Bloomberg: NYCHA Residents Should All Be Fingerprinted

[Irving Cowboy]

NYCHA Residents Should All Be Fingerprinted
NBCNewYork.com
updated 8/16/2013 4:16:37 PM ET

Mayor Bloomberg suggested Friday that New York City public housing residents should be fingerprinted as a way to fight crime in the system's 334 buildings.

Bloomberg, speaking on his weekly radio show, said NYCHA residents make up 5 percent of the city's population while 20 percent of New York City crimes are committed in public housing.

"The people that live there, most of them, want more police protection... If you have strangers walking in the halls of your apartment building, don’t you want somebody to stop and say, ‘Who are you? Why’re you here?’"

"What we really should have is fingerprinting to get in," he went on. "And of course ... there’s an allegation that some of these apartments aren’t occupied by the people who originally have the lease."

Bloomberg and the show host were talking about a judge who ruled this week that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk tactic is unconstitutional and assigned a monitor to oversee the development and implementation of reforms.

The same judge, Shira Scheindlin, is said to be ready to take up a case about police stops in public housing.
Several Democratic mayoral candidates blasted the mayor for the suggestion to fingerprint residents.

"Disrespectful. Disgraceful. No other words apply," former Comptroller Bill Thompson said in a statement. "Just like stop and frisk, this is another direct act of treating minorities like criminals."

Bill de Blasio, the city's public advocate, called it "outrageous and insulting."

"Once again, Mayor Bloomberg has resorted to presuming innocent people are guilty simply because they happen to live in certain areas, and in doing so he is stigmatizing entire communities."

 

[JBond]

" If you have strangers walking in the halls of your apartment building, don’t you want somebody to stop and say, ‘Who are you? Why’re you here?’"

I thought that stuff was not allowed. The Trayvon crowd will not like this one bit. Imagine the nerve of someone questioning why a stranger is there. Anyone that asks that question deserves to be jumped.

I like the fingerprint idea for taxpayer funded housing and food. I'm not sure how it could be effectively implemented and of course there is always the slippery slope, but on the face of it, it does not sound like a horrible idea. Those that are taking my money to pay for their stuff at the very least should verified.

 

[jnday]

I really don't like the government stepping on the freedom that we have, but in this case, I kinda support this move. After all, these people are living in government housing. They sure don't mind the cheap apartments, so they shouldn't mind a little more government in their lives. No doubt that this will be labeled as a racist move by the government. I wonder if it is racist to get the cheap housing. It will piss off minorities, that is a good thing that I support.

 

[Jon88]

Good. They can get off their asses if it makes them that mad.