Christine Quinn, The IG & Controlled Opposition

Danny Panzella March 25 2013

Up until recently Christine Quinn has opposed the idea of an Inspector General position to oversee the conduct of the New York Police Department. She has also said that she would keep Police Commissioner Ray Kelly on if she was elected mayor. This is a completely incongruent position. How can Quinn argue that the NYPD needs more oversight because of its gross abuses of civil liberties, and yet want to keep the current commissioner who has implemented many of the offending policies including spying on the Muslim community and the unconstitutional stop and frisk program.

Now the Mayor and Quinn are putting on a political show. Quinn acting as the liberal who cares about civil liberties, while Bloomberg comes off as the "law and order" man blasting the idea of an Inspector General, going so far as to say it would actually increase crime. 

The mayor asked, "Why would someone who wants to become mayor, agree to give up power even before taking office?" during his radio address last week.

"This bill when it becomes law would not as Mayor Bloomberg said this morning denude the mayor's authority since the mayor's own commissioner would be responsible for the monitoring," replyed Quinn during a press conference.

At least Quinn is being honest about that, the bill as introduced creates the Inspector General as an appointee of the Mayor. The Mayor will hold the police commissioner accountable, and will also control the NYPD "accountability." 

Mayoral Candidate Sal Albanese called Quinn out for her act, highlighting the fact that the IG position would be appointed by the mayor and therefore would provide no independent oversight of the NYPD. It looks to me that this is going to be a political theater jobs program for some of Quinns cronies if she is elected.

Albanese also brought up the fact that the NYC Council already has the power to regulate the NYPD. It is unclear if Albanese's record is any better.

"The fact is that the New York City Council has subpoena power and oversight responsibilities. There is nothing preventing you as the Speaker from exercising those powers. During his eight years on the Council, there was nothing preventing Mr. de Blasio from doing so. Yet neither of you bothered, even as tensions between communities and police rose. " Said Albanese in an open letter to Speaker Quinn.

As speaker of the NYC Council Quinn has never made any significant effort to curb the NYPD. The term "controlled opposition" comes to mind.

Controlled opposition is a protest movement that is actually being led by government agents. Nearly all governments in history have employed this technique to trick and subdue their adversaries. Vladimir Lenin said "The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves."

The Peaceful Streets Project NYC emphatically refuses to support the Inspector General bill as submitted, Christine Quinn or Ray Kelly. If New Yorkers fall for this show and elect Christine Quinn as the mayor of NYC it will be a fourth term for Michael Bloomberg & Ray Kelly.