The Constitution is only for liberals? Freedom is a left-wing issue? Who knew? Do you have any idea how many lawsuits Giuliani lost in court for violating people's rights? I'm sure that Stalin made sure that things were safe and peaceful in the city-square, as well.
In 1994 Giuliani and then-police commissioner William Bratton ordered their “elite” Street Crimes Unit to confiscate illegal weapons from pedestrians through a program of stop and search. Charges flew of civil-rights violations and increased police shootings. More than 33,000 people were stopped on New York City’s streets in 1997 and 1998, according to police data. The actual number stopped will never be known because many citizens were stopped and frisked and found not to be carrying unlicensed weapons. Most were sent on their way, and no paperwork or record of the intrusion was filed.
[Philadelphia Inquirer/Knight Ridder, Mar 22, 2007]Giuliani’s cops, and primarily [the Street Crimes] unit, have adopted aggressive crime-fighting methods. They’ve made stop-and-frisk procedures the centerpiece of their tactics. In the last two years, this unit has stopped and frisked 40,000 New Yorkers. They’ve found grounds to arrest fewer than one in four of them. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution requires cops to stop and frisk only when they have a “reasonable suspicion” - - one they can clearly articulate — that a crime has taken place or is about to take place. That legal nicety seems largely ignored in New York City. Last year, roughly half the felony gun cases brought to court in Manhattan were deemed unconstitutional.
[Times Union, Apr 2, 1999]The last time we checked, the Fourth Amendment protection `against unreasonable searches and seizures` was still the law of the land. But just get caught driving while intoxicated in New York City, neighboring Nassau County, or what seems likely to become a growing number of jurisdictions across America, and see where the rule of law gets you. In the brave new world of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s Big Apple, it will cost you your vehicle on the spot; no trial and conviction required. Along with the Fourth Amendment, you can forget about the Fifth (`No person shall . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law`), Sixth (`the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial`) and the Eighth amendments (`excessive fines shall not be imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment`).
[The Sunday Patriot, Mar 7, 1999]Peering from skyscrapers with lenses that can count the buttons on a blouse three miles away, [cameras] watch every move you make. Even Rudy likes to watch. After testing reaction to the monitoring of parks, public pools, and subway platforms, the city is quietly expanding a pilot program on buses. Cameras indistinguishable from lampposts have advanced from the perimeter of Washington Square into the heart of the park. They’re already hidden at some bus stops and intersections to snag speeders and parking perps. More are on the way. The Housing Authority is rushing to put bulletproof cameras in corridors throughout city projects. ... With little public awareness and no debate, the scaffolding of mass surveillance is taking shape. “It’s all about balancing a sense of security against an invasion of privacy,” Rudolph Giuliani insists.
[Village Voice Oct 6, 1998]
Let’s be clear about my position. I am TOTALLY unimpressed by your article from the Village Voice rag. Give me a huge break and gag me with a spoon. And yes I’ve met with the #2 in NY, currently Miami Police Chief, former Philly police chief. A consummate professional, not an abuser of rights. They did a great job cleaning up NYC, the Village Voice not withstanding. What a joke.