NY State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said that the treatment of a Hasidic rabbi and his family from Boro Park by a Vermont State Trooper is being investigated by the Internal Affairs Department of the Vermont State Police.
While traveling through Vermont on their way to New Hampshire, Rabbi Berl Fink and his family were handcuffed at gunpoint and terrorized by a State Trooper in what appears to be a bias incident.
Assemblyman Hikind praised Vermont Governor Phil Scott and Colonel Matthew Birmingham, the Director of the Vermont State Police, for responding immediately to the Assemblyman’s call for an investigation.
Rabbi Berl Fink, age 57, a noted scholar and author who resides in Brooklyn, and his wife Blimie Fink, a Brooklyn school principal, were traveling with their two children on Monday evening, August 7, when they were pulled over by a State Trooper. The officer pointed a gun at family members, including a minor, and proceeded to roughly handle and handcuff each family member in turn. Prior to being cuffed, Mrs. Fink had the good sense to call 911 to report what was occurring so other police officers soon arrived. After 20 minutes of being held, the officer changed his mind, apparently, and released the family, stating that he needed to respond to another, more urgent call. Mr. Fink was issued a summons for eluding a police officer.
The Finks called the State Police the next day to lodge a complaint. They spoke with Sergeant Lyle Becker who told them the incident occurred because the trooper thought Mr. Fink was drunk and had been weaving between lanes, yet no breathalyzer test was administered at the scene. The Sergeant also told the Finks that they had been speeding, yet no speeding ticket was issued.
“The Finks mode of dress made it clear that they were Hassidic Jews, a sight that may be uncommon in Vermont but one that is hardly a crime,” said Hikind. “It would be difficult to mistake the Fink family for people who might pose a danger to police officers, yet they were subjected to having a gun pointed at them, being handcuffed, terrorized and humiliated. This entire incident has left the Fink family traumatized and fearful of travel. I am appalled that any family would be treated like this when it is clearly apparent that they were not even suspected of criminal activity.
“It was only this morning that I contacted Vermont Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont State Police to demand an investigation. Their immediate response shows that Vermont takes matters like these very seriously. On behalf of the Finks and our community, I am grateful to Governor Scott and Colonel Birmingham for their immediate response. I am eager to see the results of this investigation and will continue to monitor the situation carefully.”
Trump has nothing to do with this. Do you really think this cop would not have done this to this family if Hilliary was in office instead of Trump? Do you really think there were no antisemitic cops when Obama was in office? You obviously have an agenda against Trump as if the Democrats who had strongly attacked Sarah Palin for having in Israeli flag pin in her office as a ‘shill for Israel’ are not viciously antisemitic. Or how about Hilliary who said a curse word against Jews and then complained ‘they didn’t even vote for us’. She also… Read more »
and handcuffing under gunpoint. What might have been his ulterior motive, can you maybe imagine??
what makes you think rabbi fink is not sympathetic to innocent people getting pulled over for nothing be they blacks, jews, or others?
methinks i detect a slight whiff of ” the jews are to blame for my problems” attitude in your statement, and isn’t that, too, discriminatory?
hope for an update on this horrible act of terror that they had to endure!
You are wrong. the reason that blacks get pulled over often is simply because they are more criminal., 50% of crime is committed by 13% percent of the populations. Yechi hamelech moshiach now
This is the most outrageous unacceptable incident.
To #10. It is irrelevant whether they are well respected or not, totally irrelevant.
Something like this should never happen to anyone regardless of who they are.
I live in Melbourne, Australia, and officers in the Victoria Police (the state of Victoria’s police force) rarely draw their guns. I’ve spoken to police officers and one sais that he’d only drawn his gun once; when he didn’t know whether or not a guy had a weapon. I think that police officer is the drunk one, not Rabbi Fink.
“Even” if the driver was weaving, was drunk, and was speeding, what crime did the 3 passengers commit?
Something smells here, and I think it’s the trooper!
That image of that state trooper/car. Mamesh looks like an image of “ba lesaten lo’ baderech”. Imagine pulling up to the stop sign with that thing in front of you in the middle of nowhere..sends chills
Really? Attacking Hikind for standing up to a clearly anti semitic action? All politics aside, but are you actually defending the fact that this was not a biased episode? What are you afraid of when you see a Chassidishe family with little kids in the car that prompts you to arrest the entire family? Getting a matzoh ball thrown at your direction?
TRUMP! TRUMP! TRUM…wait did these really happen?
Trump good everyone else bad. Trump can do no wrong. NOT denouncing blatant anti semitic groups quickly enough or strongly enough does no damage see?
And enough excuses when anti semitic incidents happen, I agree get out of your silly denial!
Open your eyes Yidden of America, this is only one incident of many.
You’re a Jew. Defend your own people. We have enough work to do with our own people. Use your energy to improve the lives of religious Hasidic Jews instead of black people. The blacks have enough on their side.
Liberal State-
any questions?
All the evils are coming to the top now before Moshiach. Anti-semitism is on the rise and it is , no doubt, that this was an anti-semitic incident. Vermont – can you get any more left than that?
Finally an outcry over police misconduct. But for some reason when it happens to a black person you all say it’s their fault somehow. Smh…
The Yidden are big time in denial!
Spitting nonsense and stupidity out of their brains
You are 100% unfortunately right!
But there will be no holocaust
There will be MOSHIACH!
They are well respected people in their community. Can there be any justification? Really??
sue sue and sue!! the only way they learn!!
if mrs fink called 911 it is because she knew they were not guilty of anything otherwise she knew theres nothing to call for
please no. 2 and 3 take the story as it is instead of comparing now to the black person, o my ,
But Nazis began by arresting Jews for no reason. The Jews kept waiting for it to pass…. One incident after another…then goodbye government and hello Gestapo. Now this sounds a bit dramatic but if you don’t nip it in the bud it can grow. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. If a black family was pulled over and held at gunpoint, the city would be in flames by now anti white supremacist cops riots… Let’s make sure we seek proper justice. Not through rioting, but we must speak out. An outcry is necessary. Being submissive didn’t work in Germany. We need faith… Read more »
Whoever you are, I am very impressed! I am not black, but I appreciate the empathy and depth of thought in your comment. Thank you.
cops think they could do what ever they want just because..!
what they did was totaly illegal! they have no right to touch you or your car without an official reason!
next time a cop randomly pulls you over and asks for your id ask him back what is his id and badge number! and ask him why u r being detained!
dont just let them control u for no reason!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcytceSv7V4
“What do you think people who might pose a danger to police officers look like?”
I’m not 100% sure what they look like (although I can try and imagine) but definitely not like a family of four chaidic Jews…
Assuming the recital of facts is correct, what made Hikind jump to the conclusion that antisemitism played any role in this incident? “The Finks mode of dress made it clear that they were Hassidic Jews”; true enough but how is it relevant? This sounds exactly like every time something happens to a black person and he immediately assumes it was because he’s black. cf Michael Bennett.
“It would be difficult to mistake the Fink family for people who might pose a danger to police officers”. What do you think people who might pose a danger to police officers look like?
Perhaps Rabbi Fink can now give talks and explains what it feels like for black people every time they are pulled over
If Rebbitzin Fink hadn’t had the presence of mind to call 911 immediately who knows how far this might have gone, Chas V’sholem. This guy presents a danger to any religiously attired Jew that might need to travel through that area. And apparently he has someone to cover up for his terrorism at his base also.