Abuse of power
The defendant in one case is the head of the International Monetary Fund. The two defendants in another case are police officers at the Ninth Precinct. Of course, it’s innocent until proven guilty — but these cases share one thing in common: The possible disgraceful abuse of power by men in authority over women in the form of sex crimes.
I.M.F. chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is extremely wealthy and was considered a frontrunner to win France’s presidency. On the other hand, the two police officers on trial for the rape of an East Village woman two-and-a-half years ago, Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata, are blue collar. But one thing that “DSK,” Moreno and Mata may possibly all share is having been guilty of grossly abusing their power — specifically in sex crimes against far less powerful, or virtually powerless, female victims.
Strauss-Kahn is accused of the sexual assault and attempted rape of a West African immigrant cleaning woman. The scenario virtually evokes colonial “rape” writ small, in a Midtown hotel. The parallels are hard to deny: A powerful white European, and a struggling woman of color. Innocent until proven guilty… .
Officer Moreno is accused of raping a woman who was so drunk that she was fading in and out of semi-consciousness, unaware of what was going on until she felt him having sex with her. There was no reason for these officers to return to this woman’s apartment three more times after helping her get safely inside. If she was dangerously intoxicated, she should have been taken directly to a hospital or E.M.S. should have been called. Why weren’t these officers doing their job and out on their beat protecting our neighborhood — which is what our tax dollars are paying them to do? Most police officers are good people and do a good job, a critical job. But the abuse of the power of the badge is a terrible thing. Again, innocent until proven guilty… .
The ultimate power, however, rests in our judicial system. The female victims in these cases either have been or will be put through the ringer by the defense attorneys. And they are courageous for taking action against their alleged sexual abusers. Some say, “might makes right,” but, hopefully, in both of these cases, right will win out, and if the defendants did abhorrently abuse their power, they will pay the consequences.
L.M.D.C. disappoints
Once again, we are compelled to question the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation in its recent actions, which we believe prove that the agency’s time has come and gone.
On Monday evening L.M.D.C. President David Emil appeared before the Community Board 1 World Trade Center Redevelopment Committee to present what was supposed to be an accurate, transparent accounting of the remaining federal funds allocated for Lower Manhattan’s rebuilding. A year ago he told the same committee there were substantial funds yet to be allocated for their programmed purposes. Various amounts of that money were eventually directed toward the community’s needs.
But on Monday, Emil was not prepared and was unable to clearly state the facts the community needs to know. For example, while he did manage to go through each category the agency has set up to disburse the allocated funds, he was unable simply to say what his agency’s annual operating budget is.
This latest misstep should signal the urgent need to implement a sunset plan for an agency that is rapidly becoming no longer an asset to taxpayers, but a burden.
