NYPD Commish Won’t Tour Neighborhoods Without Protection

Ray Kelly, the NYPD’s top cop, is apparently tired of all the sturm und drang over the city’s stop-and-frisk program. And he’s been punching back at pols who aren’t down with the constitutionally questionable practice. Figuring it’s better to change the subject and attack his attackers, he wants to know where the outrage is over the 77 people who were shot in Gotham over the last week. From nydailynews.com: “We have not had a demonstration about this 3-year-old child (who was shot while playing in his yard). We’ve had demonstrations about virtually every other issue in this city, except the level of violence.” Because demonstrations are always a good solution to just about any societal problem. And since most of the stop-and-frisk pushback flung his way has been coming from minority groups, he figured he’d fan those flames a little, too . . .

“Ninety-six percent of our shooting victims are people of color, yet these community leaders are not speaking out about that,” he said. “I’d like to see some political outcry. . . . I want them to be outraged that a 3-year-old child is shot on the streets.”

As you might expect, that didn’t sit well with in some parts of the city.

“I am outraged at the presumptuous and patently false comments of Commissioner Kelly, which directly insult communities like mine, which are grieving for our lost and trying to save our young people every day,” said City Councilman Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn).

Looking to up the ante a little, State Senator Eric Adams showed up at One Police Plaza yesterday to issue an invitation to the Commish. “He told reporters he dared Kelly to ‘come into my neighborhood, park your car, leave your security detail, leave your gun and we’ll walk together and meet with grandmothers and young people.'”

But Kelly’s having none of it. As he told nypost.com,

“I’ve been doing this for over 40 years — I’ve been around,” Kelly said after swearing in the 1,200 rookies at Queens College. “I’ve walked a lot of streets.”

But walking the streets of Adams’ district – neighborhoods like Crown Heights, East Flatbush and Prospect Heights – without at least some protection doesn’t seem to be in the cards. It’s fine for New Yorkers to live there, denied the opportunity to defend themselves, but Kelly’s sticking to the safety of his police escorts and his carry piece. As for Adams’ constituents, good luck with all of that.