Mayor de Blasio took The Post’s advice Wednesday and made a forceful public endorsement of Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s warning not to resist arrest. Wise move.
His new gun-reduction plan, on the other hand, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
“When a police officer comes to the decision to arrest someone,” the mayor said at a Harlem press conference, “that individual is obligated to submit to arrest.”
This important message might have saved Eric Garner’s life had he heeded it when police tried to cuff him for selling illegal cigarettes.
Yet, as de Blasio made his point, he also unveiled a new anti-gun-violence program. The press release says it’s “centered around the ‘cure violence’ model” — an “evidence-based public-health approach” that uses “community-based interventions, anti-violence messaging and support services.”
Feel safer yet? On tap: a barrage of slogans (“Guns Down, Life Up”), algebra tutoring and “violence interrupters” (ex-gang members sent to persuade current gang members not to shoot each other). What’s wrong with just arresting bad guys?
Sure, the plan is meant to preempt violence, a worthy goal. But that was also the aim of Gotham’s stop-and-frisk program, which de Blasio bashed and scaled back.
“Broken windows” policing (targeting low-level crimes, which also leads to less violence) is also under attack: This week, six local congressmen called on US Attorney General Eric Holder to probe the “broken windows” policy, calling it racist and “a cousin to stop and frisk.”
Here’s a fair and effective way to fight crime: Let cops enforce the laws and arrest the law-breakers — i.e., all the laws and all the law-breakers. It’s worked before.
chart