| Idiots. Still, the natural consequences follow naturally. Lets check back in six months to see if they still want it. | [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] One of New York City's most violent neighborhoods has banned uniformed police officers - all in the name of safety.
A two-block corridor in a crime-plagued stretch of Brownsville, along Mother Gaston Boulevard, where shootings and robberies have long terrified residents, was declared a 'police-free zone' for five days earlier this month.
Instead of officers, community patrols moved in under an arrangement funded by the city itself under a controversial initiative known as the Brownsville Safety Alliance (BSA).
The project, once a twice-yearly pilot under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, now runs four times a year and aims to prove that residents can keep the peace on their own.
During its latest operation, from October 7 to 11, uniformed officers were told to stay out of the two-block zone, within the NYPD's 73rd Precinct, from noon to 6pm, leaving a community group called Brownsville In Violence Out to respond to nonviolent calls.
A flyer posted in the area declared that 'no on-duty uniformed members of service are to enter this area unless responding to an extreme police emergency (e.g. person shot, stabbed, etc.),' adding that the initiative was being 'monitored at the Police Commissioner level.'
The sign was first reported by retired officer John Macari on his podcast and quickly ignited fury within NYPD ranks.
'There is no police free zone,' an NYPD spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
'That was an unauthorized sign that was posted, and the signs have been removed. Nothing has changed about our operations or deployment there.
'We can't control if people choose to call 911 or not, we can only control how the calls are routed, and the NYPD is not passing any 911 jobs to these groups. The NYPD is handling all calls for service.'
One police source warned the experiment 'has the potential to go sideways quickly.'
'This is the way that this new guy wants us to go,' the source said, referring to Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a self-described socialist and rising mayoral frontrunner who has praised the program.
'The brass are trying to appeal to him. It's insane,' the source told the New York Post
Dushoun 'Bigga' Almond, the program director for Brownsville In Violence Out, confirmed that Mamdani has backed the concept and even visited one of the police-free zones last April.
Of course, he brought his own armed security
'He believes in what we do,' Almond said. 'They're not gone, but they give us our room to control the block.'
Almond said his team, around 20 community members, handle low-level 911 calls like 'a disturbance in a store' or 'guys drinking on the block.'
or "Bodega selling pork"
'We use our credibility,' he said. 'We try to alleviate the situation. There's really no pushback because they don't want any problems.'
Each event includes tables for locals seeking help with healthcare, housing, addiction, or employment.
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