Can Mayor Link Violent Crime to Illegal (aliens)?

We need the facts
Can mayor link violent crime to illegal residents?

Saturday, April 14, 2007

5 Comments
Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello now is saying he must crack down on illegal residents living in Morristown because they're committing violent acts of crime.

Here's his quote on the topic: "I am moving forward with my position. There's a serious violent crime problem, and this is the way to address it."

The mayor's comments were in response to a letter from a Latino advocacy group asking the federal Department of Homeland Security to reject Morristown's application to deputize up to 10 police officers to enforce federal immigration law. The letter suggested that the mayor came up with the idea to improve his "political capital with certain segments of the voting population."

There is certainly much truth to that statement. Elected officials do much of what they do with politics in mind. A week or so ago, the mayor was saying he thinks that up to 80 percent of Morris County residents agree with him.

Of more interest to us, however, is the mayor's comment about violent crime. Just what is that crime and where is it taking place?

Let's be precise here. The mayor was referring to "violent crime," not such transgressions as loitering and littering. If Cresitello wants to link illegal residents with violent crime, he should offer some data to back it up.

Just to throw that comment out there with no backup is divisive. The mayor should know better.


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Reader Comment Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:11 pm
Either the Mayor is full of it or he's not. But he can't win this argument even if he's right.

If he's wrong, then this paper's right for having questioned and challenged him. He may have to come clean and really dance around the statement.

But if he's right then a few things could be derrived:

First, this paper hasn't been reporting the news straightly. This is not improbable because the DR is pretty much a cowardly, liberally biased publication that hasn't published a critical word about minorities ever and fears them profusely. It never mentions the gang-thug-drug culture that's proliferating in towns like morristown, parsippany and dover.

Also, if the mayor is right, then the minorty "leaders," the ACLU and the DR will begin to paint the cops and him as racists and begin to drive stories that they are unfairly picking on the illegals to make political points and find more ammunition for his plan. Engineering news is what they're good at.

So he said it and the DR criticized him for it and challenged him to come up with proof. But the DR has access to the police arrest information, right? They could just as easily quantify it as well and publish it, right? So why don't they buckle down and do some real investigative reporting before they call him a liar?

Morristowns Mayor! Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:00 am
I agree also with the writer! Let's see some hard data! If anyone commits a crime or a violent crime we have laws on the books to address this! I always wondered why the temperature was abit higher in Morristown than in the surrounding areas. Now I know, it is the Mayors Hot Air!

We need some hard data... Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:06 am
I agree with the previous writer. I don't understand why the Morristown Police need these special "powers" to pursue criminals. Last week I watched the Mayor's speech on the televised Town Council meeting and he never made it clear throughout why deputizing is necessary to do ordinary police work.

The Daily Record regularly publishes the police blotter for towns in Morris County, and I check it daily to see how many immigrant-like names are listed among the offenders. And the trend seems to be that the non-immigrant-like names far outnumber those that sound like immigrants names. I admit this is a very unscientific evaluation, but until I see some real data from the Mayor and company, I'll have to rely on this type of evidence.

JimmyC
WE NEED THE FACTS Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:53 am
I fully agree with your opinion, and it applies to the people supporting Cresitello too, even moreso. They need to seriously consider such matters and their ultimate consequences before they just fall in line, as most do. Our rights are being usurped because they don't. They put their faith in leaders who ultimately stab them in the back. Later, when they realize the effects, they blame the politician/demagogue who initiated whatever it was, when it was they who allowed their emotions and prejudices to be manipulated to their disadvantage. In other words, Cresitello can't do anymore than they allow him to.

He needs to stop using Hispanics as SCAPEGOATS! When I look around town, I see the ones who acquire property fixing it up. Most do beautiful stone work! And, after work, they play hard. They join together, in soccer and/or volleyball games -- which the so-called 2nd Ward leaders can't stand. Are they jealousy? In fact, they try to stop them from using public fields! That is so hateful! These Hispanics are so busy doing constructive things, they don't have time to get involved in violent crime. If they do, they do a good job of hiding it!

Cresitello needs to stop trying to be a little dictator and think about how the town can enforce loitering, littering and other local ordinances without making them criminal, forcing the needy to keep lawyers working and taking money from the disadvantaged. I can't think of the name of the street right now, but there's a building on the street across from the old George Washington School that parallels Route 287. It's that last right turn before you enter 287 North. Why can't it be used as a pick up spot?

Oh! I almost forgot! He told the town's people, that since they won't double his salary, he's only going to be a part-time mayor. He probably hasn't noticed it.
Crime Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:20 am
I'm confused. Is there something preventing the police from arresting people who are committing these violent crimes? Do they need additional powers to do this?



http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 7704140307