continues to do so under editor Alex Kratz.

Council Member Fernando Cabrera introduced legislation last year that would require the NYPD to post the sector data on the web monthly. It’s gone nowhere. I take a deeper look at what’s holding things up and the sector stat issue in general in this City Limits article. Take a look.

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Naomi Rivera Won’t Debate and Host Shares Opinion of Her Absence

12 Sep

Naomi Rivera declined to participate in the 80th Assembly District debate on BronxTalk on Monday night.

Click here for video of the debate and following is a statement from the show’s host, Gary Axelbank:

Unfortunately, although we had worked very hard to coordinate the schedule for this debate with the incumbent, Naomi Rivera has flat declined our invitation to appear. Editorially, I will say that asking people for their vote and then not be willing to participate in a debate with other candidates is a posture that we reject wholeheartedly. The Bronx is made stronger by responsive elected officials who respect the democratic process, their opponents, and most importantly, their constituents. By refusing to appear tonight the assemblywoman is directly insulting everyone involved, BronxTalk, Bronxnet, her fellow candidates, and you the people of the Bronx. In fact, it’s the second time she has declined to participate. Viewers will remember she didn’t appear in 2010 either. Given this program’s ongoing commitment to keeping Bronxites informed and engaged, we abhor the very notion of it. And so she will be represented by an empty chair throughout tonight’s proceedings.

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Bronx Politics Discussion on BronxTalk at 9 p.m.

27 Aug

From Gary Axelbank: Tonight “BronxTalk will welcome the editor and political writer of the Riverdale Press to talk about Bronx politics. Both have a lot to say about the state of our local political system, redistricting, the relative quality of candidates, etc. You can weigh-in, too, on the phone. Monday night at 9:00pm on Bronxnet’s channel 67 [on Cablevision] and Verizon Fios 33.”

We’re hearing Bob Kappstatter, who now edits and spills ink for, the Bronx Times, may call in, too.

If you don’t have Cablevision or Fios, I’ll put up a link to video of the show, which doesn’t get enough buzz. So buzz!

‘Ne Cede Malis’ Still Bueno?

27 Aug

New York Times reporter Sam Roberts blogs about the history of Bronx motto “Ne Cede Malis,” (Yield Not to Evil) which apparently took effect in 1912, but hasn’t had substantial success in deterring the civic evils perpetrated by many politicians. There are some, like Fordham professor Mark Naison, who think the motto should be more reflective of the borough’s progress in recent years. But others like, Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Fernando Ferrer, current and former BP’s respectively, think it’s as important now as it ever was.

Schlein May Cash In with No Money Down on No-Bid Project

25 Aug

A Bronx community garden the city razed to make way for a housing development project looks like it’s going to grow some greenbacks for Stanley Schlein, a long-time Bronx Democratic political fixer with a rather controversial work history.

Sean Carlson, a CUNY Graduate School of Journalism student guided by veteran investigative journalist Tom Robbins’, wrote this piece for the Mott Haven Herald. It’s a must-read, particularly in a city run by a mayor whose biggest claim to accomplishment is he hasn’t had to abide by parochial politics as usual.

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WNYC: Bronx DA Has Highest Decline-to Prosecute Rate in City

23 Aug

In an alarming two-part investigation on WNYC this week, Ailsa Chang reports that under Robert Johnson, the Bronx’s district attorney for the last 23 years, the borough has the highest “decline-to-prosecute’ rate in the city. Johnson’s office says that by focusing just on cases where victims are willing to talk within 24 hours after an arrest, they can nail more criminals.

But the data shows that’s simply not true.

According to the Chang’s report: While the Bronx has the highest decline-to-prosecute rate in the city, for 13 of the last 16 years, state records show that it has had the lowest jury conviction rate for D.A. Robert Johnson’s entire 23-year tenure, except for one year.

in 2011, the Bronx D.A. declined to prosecute in 23 percent of cases, far higher than the next borough on the list, Staten Island, where prosecutors let 12 percent of possible criminals off the hook.

Here are links to the first and second reports.

And here’s an interview with Ailsa Chang on the Brian Lehrer show yesterday.

Big News: Bronx Pols Get Behind Ice Center at Armory

22 Aug

Daniel Massey of Crain’s reported today that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and other borough elected officials will announce their support for the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s vision for the Kingsbridge Armory. The project is one of two under consideration by the city’s Economic Development Corporation, the other one being a small-business market like the DeKalb Market in Brooklyn owned by Young Woo. For more info on both prospects,  click here for a link to BronxTalk which featured presentations by both potential developers.

An interesting note: Almost 20 years ago, when I first began reporting on the vacated Armory, Oliver Koppell, now a Council member but then a state assemblyman, loved to talk about the possibility of the Armory being home to an ice complex. As I recall, he said his daughter had trained at such a facility in Lake Placid. No one really paid that much attention. But despite several other non-ice proposals in the mix over the two decades, Koppell never seemed to let go of the idea entirely. I remember him telling George Pataki about the ice center when the former governor came to tour the facility several years ago.

—Jordan Moss

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NY Post: AG and Bronx DA Investigate Naomi Rivera

21 Aug

The New York Post continues its coverage of Naomi Rivera, who allegedly hired boyfriends to work for her and run a nonprofit she controlled. Today the paper reports that Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman are looking into the allegations.

Politicker has a rundown of the Post’s coverage so far.

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