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NYPD Blasts Ted Cruz’s Call to ‘Secure’ Muslim Communities
In the wake of another European terrorist attack, lives are shattered, fear and panic are widespread, and some U.S. officials have been quick to rear their prejudices on American citizens, but the country’s largest police force isn’t taking one presidential candidate’s words lightly.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz posted on Facebook his response to the Belgian bombing that took place Tuesday and has been widely criticized for his call to have law enforcement “secure” Muslim neighborhoods, despite no feasible way to do so, nor with any indication that it would actually prevent such an attack or the radicalization of Muslim Americans.
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized,” he said.
The full post:
“Today radical Islamic terrorists targeted the men and women of Brussels as they went to work on a spring morning. In a series of co-ordinated attacks they murdered and maimed dozens of innocent commuters at subway stations and travelers at the airport.
“For the terrorists, the identities of the victims were irrelevant. They–we—are all part of an intolerable culture that they have vowed to destroy.
“For years, the West has tried to deny this enemy exists out of a combination of political correctness and fear. We can no longer afford either.
“Our European allies are now seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods.
“We will do what we can to help them fight this scourge, and redouble our efforts to make sure it does not happen here.
“We need to immediately halt the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al Qaida or ISIS presence.
“We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.
“We need to secure the southern border to prevent terrorist infiltration.
“And we need to execute a coherent campaign to utterly destroy ISIS.
“The days of the United States voluntarily surrendering to the enemy to show how progressive and enlightened we can be are at an end. Our country is at stake.”
While some might support these actions, one surprising group had a strong response to Cruz’s rhetoric.
J. Peter Donald, NYPD communications director, tweeted at Cruz, “Are our nearly 1k Muslim officers a ‘threat’ too? It’s hard to imagine a more incendiary, foolish statement.”
Hey, @tedcruz are our nearly 1k Muslim officers a "threat" too? It's hard to imagine a more incendiary, foolish statement
— J. Peter Donald (@JPeterDonald) March 23, 2016
Mayor Bill de Blasio, in a press conference with NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, said, “His comments are not about safety and security. It’s demagoguery.”
Bratton added to de Blasio’s sentiments saying, “I have over 900 very dedicated officers in this department, many of whom do double duty, and they serve as active duty members of the U.S. Military in combat, something the senator has never seen.
“So before he starts denigrating any population, he should take a close look at who he’s denigrating.”
Perhaps Cruz will get the message that the NYPD does not want to cooperate with some of his policies.