By:  Mario Mancini

Over the weekend, Mayor Eric Adams led a contingent of City Council members on a police patrol as part of his high-profile campaign to thwart a contentious cop bill. Clad in bullet-proof vests, at least eight lawmakers joined Adams for a Saturday night ride-along with police officers in Harlem and the Bronx, NY Post reported.

The objective was to persuade two council members to reconsider their votes and reject the proposed “How Many Stops” bill, recently vetoed by the mayor. The bill, if passed, would mandate officers to document even minor interactions with New Yorkers, a move Adams believes would burden the police force with unnecessary paperwork.

During the ride-along, lawmakers were immersed in police calls, responding to incidents such as a stolen cell phone and an assault at a Manhattan liquor store. Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-Staten Island) described the experience as “eye-opening” and suggested incorporating such firsthand experiences when crafting legislation. Mayor Adams praised the governance initiative, emphasizing the importance of grounding legislative decisions in the reality of on-the-ground situations.

Adams believes that exposing council members to the challenges faced by police officers during their duties can provide valuable insights. He expressed his desire to make such ride-alongs a routine part of council orientation. Despite Adams’ positive perspective, some council members, particularly from the black subcommittee of the council’s Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus, resisted the ride-along offer. Last week, a dozen members issued a statement asserting they didn’t need a “litmus test” on police work.

Yusef Salaam (D-Manhattan), one of the lawmakers initially part of the ride-along, withdrew after being pulled over by police in Harlem on Friday night. The police cited tinted windows that were too dark under the law, and bodycam footage was released, depicting a polite interaction where the officer left the scene upon Salaam identifying himself as a council member. Salaam, however, voiced discontent, stating that the officer failed to provide a reason for the stop despite his official call status and having his family in the vehicle, which had Georgia license plates.

Salam is one of the infamous “ Central Park 5”.

Front Page Magazine described the horror that the far left media has erased from memory: On the night of April 19, 1989, a group of more than 30 black and Hispanic teenagers — including the aforementioned “Central Park Five” — attacked 28-year-old Trisha Meili while she was jogging in the park. One of the assailants — whose identity would remain unknown for the next 13 years — raped her with vaginal penetration, leaving his DNA inside the woman’s cervix.

As Miss Meili screamed in agony, one or more of her attackers shut her up by fracturing her skull with a lead pipe and mutilating her face with a brick. Meili lost three-quarters of her blood in the assault, and her brain activity could scarcely be detected by medical equipment in the hospital emergency room to which she was later transported. So badly was Meili’s face mangled — one of her eyes had popped out of its socket — that even her boyfriend was able to recognize her only by a familiar ring on her finger.

Salam and his 4 friends were acquitted of the horrific crime but were clearly involved with numerous other beatings, assaults and robberies that evening. The Central Park 5, while portrayed as angels by the media, when brought in by the police in 1989, laughed and sang.