Pogrom On The Streets Of Crown Heights
“We were always hoping that after World War II no Jew would ever be killed just for being Jewish,” said Rabbi Shmuel Butman. “But this is what happened in the city of New York. We are calling upon the Governor of the State of New York, the Mayor of the City of New York, and all the powers that be to give the streets back to the people so we can live in peace and tranquility with our neighbors.
“All this is a direct result of diatribes and inflammatory rhetoric by irresponsible so-called leaders of the black community. This was absolutely outrageous, to see people vandalize and wantonly destroy. The public eye must focus on this. Black leaders must take responsibility for their community and seek to calm tensions. Instead, they have done the very opposite. They have enraged the crowd and spurred them on to violence. As a direct result a young man was murdered in cold blood and an entire neighborhood terrorized.
“When a Jewish child was killed by a black driver last September in Crown Heights, no Jew rioted, no Jew murdered, no Jew broke windows, no Jew set cars on fire, and no women were stabbed on the street. All we did was grieve and cry.
“We also have to remove a blood libel from the Crown Heights Jewish community. It should be exceedingly clear that when Hatzalah responded, it was to a call to help the black child. They arrived at the scene together with three EMS ambulances. When the police saw the tension, they told the Hatzalah crew to take the Jewish men, who were by then injured, and leave the scene immediately, for their own safety. We did exactly what the police officers wisely advised us.
“As to the driver involved in the accident, just a few months ago a fire broke out at the black-owned Hanks Dry Cleaners on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights. This same driver risked his life, went into the burning building, and rescued two black people. He was even given a citation for his act of heroism.”
Mayor Dinkins Should Resign [Editorial]
Never have we seen such an inept leader as Mayor Dinkins.
After the first night of rioting, with the thugs shouting “Kill the Jews and whiteys!” hundreds of police were sent in to control the crowd. The second day and night we were shocked to see the police, armed and equipped with riot gear, running for their lives and retreating from the rioters, thus giving them carte blanche to create havoc and loot the neighborhood.
Apparently an order had come down from the top police brass not to interfere. Led by a few rabble-rousers, the marauders and plunderers smashed cars, looted stores, and even attacked private homes, while police stood by for three days doing nothing.
Finally when it was rumored that the National Guard might be called out to quell the riot, the mayor, fearing his leadership was in jeopardy, ordered the police to crack down.
The great majority of blacks living in Crown Heights are law-abiding, peaceful citizens who work hard for a living. It’s these few rioting hoodlums brought in from other neighborhoods who give a bad name to all the decent people in the community. But when a leader is clearly incompetent, the entire city is in danger.
