A spokesman for the New York Police Department scolded Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz for saying earlier on Tuesday that law enforcement should patrol Muslim neighborhoods.
“Hey, @TedCruz are our nearly 1k Muslim officers a ‘threat’ too? It’s hard to imagine a more incendiary, foolish statement,” J. Peter Donald, director of communications for NYPD tweeted late Tuesday.
The tweet was preceded by NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton condemnation of Cruz’s approach, saying it was exactly why the Texas senator would not win the election.
“I would remind the senator that he lives in the United States of America, and the statements he made today is why he’s not gonna become the president of this country, because we don’t need a president that doesn’t respect the values that form the foundation of this country,” Bratton said Tuesday.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also blasted Cruz’s plan, “It’s reprehensible … His comments are not about safety and security, it’s demagoguery.”
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
In response to terrorist attacks in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday morning, Cruz had posted a plan on Facebook for combatting terrorism, “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 need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
Although Trump’s criticism was directed at Cruz only, GOP front-runner Donald Trump backed Cruz’s calls for a strategy that places police officers in Muslim neighborhoods in an interview with CNN Tuesday evening.
“I would support that. Yes, 100 percent. I bet you the local police know much more about what’s going on than anybody would understand … they know the gang members. Local police know plenty about the Muslims, too, but the police have been so hurt and so left out and so discouraged by what’s happening,” Trump said, referring to officer-related incidents that have sparked ongoing controversy.
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Trump cited the example of Paris attacks suspect Salah Abdeslam, who was arrested Friday outside Brussels. The New York businessman claimed people in that neighborhood knew he was there, but didn’t turn him in because of their shared religion.
