Lhota ‘Blames’ De Blasio in Riots

New York City mayoral candidate Joe Lhota was one of the dignitaries at the annual Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) Legislative and Community Tribute Breakfast, on Sunday.

He was joined by many communal activists, elected officials and organizational leaders, as well as New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly who Lhota vowed to keep in office if elected.

Absent was his Democratic rival, Bill de Blasio, who is currently dunking inquiries about his time as a young City Hall aide under then Mayor David Dinkins during the 1991 Crown Heights riots.

Following a New York Daily News article, Lhota called the city’s response to the riots an “unmitigated failure” — and said rival Bill de Blasio deserves some of the blame.

Lhota accused de Blasio of being part of the chain of communication and management failures that were responsible for the city’s slow response in ending the unrest.

“Dealing with that riot that happened in Crown Heights was an unmitigated failure because information wasn’t being given to the people at the top,” he said.

“Bill de Blasio was given information by people in the community. They’ve all testified to that effect. And it didn’t get — it stayed there, it stayed with Bill de Blasio. Yes, he has a role to play.”

At the time of the Crown Heights unrest, de Blasio was “special assistant” to then Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch, who was Dinkins’ point man in dealing with the crisis, the Daily News said.

Kelly and Lhota seemed chummy at the Boro Park event, but no mention was made to the riots which Kelly helped dispel after Dinkins involved his as a last resort.

In a riveting keynote address, Commissioner Kelly contrasted the current low crime stats in the city with 1990 when there were 2,245 murders in the city. “This year New York City is on pace for just 330 murders, which would be another record low,” he said.

He mentioned that after the terror attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai, the NYPD was the first law-enforcement agency to visit India to investigate the attack, in an effort to prevent such incidents in the future.

“The fact that we have not been attacked since (9/11) is no accident,” said the Commissioner, “but rather due to the vigilant efforts of the NYPD, especially the counter-terrorism unit.”

Led by Executive Director Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, the Boro Park JCC is a one-stop-shop for the social service needs of the Greater Boro Park community providing over 20,000 client services yearly with access to government benefits, career counseling, crisis assistance and immigration services.

The program commenced with Congressman Jerry Nadler receiving the National Legislative Leadership Award in recognition of his overall commitment to the Boro Park community, which was presented by Assemblyman Jim Brennan.

Ann Linehan, the Deputy Director of the office of Head Start at the US Department of Health and Human Services, received the Community Appreciation Award on behalf of the entire Boro Park community, for her support of local Head Start programs.

Other awardees at the event included New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Rabbi Aron Wajsfeld.

Additional speakers at the event included Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, his rival Ken Thompson, Manhattan Boro President and democratic nominee for Comptroller nominee Scott Stringer and Councilmember Tish James who is the Democratic candidate for Public Advocate.

There was a group of Lubavitchers from Crown Heights there as well.