Clueless billionaire NYC mayor on deadly shootout: "Too many guns"
Leroy N. Soetoro
yjrkgD9CH6B800
NEW YORK � The mayor railed against gun violence on Friday, one day
after a street peddler died in a shootout with police outside a hotel in
bustling Times Square.
Raymond Martinez, 25, was killed by a plainclothes sergeant Thursday
after trading gunfire in an area crowded with tourists and holiday
shoppers.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about the shooting while appearing at
a Manhattan charity event, and he used the question to discuss one of
his signature issues � illegal firearms and gun violence in New York and
other big cities.
"We've got to stop this," Bloomberg said. "This is one of the great
public health threats. And our police officers are clearly in danger."
Investigators were trying to determine whether Martinez was selling
illegal weapons before he was fatally wounded in the taxi area of the
landmark Marriott Marquis hotel. They say the gun he fired was reported
stolen in Richmond, Va., on Oct. 28.
"We keep getting this lesson every day," said Bloomberg. "If you think
of all the publicity about the terrible tragedy of Virginia Tech, we
have a Virginia Tech in this country every day. It's just spread across
50 states."
Police say Martinez was carrying several business cards linked to
Virginia gun dealers near Richmond, in Hampton Roads and in Ivor. All
the gun shops declined to comment.
One card had a handwritten message on the back: "I just finished
watching 'The Last Dragon.' I feel sorry for a cop if he think I'm
getting into his paddy wagon," according to police. It's unclear who
wrote the message, apparently referencing a 1985 martial arts movie.
The shootout occurred in the theater district. Bullets shattered windows
at the Broadway Baby souvenir store and a box office.
Broadway Baby manager Jonathan Erlich was still reeling Friday. Police
said he was lucky to be alive.
He said he heard "Boom! Boom! Boom!" and "a quick splat of glass" before
ducking behind the counter.
"That was a bullet!" he recalled screaming.
The slug sliced down the center of a book about the show "Wicked,"
struck a souvenir baseball and lodged in a shelf holding "I Love New
York" T-shirts.
"It's insane no one else got hurt," said Erlich.
Sgt. Christopher Newsom operates a task force that monitors aggressive
panhandling and was patrolling with an anti-crime unit. He recognized
Martinez and his brother from past run-ins. He asked to see tax stamps,
required for street peddling.
Martinez ran; Newsom pursued.
Martinez turned and fired a machine pistol that held 30 rounds, getting
off two shots before it jammed, police said. The officer fired four
times, striking Martinez in the chest and arms.
"We're lucky the weapon jammed," said police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
He said the shooting preliminarily appeared to be within department
guidelines, which allow for deadly force when an officer's life is
threatened.
Martinez's brother, Oliver, returned to the family's Bronx home Thursday
evening after hours in custody. Another brother, Anthony, cried out that
he hates police: "They shot my brother!" he said, hugging Oliver.
Police say it's not uncommon to arrest hawkers on more serious charges.
Police Capt. Edward Winski said there have been more than 400 peddler
arrests this year and illegal activity has been increasing.
Police said the Martinez brothers were cited previously for not having
their stamps. They were also suspected of running a scam: asking
someone's name, writing it on a CD and then demanding payment of $10.
But their cousin, Nailean Arzu, said the slain man had been lawfully
selling CDs for years.
"Everybody loved him," she said. "It's a great loss to the family."
Police spokesman Paul Browne said officers pay special attention to
scams and panhandling during the holidays. Specialized units are set up
in areas, including Times Square and Canal Street, where stolen goods,
knockoffs and scams are prevalent.
"We focus on them this time of the year, because they're preying on
tourists during the Christmas holidays," Browne said.
--
Nancy Pelosi, Democrat criminal, accessory before and after the fact to
Rangel's tax evasion.
slate_leeper
<leroys...@usurper.org> wrote:
>Bloomberg said. "This is one of the great
>public health threats...."
Yeah, and the BATF should be in charge of Swine Flu inoculations.
"They say the gun he fired was reported stolen in Richmond, Va.," Then
they proceed into the "illegal gun sales in Virginia" routine. So why
bring that up if the gun was stolen?
Obviously the media is totally in Bloomberg's pocket.
Protect your civil rights!
Let the politicians know how you feel.
Join or donate to the NRA today!
http://membership.nrahq.org/default.asp?campaignid=XR014887
The true measure of a people's freedom is whether they are armed or not. - Aristotle
rayk...@rnsmte.com
"slate_leeper" <bycy...@spamex.com> wrote in message
news:q92fi5tnnbogbntm8...@4ax.com...
Fuck the NRA compromisers.
Join GOA....no compromise on gunrights
Freedom Man
guns or have hired bodyguards armed with guns.
But John Q. Public, YOU AND I, are left at the mercy of both street
criminals and the white-collar criminals these super-rich, super-powerful
rulers sometimes consort with. Unless of course they ARE such criminals
themselves, and many are.
But who is to blame for our giving up our rights to possess weapons for
self-protection? Who believes and accepts Bloomberg and his ilk, those who
want nothing more than a certainty they are beyond the reach of the public
they exploit and rob far more than serve and protect?
WE ARE!
I believe it was Thomas Jefferson that basically said that those that
willingly give up freedom for the sake of safety will have neither, and
deserve neither!
slate_leeper
If you wish to join GOA, SAF, etc., by all means do so. But remember
that the NRA got us to the point where they can even exist. Which
group do the gun-banners fear most? Which group does the media beat
up? Yes, join the others. But join the NRA too!
-dan z-
Wayne
far, that includes 4 organizations in addition to the NRA.