Comments on: First Report: Councilman Greenfield Calls For Suspension Of Cops Who Forced Orthodox Jew To Violate Shabbos

By: mik5

mik5 — Thu, 25 Dec 2014 02:33:40 +0000

If he feels that his life will (or might be) in danger if he is put in jail, and he actually thinks that refusing to sign will (or might) land him in jail, then it’s muttar to be mechallel Shabbos.

If not, then it’s assur even with a shinui.

By: princess17

princess17 — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:11:49 +0000

best bubby i dont agree at all because in this day and age you never know what a polica can do to someone!!! In germany the germans woulve tortured or killed jews if they didnt write and even though bh we are not in germany you never know how anti semetic someone is!! also when a person is so scared they can`t think logically!!

By: YonasonW

YonasonW — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:11:43 +0000

I wonder if the officers made rather stupid mistakes out of ignorance – that would be a lot less dramatic than all of the antisemitism allegations and the clarion calls for a mayoral resignation and the like. I think alot of you get your kicks from this sort of story, blowing them up into major incidents without asking even the most elementry of questions. I’d bet my black hat that you think you know all of the answers.

By: BOND

BOND — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:42:13 +0000

The reality is Rabbi Emert who I know personally is the most simple and sincere person.Anyone has a right to say what they want and to blog as they please , but in Brooklyn,NY USA 2010,police officers know that Jews do not write or drive on Shabbos. Just three weeks ago was the Kings Highway Shabbos Parade and the 61st PCT was sent out to help out and block traffic during the walk, so they do know quite well that we do not drive or write our name, etc on the Sabbath. Incidentally a boy from the Mirrer Yeshiva last Wednesday was mugged and was told by the Police to come down on Saturday to fill out a police report which Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg when asked what to do, forbid him to do so as h may not violate Shabbos and it is very possible that if we do nothing about this Anti Semitic Acts by the Police Department Employees the future can be bleak.I was old that Police Chief Fox is quite upset and is looking into the matter that happened Friday night wth Rabbi Emert. May he get to the bottom of this and make sure that the whole 61st Precinct know that we are not trying to take advantage of any type of situation as we in general “LAW ABIDING CITIZENS”, but we must neverhave to fear that our Shabbos can be violated again.

By: cccr

cccr — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:40:54 +0000

Do you think they would have let him WALK to the station to be arrested? He would have been forced to get in the car. (After all, the cops did not let him walk the half-block to his home to show his ID) I imagine he wrote with a shinui, hoping that it would be better than dirving in a car.

Also, #18, no one expects a cop to be familiar with all hilchos Shabbos but they should know enough that there are rules that they are not familiar with, and when someone who seems to be cooperating, tells them a rule, there is no reason not to work with the person.

By: AinOhdMilvado

AinOhdMilvado — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:29:38 +0000

These cops should be re-assigned to East New York or Bed-Stuy where their tough guy attitude is more suitable for a tougher kind of perp.
They have to learn there is a difference in attitude they should demonstrate when the “perp” is a well-dressed mild-mannered jaywalker and when the “perp” is an armed robber.

By: AinOhdMilvado

AinOhdMilvado — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:24:19 +0000

Love all the Monday-morning quarterback posaiks.
Not so easy to posken when you’re on the spot with 2 cops intimidating you.

By: Genug

Genug — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:23:24 +0000

please lets have the names of the police officers.
1. to see if they have a history of acting this way.
2. to be aware when they approach you.
3. to let them know, that we citizens WILL defend our rights

By: Shlomo2

Shlomo2 — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:37:33 +0000

1) Don’t jaywalk, especially at night. It’s illegal for a reason.
2) Being stopped by a cop is not defacto antisemitism: we are not above the law.
3) The cops have a good reason for not going to the home or shul: they would have put themselves into a situation with more people, even a crowd, and had more difficulties controlling the situation.

Nevertheless,
4) There is no reason (and certainly not in the Patrol Guide) for a cop to not accept the word of someone but then force the person to write the information.
5) Forcing a Jew to write on Shabbos was inexcusable: it made no sense legally or procedurally.
6) Cops have room for discretion and should use common sense: that apparently did not happen in this case [and I'm not saying the cops should not enforce jay walking regulations: I've seen too many pedestrians injured and killed to think jay walking is not a problem].

Finally,
7) Our response needs to be measured. We are NOT in Tzarist Russia but neither are we in our own land. Making this a huge political issue only gives fodder to the antisemitic feelings of some cops who think that our community (1) feels above the law and (2) has such political power that we actually are above the law.
Yes, we need to protect our rights. But we need to exercise some common sense in dealing with two cops who allegedly didn’t use their own common sense. Calling for their immediate termination is overkill.

By: Helpful

Helpful — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:24:03 +0000

The Yid TOLD the cop he was forbidden to write.