Posted on 10/12/2009 10:14:34 PM PDT by neverdem
Anthony Lawrence and Shamel King are charged with dealing drugs - but the city doled out $157,500 to them in legal settlements.
Mayor Bloomberg Sunday defended city bureaucrats who handed out half a million bucks to members of a violent Brooklyn drug gang who sued the Police Department.
"The city gets sued 200 times a week," Bloomberg told the Daily News. "We take as many cases to trial as we possibly can, but we would [go] bankrupt if we tried to defend every one of them."
The mayor was reacting to a front-page News exclusive that exposed a city practice of settling most lawsuits instead of facing expensive jury verdicts.
Accused crack dealers in Brooklyn's East 21st Street Crew collected more than $500,000 from more than 20 lawsuits that never went to trial.
"An awful lot of the people that we have to settle with take advantage, these [accused dealers] included," Bloomberg said. "But that's just the real world. ... You're settling for small amounts of money compared to what they could win in a jury trial."
It was an explanation that didn't fly in East Flatbush, where the drug crew allegedly has wreaked havoc for years.
"They should be locked up instead of being compensated for criminal activity," said Rosa Poblete, 54, a 30-year resident.
City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens) said the problem is bigger than this gang. "The word is on the street that it's easy money to sue the city," said Vallone.
WHAT??????
WHAT??????
And this is the guy who is DEFINITELY going to get another term as MAYOR?????
What an idiot...
Sickening.
Obama wants to do this for the Taliban
Liberals are far worse than the gangs they subsidize.
bump
Did NYC farg up? Keystone Kops? One of these guys was arrested 37 times and was cleared every single time. That’ll get your harassment lawsuit going.
TAX the gangs especially the drug gangs.. tax them out of existence.. Certify, permit, and license them.. to be gangs..
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