Nation

Park Gate Welded Shut In Jewish Neighborhood. NYC Mayor’s Office Defends It.

Published

4 years ago

June 15, 2020

A video circulating on social media Monday appeared to show a group of men welding the gate shut of a park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a historically Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. The parks in the city remain closed, under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s leadership, however, many are questioning the incident as he continues to allow thousands of residents to protest and even riot in the streets.

The Mayor’s spokesperson Jane Meyer defended the move, telling this reporter that “We know families are looking for relief, and we are watching health indicators closely and simultaneously working on a plan so when it’s safe to open playgrounds, we can.”

When asked if other parks had been welded shut, Meyer explained that “If patrons remove locks that were keeping gates closed, they will be shut again.” Although requested by this reporter, Meyer didn’t provide a list of other parks that had been welded shut across the city.

https://twitter.com/Alfredo11Macias/status/1272227207730139136

Over the last weekend, however, thousands of protestors in Brooklyn were allowed to participate in a Black Lives Matter rally as social distancing orders remained.

Another view of how the NYC Park Dept are welding shut the gates at the Middleton Playground (Lynch Park) so our kids shouldn't be able to play in the hot summer days in the Park. https://t.co/7o0SKlhLnk pic.twitter.com/WBSVNBoRvW

— WILLIAMSBURG NEWS (@WMSBG) June 15, 2020

The Mayor has been pressed for allegedly singling out the Jewish community amid the COVID lockdowns. In fact, he’s put out a series of tweets threatening them with arrest and even Cease and Desist orders.

My message to the Jewish community, and all communities, is this simple: the time for warnings has passed. I have instructed the NYPD to proceed immediately to summons or even arrest those who gather in large groups. This is about stopping this disease and saving lives. Period.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020

Earlier today the NYPD shut down a Yeshiva conducting classes with as many as 70 children. I can’t stress how dangerous this is for our young people. We’re issuing a Cease and Desist Order and will make sure we keep our communities and our kids safe.

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) May 18, 2020

Now, de Blasio has become the center of a lawsuit with both Jewish and Catholic plaintiffs claim “selective enforcement” of the Mayor’s “social distancing orders.” Moreover, their suit alleges that de Blasio prevented them from gathering for religious purposes while allowing thousands to protest in the streets.

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Nation

Elon Musk Fact Checks Biden’s Old Tweet ‘No one is above the law’

Published

18 hours ago

December 2, 2024

Staff Writer

In a clever reaction to President Joe Biden pardoning his son, Hunter, fact-checkers on Elon Musk’s X are flagging Biden’s old post stating “no one is above the law.” Biden’s old post, shared in May, was written as an attack on now-President-elect Donald Trump, but the tables have turned on Biden as he is being heavily criticized for his hypocrisy in placing his son “above the law.”

The New York Post reports:

“It now has a community warning readers: ‘President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for crimes covering nearly 11 years of ‘offenses against the United States which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024.”

After that, Musk added his own proposed note calling out the president, writing: “By pardoning his son Hunter, not merely for a single crime, but for actual or potential crimes he may or may not have created over an eleven-year period, Joe Biden has made clear that some people are, in fact, above the law.”

According to the New York Post, “Hunter Biden, 54, pleaded guilty in September to nine counts tied to bilking Americans of $.1.4 million in taxes and was found guilty of three federal gun charges in June after he was charged with possession of a firearm while addicted to illegal drugs.”

Biden is not only being criticized for pardoning his Hunter, but for going back on his vow that he would not pardon his son. Biden argued in his defense that Hunter was “singled out only because he is my son,” The Post reports. Biden is hitting back saying that critics are only trying to break Hunter’s sobriety.

Musk shared a screenshot on X of his own fact-check with a statement saying “Community Notes slays.” Community Notes is a feature on X that allows users to flag false or misleading content, according to The Post, leaving the fact-checking up to its users rather than staffers.