A Real Travesty of Justice

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

By Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz

District 32 Bronx County, New York

Tel 718-991-3161

A Real Travesty of Justice

You should know that the people of the Bronx, especially those residing in the area of the South Bronx which is covered by the 41st Police Precinct, will soon see their crime statistics going up costing their property and car insurance premiums to also go up.

You should also know that the irony of this is that this will happen even though crime in the area has come down and the area has become one of the safest in the Bronx. But because crimes committed inside the prison (house of detention) are applied to local police precincts, the people of the Bronx are the ones being punished and paying the price for it.

A few weeks ago I wrote a column in which I was explaining the abhorrent situation in which all crime, violations, and assaults which are committed inside Rikers Island, a jail house located in an area of Queens County, New York, are being applied to crimes committed within the boundaries of the 41st Police Precinct located on Longwood Avenue in Bronx County, consequently increasing crime statistics in the Bronx and especially in the South Bronx.

Now to make matters worse, the New York Daily News on Monday, May 5, 2014, in a column written by Reuven Blau and titled “Vipers of Rikers” states the following: “Inmates assaults on uniformed staff resulting in serious injuries have nearly doubled, from 25 to 46, over the first nine months of this fiscal year compared to the same period last year.”

You should know that this increase in crimes committed inside the Rikers Island House of Detention in Queens County will be applied to the 41st Police Precinct affecting the way in which the insurance companies view the area, imposing an increase of insurance premiums to the residents of the South Bronx. What a travesty of justice!

You should know that I have introduced a piece of legislation in the Senate, S.6364, and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo has introduced the same bill in the State Assembly. The purpose of such legislation is to do away with and put an end to this discriminatory abuse. I have written to New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and I have conducted a meeting in my District. The delegation who attended the meeting consisted of the Assistant Commissioner for Office Management, Analysis and Planning, Ronald J. Wilhelmy, the Assistant Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs, Susan Petito, the Deputy Commissioner for Operations, Dermot Shea, the Deputy Inspector for Crime Analysis and Planning, Raymond Martinez and Ariana W. Caplan, State Legislative Affairs from the Mayor’s Office. They all promised to get back to me.

As of today, Monday, May 5, 2014, I have to tell you that my legislation, S.6364, was approved by the New York State Senate Finance Committee which is chaired by Senator John DeFrancisco and now is waiting to come to the full Senate floor to be voted on by the full membership. We are also hoping that Assemblyman Crespo will get his bill, A.8630, passed in the New York State Assembly.

You should know that once the bill passes the Senate and the Assembly, it is sent to the Governor for his signature and it becomes law. When and after all of this happens, the people of the Bronx will be relieved from this unjust, unwanted, undeserved, abuse and discriminatory practice that currently exists where crimes committed inside of a jail house located in Queens New York are being applied to the residents of Bronx County making it a real travesty of justice.

This is Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.