Newark mayor seeks probe of NYPD Muslim spying

[IDemo]

NEWARK, New Jersey (AP) – The mayor of New Jersey's largest city has called for state authorities to investigate a widespread spying operation conducted in Newark's Muslim neighborhoods by the New York Police Department.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker says the spying is "deeply offensive." Gov. Chris Christie calls the surveillance "disturbing" and says Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa is looking into the reports.

In mid-2007, the NYPD's Demographics Unit photographed Newark mosques and eavesdropped in Muslim businesses. The findings were cataloged in a 60-page report, obtained by The Associated Press. There was no mention of terrorism or any criminal wrongdoing by Newark Muslims.

Booker and law enforcement officials say they were misled by the NYPD, which they say asked a limited number of questions but didn't hint at the depth or breadth of the planned investigation.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-22/newark-nypd-muslim-spying/53212918/1

[MicaelS]

1. WTF was the NYPD doing out of their jurisdiction?

Bloomberg is an authoritarian POS. Like all Authoritarians he thinks the rules only apply to other people. And he is the one often making those rules.

But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued his most vigorous defense of his police department to date.

"The police department goes where there are allegations. And they look to see whether those allegations are true," he told reporters Tuesday. "That's what you'd expect them to do. That's what you'd want them to do. Remind yourself when you turn out the light tonight."

[HopeHoops]

2. Yeah, that will help. How about dealing with the most disfunctional airport in the country?

Well, next to the appropriately named "Reagan" airport - I still call it "National".

[RCL]

3. all that "profiling", "monitoring", "spying" ...

all that "profiling", "monitoring", "spying" ... has been going on for way longer and you don't have to be Muslim for that to "happen" to you. Just for stating the truth and/or questioning lies you will be targeted, even if it is by writing a poem:
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http://hsymbolicus.wordpress.com/2009/08/04/16/ (lies ...)
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and it is not just the NYPD, but the U.S. gov behind it.
~
http://ipsoscustodes.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes/
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The U.S. has become a police state and I think this is for good. They have hired all those "psychology graduates" for their thought police a la 1984. Basically they have turned from the MTA and barbershops to University Departments into snitching cells. I research on semiotics and one of the themes I follow is state repression
~
Ricardo Camilo López