(Original Link)

7/15/2012

By Ivan Pereira

The mayor pulled no punches while defending the NYPD during a trip to southeast Queens yesterday, comparing the police’s toughest critic to the NRA.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg chastised the New York Civil Liberties Union’s criticism of the “stop and frisk” tactic during a speech to clergy and community leaders at the Greater Allen AME Cathedral in Jamaica.

The NYCLU has said “Stop and Frisk” is unjust because 80% of the nearly 685,000 people stopped last year were minorities and only 10% were arrested.

The mayor said the NYCLU was no different from the NRA because they both focus on protecting ideology and not saving lives.

“One group views the Second Amendment in absolutist terms, the other group views the Fourth Amendment in absolutist terms. Both groups, I think, are dangerously wrong on the Constitution,” Bloomberg said.

Donna Liberman, the NYCLU executive director, countered the mayor’s retort, saying that stop and frisk has humiliated and disrespected thousands of New Yorkers everu year.

“It’s a lot easier to trash the NYCLU than to acknowledge the widespread dissatisfaction the community feels with an NYPD that acts like it’s above the law and accountable to no one,” she said in a statement.

The mayor acknowledged that the recent increase in violence has predominately taken place in inner city communities and pressed southeast Queens leaders help work the police and curb the shootings.

Over the weekend, at least three people were murdered in the city including 19-year-old Kenneth Archbolb who was shot in the stomach in Harlem early yesterday morning.