2 NOVEMBER 10 - NOVEMBER 16, 2017 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
BROOKLYN COPS ACCUSED
OF RAPING TEEN RESIGN
The two police officers accused of raping a
teenager in a police van in southern Brooklyn last
month have left their jobs at the NYPD.
Police officers Eddie Martins and Richard Hall,
formerly assigned to Brooklyn South Narcotics
Division, appeared on their own at Police Headquarters
Monday, November 6 and resigned.
The duo – charged in a 50-count indictment that
includes first-degree rape, first-degree criminal
sexual act and second-degree kidnapping, among
other charges – were originally scheduled for a
department trial on Thursday, November 9.
According to the indictment, Martins and Hall
are said to have taken turns raping an 18-year-old
girl in the back of their van after handcuffing her
and placing her under arrest for drug possession.
If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.
BROOKLYN POL LOOKS TO
MAKE ROAD RAGE A CRIME
A Brooklyn pol is looking to tackle road rage
head-on.
Councilmember David Greenfield – whose district
encompasses Midwood, Borough Park and
Bensonhurst – introduced a bill earlier this month
that would designate road rage as its own crime for
the first time in the city’s history.
The bill – Intro. 1752 – would make it a Class B
misdemeanor to engage in threatening or violent
behavior towards the operator or occupants of a
vehicle. These misdemeanors would be punishable
by up to three months in prison or a $500 fine.
California is currently the only state in the country
with a law against road rage.
POLS CALL FOR BETTER
PROTECTION OF CONEY
BOARDWALK
Two southern Brooklyn pols have renewed their
call for the implementation of pedestrian safety
upgrades for the storied Coney Island Riegelmann
Boardwalk.
The push – being led by Councilmembers Mark
Treyger and Chaim Deutsch – comes in the wake
of the recent terrorist attack in lower Manhattan
on October 31 in which eight people lost their
lives after a vehicle was used as a weapon against
pedestrians and cyclists. In letters addressed to
Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner James
O’Neill and Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver,
the duo has asked the city to install retractable
fortified bollards at appropriate entry points to the
Boardwalk, restricting access to city or authorized
vehicles only.
The Boardwalk — first opened in 1923 — attracts
masses well beyond the summer season.
—Meaghan McGoldrick
Man arrested for writing "Go
home, Uzbeks" in apartment
building in Bensonhurst area
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
A 28-year-old man was
arrested and charged
with criminal mischief
as a hate crime and making
graffiti after writing “Go home
Uzbeks” in a Bensonhurst
apartment building.
According to authorities,
Dmitriy Gekhman was busted
on Wednesday, November 1 at
around 7 p.m. at the apartment
building at Bay Parkway and
Cropsey Avenue where he resides
after he allegedly wrote
in black marker “(Expletive)
Uzbeks go home” on the wall
and “Go home Uzbeks” at a
separate spot in the building.
A police source told this
paper that the locations of
the graffiti were outside the
suspect's apartment and near
the elevator on the floor on
which he lives. According to
the source, the suspect was
captured on video in the act of
making the graffiti.
The incident occurred just
a day after Uzbek immigrant
Sayfullo Saipov, who faces
federal terrorism charges, allegedly
committed the largest
terror attack in New York City
since September 11, 2001.
Saipov allegedly used a
rented Home Depot truck to
strike and kill eight people
and injure 12 on a bike path in
the Tribeca area. The attacker
claims to have been inspired
by ISIS.
While stressing the need "as
a city and a country, to remain
vigilant about our safety and
security," in the face of people
"who wish to cause harm to us
because they oppose the values,
the freedoms, and the diversity
that our city and country represent,"
local Councilmember
Mark Treyger condemned the
graffiti, expressing his fervent
hope that New Yorkers remain
united following the attack.
“I was disgusted and
disturbed when the NYPD
informed me that last night,
officers responded to a report
of a hateful message directed
at Uzbek New Yorkers written
on the walls of a Bensonhurst
building,” he wrote in a statement.
“The police have arrested
and charged the individual
responsible, but I want to
remind everyone that we must
not give in to fear or mistrust
of our neighbors.
"We cannot judge entire
groups of people based on
the actions of one individual
with hate in his heart," Treyger
continued. "This is a hate
crime that I strongly condemn.
I thank the NYPD for their
swift investigation and notification,
and I urge the district
attorney’s office to expeditiously
prosecute this as a hate
crime. We must strongly reject
attempts to divide our community
with bias and ostracism. In
troubling times, we all need to
stand by one another."
“Once more: Hate’s not a
Brooklyn value,” added Borough
President Eric Adams via
Twitter. “We won’t let bigotry
against Uzbek community, or
any other, divide us.”
The graffiti next to the elevator.