Violence Cannot Get A Free Ride

Religions cannot get a free ride on violence because they claim that the punishment will go against their religious beliefs.

Hasids who beat gay black man try to dodge service in ‘diverse’ neighborhood
NY Post
By Emily Saul
August 9, 2016

Two Shomrim thugs who copped a cushy plea deal to dodge jail for beating a gay black man are now refusing to even do their community service — because it would be in a “culturally diverse neighborhood.’’

Pinchas Braver, 22, and Abraham Winkler, 42, admitted to helping to beat fashion student Taj Patterson as he walked down a Williamsburg street in December 2013.

Patterson was pummeled so badly, he suffered a broken orbital socket and torn retina, leaving him permanently blind in one eye.

Braver, Winkler and a third man — all members of the Orthodox Jewish watchdog patrol group — were charged with gang hate crime, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 25 years.

Braver and Winkler agreed to plead guilty to unlawful imprisonment in exchange for three years’ probation, paying $1,400 in restitution and performing 150 hours of community service in a “culturally diverse neighborhood.’’

But now…

Sentencing of Brooklyn Hasidic men on trial for beating gay black man delayed due to questionable community service
New York Daily News
By Christina Carrega-Woodby
August 10, 2016


Braver, 22, and Winkler, 42, will also receive three years probation and pay $1400 in restitution.

Their attorneys advised Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun during a sidebar conference on Tuesday that their clients want to participate with Chai Lifeline for their community service.

According to the organization’s website, they offer a number of services for Jewish children with life threatening illness.

“The people have concerns with the organization, under the plea the community service was to be in a culturally diverse atmosphere,” the judge said after the parties took a brief break to quickly research the organization.

This should now be allowed! The assault was hate crime, they attacked the person because he was gay and by allowing them to do their community service in their own religious community would reinforce their biases. In addition they agreed to do the community service in a culturally diverse atmosphere, they are reneging on their agreement.

But that is not all, the organization that they are from receive government funding for their community policing.

City Freezes Funding To Brooklyn Jewish Neighborhood Patrol After Member's Arrest
Gothamist
By Nathan Tempey
April 21, 2016

The city is stopping $35,000 in taxpayer funding to the Boro Park Shomrim, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish volunteer neighborhood patrol group, after federal agents arrested one of its leaders for allegedly bribing police to issue gun licenses to people who would otherwise have been ineligible.

The money was set aside for the group last summer by Brooklyn councilmen David Greenfield and Chaim Deutsch, and the mayor's office is holding off on signing for the payments until, a spokeswoman said, City Hall assesses that the Shomrim group is "a responsible vendor."

Politico New York reported that the city gave the organization $425,708 from 2010 to 2015, including two $10,000 grants from Mayor Bill de Blasio when he was the neighborhood's councilman.

This isn’t the first time that this neighborhood patrol group got into trouble for harassing people.

In 2010, Shomrim members accosted and beat a man named David Flores, who they accused of public masturbation, and he shot four of them in the ensuing struggle, none fatally. At trial, he was cleared of 15 charges in connection with the shooting, and convicted only of weapon possession, after jurors found that the volunteer patrolmen may not have had cause to stop Flores, and may have been the aggressors.

These two men cannot be allow to receive special treatment because of their religious beliefs, they should face the same punishment as anyone else would receive.