Why Newark Matters; Newark Mayor Chases Suspect, but His Guards Make the Grab
I hadn't heard that Cory was chasing down robbers -- I love it! It made a good lead-in to a NYT editorial today:
Here are more of the details on Cory chasing the robber:Editorial
Why Newark Matters After helping the police chase down a robbery suspect in downtown Newark the other day, Mayor Cory Booker shouted at the man, “Not in our city anymore.” The new mayor’s words and actions may have been melodramatic, but they symbolized the hopes he has raised for Newark, and for other struggling small cities that are watching his progress.
Newark, a city of 270,000, has struggled for years under the burdens of crime, poverty, failing schools and corruption. Mr. Booker has come to power on the promise that he can succeed where others have failed. His personal magnetism, his command of the issues and his willingness to challenge conventional wisdom have attracted national attention to Newark’s plight.
Not long after his inauguration on July 1, Mr. Booker announced a typically ambitious plan to reorganize Newark’s notoriously inefficient municipal government over the next 100 days. A more cautious public official might have added, as John F. Kennedy did in his inaugural address, that such problems cannot be solved in 100 days, or 1,000 days, or even in the life of a single administration. Instead, Mr. Booker has set a deadline and invited Newark residents to hold him to it.
His urgency is understandable. Newark’s moment is now. If the city is to rid itself of corruption and shady dealing, if its demoralized police force is to be reinvigorated, and if businesses are to be convinced that the city is a sound investment, Mr. Booker cannot afford to linger.
-----------------------When Mr. Booker reached the group, he began shouting at the robber: “Not in our city anymore! These days are over!”
Mr. Valentin and Mr. Isaac were recently selected to be guards for Mr. Booker, who recently received death threats from gang leaders in prison.
“These guys, who obviously sprint faster than their mayor, saved a situation from getting far worse,” Mr. Booker said with a laugh.
“I was embarrassed by my own security detail, which I will never forgive them for.”
Newark Mayor Chases Suspect, but His Guards Make the Grab
Mayor Cory A. Booker began his term on July 1 in Newark vowing to reduce crime with a program of zero-tolerance policing.
Yesterday afternoon, the new mayor — along with two police officers in his security detail — had a firsthand opportunity to put that policy into effect.
In a city known for rampant crime and a murder rate that has been rising even as it has been generally falling nationwide, it is not unheard-of to see crimes take place in broad daylight.
Sometimes they even take place in front of City Hall.
Mayor Booker and his guards left Newark’s City Hall around 12:30 p.m. yesterday for a meeting and stumbled upon what appeared to be a confrontation across the street: a police officer and a man in a standoff on Broad Street. The officer held a gun and the man wielded a pair of scissors.
The police later said that the man had just robbed a customer in the City National Bank of hundreds of dollars. In escaping the bank, the man was brushed by a car and fell.
When a nearby police officer went to help him, the man tried to stab the officer with the scissors, but missed, Mr. Booker said. The officer drew his gun as the suspect was running away.
Mr. Booker, 37, who played tight end on Stanford University’s football team, said, “I took off my jacket and gave chase.”
posted by Whitney Tilson at 11:37 PM
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