Quote:

Only if we, as voters, compel them to.

Interesting article today from the Star Ledger about Hoboken's aggressive (and seemingly illegal) booting policy. Gives food for thought toward our own city's policy in aggressive ticketing where tickets were completely unwarranted:

The War on Drivers - Link to Article

"Bamboozled" Article About Hoboken Refunds

Paul Mulshine/The Star Ledger


In her ?Bamboozled? column last week, my Star-Ledger colleague Karin Price Mueller reported that the city of Hoboken will have to give refunds to 2,322 drivers who were victimized by the city?s over-aggressive policy of towing cars.

That should add up to a tidy sum. But it would amount to peanuts compared to what the town has taken from drivers whose cars have been booted in apparent violation of state law.

Drive into Hudson County and you risk having the boot put on your car by the money-seeking Democratic machine of Hudson pols like Dawn Zimmer.

Typical was Joby Warrick. He?s a Washington Post reporter who grew up in Ocean County. Warrick now lives in Virginia. His daughter goes to Rutgers.

One evening she visited friends in Hoboken. Driving into Hoboken was her first mistake; the city has declared a jihad on the infidels who drive. Her second mistake was parking in one of those ?residents-only? zones the city has set up to make life even more miserable for those who make the first mistake.

When she got back to her car at 3 a.m., Warrick said, she saw a ticket on the windshield. She threw it in the car and drove away, he said.

?She didn?t know a boot was on the car,? he said. ?She heard a clunk and there?s this piece of metal on the road. It?s Hoboken in the early hours of the morning and she just keeps going.?

When she got home and read the ticket, she found out the clunking sound had come from a boot put on her wheel by some deserving Democrat whose expertise must have not been in the automotive field.


Since Warrick owns the car, it was left to him to sort it out. He soon learned that Hoboken wanted to charge him a $500 ?runaway boot fee? as well as another $300 in assorted fees. After some negotiation, he ended up paying $468, ?all for parking for a couple of hours in a residential zone, with no prior tickets.?

No prior tickets? I had always thought the boot could only be used on the cars of scofflaws.

So did Declan O?Scanlon. That?s not the case. The Monmouth County Republican Assemblyman has been conducting a crusade for drivers? rights. He promptly emailed me a copy of state statute 39:4-139.13, which states that a town may immobilize or tow a car only ?if there are any outstanding warrants against the vehicle.?

When I called Hoboken?s public relations guy, Juan Melli, he told me the city routinely boots cars for parking offense even if there are no outstanding tickets. Melli said he?d get back to me with the number of the statute that permits this.

By day?s end, he had no statute to cite. Instead he sent a statement on behalf of Mayor Dawn Zimmer to the effect that ?The City of Hoboken is currently conducting a comprehensive review of our parking policies and procedures.?

So far, so good. But then Zimmer went on to say, ?I am not sure why a state legislator from South Jersey is providing commentary on issues unrelated to his position ??

"This is just a blatant abuse of motorists." - Assemblyman Declan O'Scanlon.

When I ran that by O?Scanlon, he told me that as a state lawmaker he considers himself fully qualified to comment on state laws. But even if Zimmer could come up with a statute that permits this, he said, she should still be ashamed of herself.

?This is just a blatant abuse of motorists,? he said. ?You?ve got handicapped people, senior citizens returning from dinner, single women, anybody really.?

O?Scanlon, who is the most vocal critic of those dreadful red-light cameras, said this is yet another attempt by towns to partner with private corporations to shake down motorists.

Booting victims in Hoboken are given a phone number to call to pay the ticket and booting fees by phone. They then get a code to release the boot. O?Scanlon said that when he called the number late at night, he got a woman named Tanya who worked in a call center in Seattle. She asked him for a credit card number.

?Let?s say you don?t have a credit card on you,? he said. ?What do you do, sleep on the street??

O?Scanlon said he will be calling on Hoboken and any other city running this scam to reimburse the victims for the booting costs.

That would be a good start. But the big question that needs to be answered is why the state government doesn?t keep an eye on local officials who prey on people.

Maybe Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno can ask the mayor about it next time they chat.

Zimmer seems to have quite a good memory ? except when she forgets to follow the law.

ADD: Declan's email describing his conversation with the woman in Seattle:



Just had a very nice conversation with Tanya - who works in a call center in Seattle Washington. I explained that my car has a boot on it - and then threw in a curve ball that struck me, so to speak. I said I don't have a credit or debit card on me. That led to a lengthy moment of silence - followed by a script that must have been written by a team of lawyers in the bowls of the Hoboken City Hall which explained my options regarding checking account routing numbers, bank names and phone numbers and the need for a live bank representative's sign-off for a third party check authorization. I'm pretty sure there was a mandated cavity check in there somewhere as well but by then my blood was boiling and I wasn't concentrating on the words.

This is outrageous! And what we all have to look forward to should we permit unethical, apparently completely oblivious - or completely unaware, not sure which is worse - elected officials have their way with us. People need to wake up - before it is they - or their daughters - facing the late night boot - or cavity search - for minor infractions. Incredible. And the "I wasn't aware of what my staff was doing or how they were enforcing these ordinances" is no defense. Either you knew about it and are disgusting for authorizing it, or you are the worst kind of pitifully incompetent elected official who doesn't pay attention. Regardless, the entire governing body should resign their seats.

Let me make clear - I completely condone TOWING cars parked in clearly marked fire zones or areas where one might fear something like a terrorist attack. I also condone ticketing cars in clearly marked areas within which the owners should have known they weren't permitted to park. But there is no middle ground where booting cars for minor infractions in order to extort money from the owners is acceptable. If you have critical areas where cars shouldn't be - you don't take action like booting them where you would be essentially guaranteeing the cars would remain in place for a longer period of time. There is just no way that this practice is anything but outrageous.



Also, here's the statute in question. See if you can find any wiggle room here for Zimmer's Hudson County Democratic machine (italics mine):

39:4-139.13. Impoundment or immobilization of vehicle with outstanding warrants; authorization by municipalities by ordinance; sale at auction; reclamation of possession prior to sale; disposition of proceeds.

a. The governing body of every municipality may make, amend, repeal and enforce an ordinance authorizing the impoundment or immobilization of a vehicle found within the jurisdiction of that municipality if there are any outstanding warrants against the vehicle.

Thanks for the good smile - they are iust like my kids - one always leaves the table without cleaning up their dishes - too cute!

With every other problem plaguing the city, this should be at the bottom of the list (or rather, not on the list at all). It is not in the city government's purview to restrict purchasing based upon a politically motivated and arbitrary list of demands to a free market contractor who must already comply with stringent federal firearm legislation. This will give headlines and serve as an "experiment" all on our city's dime (while our kids still suffer with terrible schools, lack of recreation, unsafe streets, etc)

Palisade Avenue in Jersey City will be closed overnight weeknights for several weeks, requiring detours as part of the project to rebuild Route 139.

Palisade Avenue will be closed between Route 139 and Newark Avenue weeknights until early summer, it was announced by the state Department of Transportation. The closures began last night.

Construction will take place Monday through Thursday nights from 8:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning. On Friday nights, Palisade Avenue will be closed from 10:30 p.m. until 7 a.m. Saturday. There will be no closures on Saturday or Sunday evenings. This will not impact eastbound and westbound traffic along Route 139.

Motorists traveling southbound on Palisade Avenue will be directed to make a right onto Route 139 westbound, then turn left on Baldwin Avenue and then turn left on Newark Avenue.

Motorists trying to access Palisade Avenue from Newark Avenue will be directed to Baldwin Avenue, then turn right on Route 139 eastbound and then turn left on Palisade Avenue.

Local traffic destined for Washburn Street from Newark Avenue will be allowed.

Jersey Journal Article

Happy Mother's Day to all of our JCList Mom's and Mom's-to-Be!

Jersey City bicyclist critically hurt, woman charged in Edgewater crash -

A 40-year-old North Bergen woman was driving drunk when her Hummer hit a bicyclist on River Road late Friday, leaving him critically hurt, according to authorities.

Siobhan Stokley was charged with DWI assault by auto and released on $15,000 bail ahead of a municipal court appearance, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said in a statement Saturday.

Stokley was driving the 2007 Hummer H2 in the right lane, north of Churchill Road, while the 61-year-old Jersey City man was biking ahead of her in the same lane, the prosecutor said.

The Hummer hit the bike?s back wheel, causing the cyclist to fall and hit his head on the roadway around 10:50 p.m., according to the statement. Officers noted Stokley appeared to be drunk and her blood was taken for a toxicology screening.

The biker was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center, authorities added. Stokley was also traffic summonses for driving while intoxicated and reckless driving.

Jersey Journal Story

Quote:

Not unless he's pimpin' from the "other side" -

Allen "Prince" Brown Dead of Cancer - 2011 Jersey Journal

Quote:

It looks like there were two attacks - one on Grant and Barrow and the other on Warren and Columbus:


Updated Jersey Journal Story on Attacks/Arrests

A 15-year-old East Orange girl and two teenage boys have been arrested for assaulting a woman, robbing a man with a tire iron and receiving a stolen car in Jersey City, according to Jersey City police spokesman Bob McHugh.

The three acted in concert with Melvin Q. Rouse, also known as "Juice," 19, of Newark and two other teenage boys, he said. All six were arrested on Thursday.

Two of the teenage boys are 16-year-olds from East Orange, while the other two teenage boys are 14-year-olds from Paterson, McHugh said.

On Thursday at around 12:25 a.m. in the area of Grant and Barrow Streets, the 15-year-old girl and two of the teenage boys approached a 29-year-old Jersey City woman walking home from a PATH station, according to a police report.

The 15-year-old girl growled at the woman several times and "then struck her with what appeared to be a sock with batteries or rocks in it," the report stated.

When the woman tried to flee, the three teenagers followed her up until Regent Street and Liberty View Drive and then fled east on Grand Street, officers said.

When officers arrived at the scene, the woman was found with a lump on the back right side of her head but declined to receive medical attention, the report stated.

Just a little over 20 minutes later, the 15-year-old girl and two teenage boys -- it is unclear whether they were the same boys -- assaulted a 58-year-old man with a tire iron near Christopher Columbus Drive and Warren Street, McHugh said.

The two teenage boys got on the man's left side and the girl got on his right side, and then the girl struck the man in the head with a tire iron, the man told police.

One of teenage boys was also carrying a tire iron, he told police.

The girl told the man "give me your money" and when he told her he didn't have any money, the girl tried to strike him again, the report stated.

They then got into a truck and fled the scene, he said.

After police arrived, the man was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center and received several stitches for injuries to his head, the report stated.

Witnesses to the attacks told police they saw the suspects flee in a black Toyota Highlander SUV, McHugh said. Police were already on the look-out for a vehicle matching that description, which was reported to have been stolen from Millburn, he said.

Officers spotted the SUV near Grand Ave. and Green St., stopped it and arrested all six occupants, McHugh said. They were charged with aggravated assault, robbery, receiving stolen property and weapons violations, he said.

As an adult, Melvin Q. Rouse appeared in Central Judicial Processing in Jersey City on Thursday in connection to the crimes. His bail was set at $200,000, cash or bond.

(Buddy - welcome to the site - include an article link to back up your statements so we know what you're talking about. You seem pretty focused on this issue. What else do you know?)

I believe this is what Buddy is referring to:

A Jersey City police officer is alleging in a new lawsuit that he was reprimanded and then transferred to a different district after he refused to stop issuing traffic summonses in front of a West Side restaurant frequented by city cops.

Khareem Miller, an 11-year veteran of the police force, alleges that police brass told him on numerous occasions that he was not allowed to issue summonses to anyone outside Carmine?s Italian Deli on Mallory Avenue because the eatery?s owner is ?connected to the mayor and the chief of police.?

Rest of the Story - Jersey Journal

A 20-year-old West New York man has been accused of purposely starting a fire at a Downtown Jersey City restaurant using gasoline and a match, according to a criminal complaint filed against him.
Carlos Argueta, who appeared in Central Judicial Processing in Jersey City today, has been charged with arson, causing or risking widespread injury, failing to report a dangerous fire and criminal mischief.

Last Friday, Argueta allegedly poured gasoline on the premises of 502 Washington Blvd. -- where the restaurant Batello is located on the Jersey City waterfront -- and lit a match to ignite the fire, the complaint stated.
Sources told The Jersey Journal that Argueta was an employee of the upscale Jersey City restaurant at the time he allegedly committed the arson.
Besides starting the blaze, Argueta is accused of purposely failing to report the fire or taking reasonable measures to put out or control the fire, the complaint stated.
He allegedly caused damage in excess of $2,000 to the communications system and the electrical system of the restaurant, according to the complaint, which also stated that Argueta confessed to the charges listed above.

When the Battello restaurant was contacted earlier this evening for information about the incident, no one was available to speak about what happened.

The Jersey City Police Department declined to release a police report about the incident today, stating that details about the arson will be released tomorrow morning.

Source

Elizabeth Smart Case Wiki

(Excerpt...)
Ultimately, the Salt Lake City police signaled that their prime person of interest was Richard Ricci, being held in custody for unrelated reasons. Ricci, a handyman hired by the Smarts, was on parole for a 1983 attempted murder of police officer Mike Hill. He was charged with felony burglaries of homes in the area similar in circumstances to the break-in at the Smarts. Ricci later died in jail from a brain hemorrhage a few weeks after he refused to provide a confession to Utah corrections officers.[23] With his death, it seemed that all leads were exhausted. Upon discovery of the actual kidnappers, Ricci's widow issued a statement expressing relief at Smart's safe return and her husband's innocence.

The Smarts and their extended family persistently maintained a presence in the local and national media, in order to keep Elizabeth's name in the press, providing the media with home videos of her as a teenager and as a child, and created a website to serve as a resource center.

After several months, a breakthrough came in October 2002, when Mary Katherine suddenly remembered where she had heard Mitchell's voice, telling her parents, "I think I know who it is: Emmanuel."[24]

The Smarts sought to help unemployed people in the community by paying them for odd jobs or handy work around the property.[25] Mitchell, who called himself "Emmanuel", had been the one who informed many homeless people that the Smarts would hire them and also worked for them himself one day. He worked at the Smarts' home for five hours, helping on the roof and raking leaves.[26][27][28] He was clean, soft-spoken, well-groomed, Caucasian, 5'8? tall, with dark hair, and was "about 45 years old". It seemed clear that "Emmanuel" was not his real name, but had something to do with his self-proclaimed calling as a prophet of God and minister to the homeless. Lois and some of the children had met him downtown as he was asking for spare change

I read the Rev. Santora's column today in the Jersey Journal touting former Gov. McGreevey's and the Mayor's prison release program (pasted below).

The story notes that a local contractor (there was actually a thread on here recently about him) from Hoboken uses ex-cons on his staff. Which brings to mind, as a consumer, do I have a right to know or ask a contractor if he/she will have ex-cons working inside my home or business as it undergoes construction?

In the numerous times that I've used contractors over the years in Hudson County, I've always checked on the background/references of the business owner, but I never stopped to ask who else was coming in to my home alongside of them.

What is key to consider is that the crimes that folks are convicted of are sometimes plea deals - and not reflective of the original crime they are accused of. So if your contractor does admit, yes, I do hire ex-cons but they're convicted of low-level offenses - is that accurate?

Food for thought - and perhaps some honest discussion.

Santora: Alleluia! New support for released inmates

From Jersey Journal

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey may have shelved temporarily ? or permanently ? his desire to become an Episcopal priest. But he has taken on the mantle of an Evangelical preacher as he goes about touting the dogma of helping released prison inmates reintegrate into society.

As head of Jersey City?s Employment and Training Program, McGreevey conducted nothing short of a tent revival at the pinnacle of the Mac Mahon Student Center at St. Peter?s University last Holy Thursday, April 17. Like a good Baptist preacher, he solicited a rousing ?Amen? to the salient points offered but settled for polite applause from the hundreds of judges, lawyers, corrections personnel, rehabilitation agencies and affiliated personnel.

McGreevey combined his fame and persuasiveness to attract lots of heavy hitters including ?Bishop,? I mean, Mayor Steve Fulop of Jersey City, his boss, who supports and funds this radical program. And ?Il Papa? Gov. Chris Christie, who seemed as svelte and sophisticated as ever. Shedding not only pounds but any of the scandals swirling around him, Christie spoke eloquently about his longtime support of Daytop, a drug rehabilitation program in Mendham, where he would ?see miracles happen.?

And McGreevey produced some himself as many of his adherents gave testimony about how they turned their lives around after stints in prison. None were more heart-wrenching than former NBA star Jayson Williams, who sat tall, dead center, among the 400 guests until it was his time to make his public confession, perhaps for the 250th time, he said, about his regrets, his heartaches but also his desire to help others.

While his rap sheet was well-known, the panel of lesser known converts told their stories of downfall and redemption.

Jason Scala, a Jersey City native, now has his own Hoboken construction company, which employs released inmates. He supports the residents of the Salvation Army rehab program near the Holland Tunnel and is active with Narcotics Anonymous. Matthew Mercuro said, ?Prison is easy, it?s the anxiety and fear after you get out.?

And that was the focus of the program: ?surviving incarceration and struggling with freedom.?

U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman described an innovative federal court program with meetings every two weeks in the Newark courtroom of Judge Madeline Cox Arleo, a Jersey City native. She presides over the ?ReNew? re-entry court where released inmates come before her and share how they are coping with freedom. They look for practical signs ? she called it ?reading between the lines? ? that might start the downfall leading to someone being sent back to prison. Are they eating well, what?s their housing like, do they see their families?

McGreevey labeled this and the local Jersey City initiative a ?moral charge.? Fulop even cited Pope Francis and his desire ?to make people whole again? as the raison d?etre to reverse what he said was ?the two-thirds failure rate? for recidivism.

Reminding all that it was Passover, he also referred to the Old Testament prophet Micah ?who put the quality of mercy and justice as requirements.? Superior Court Judge Sheila Venable, who presides over the Hudson County drug court, touted the success rate of 447 participants who would have been prison-bound and boasted that ?we are No. 1 in the state for admissions and retentions.?

Christie spoke of his pro-life stand but then challenged his fellow conservative leaders to realize that ?there is a great need out of the womb, but all the way along.? Heralding his support for drug rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration, except for violent offenders, he said, ?life is precious for every moment that God gives us, for the drug-addicted teen just as it can be for any of my children.? And his youngest son, Patrick, was sitting in front of him.

That familial connection might be the underlying message and necessity of this program: incarceration and recidivism ruin families and the community. Implicit in all the talks and exhortations and reliance on religious lingo to get the message across is that freedom is not free without support.

Christie also said something that could border on the confessional: ?There is a class of people who will benefit much more from reaching out a helping hand to them, and understanding that we?re all flawed and we all make mistakes and we all at some moment in our lives need help.? Sounds like a mostly mea culpa to me.

I'd have to go back to the articles I read, but over the course of a few days from the time the shooting occurred on Grove Street to the arrest of Mixson, a poster was leaving comments on the three stories impacting JC (the Grove Street shooting; the hanging; the arrest of Mixson). Listen, you take NJ.com posters with a grain of salt, but this is some of what was written by poster Dinah_Brand:

Don't EVER expect to read the full story on "the king" or what led to his murder. Too many political connections.

Posted on Wake begins for man fatally shot outside Downtown Jersey City deli
5/2/2014 10:51 AM

Countdown to your posts being removed. Any questions or comments on the many articles related to this are immediately removed. It should make people wonder about what really is going on.

Posted on Jersey City mayor speaks at funeral for man fatally shot outside deli
5/2/2014 6:04 PM

Sure, downtown is soooo safe. Also make the connection people to another recent story. This paper won't do it for you. That requires investigative journalism and honesty.

Posted on Man found hanging from tree in Downtown Jersey City: police
5/2/2014 6:06 PM

Source

I have to admit that I've been having the same thoughts as the OP. I also wondered if there was a connection to the death of the individual hanging by a tree in downtown as there has been radio silence on this death as well. Every metro radio and television station was broadcasting the search for Mixson all weekend (he defends his innocence) - yet this story has no follow up. There are videos - why aren't they being released? For what it's worth, there is one commenter on NJ.com who is repeatedly insinuating that the Grove Street shooting is politically connected. The comments are consistently alluding to a cover-up. This does have the feeling of the "old days" though.

Police Investigation 16th & Coles - JJ Photographs

This afternoon members of a the Jersey City Police Department's SWAT Team descended on a warehouse at 16th and Coles Street in search of a "shooting suspect," according to police scanner transmissions (included in updated story about Booker T Projects shooting).

Source - JJ

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Colden St to JCMC - .7 miles

Colden St to the West District Precinct - 1.2 miles

Why not take your friend right to the hospital? Tragic all around, indeed.

(Murder Suspect Daquan Mixson - might look familiar - he was indicted with a group charged with gang crimes including murder, responsible for seriously injuring a young boy in a tragic hit and run on Grant Avenue, and also accused JC cops of excessive force and false arrest.

Shooting Victim Dies - Shooter Identified & Sought - JJ

A 21-year-old Jersey City man who was shot in his head Friday night outside a Jersey City housing complex died yesterday and authorities are searching for the 24-year-old suspected killer, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office announced today.

The dead man was identified as Darius Dashawn Redmon.

Around 11:30 p.m. Friday, a vehicle pulled up to the Jersey City Police Department?s West District on Communipaw Avenue with three men who told police someone was shot.

Redmon was found unconscious in the back seat of the vehicle with an apparent gunshot wound to his head, the prosecutor's office said.

Redmon was pulled out of the vehicle by police officers, who administered C.P.R. until Emergency Medical Services arrived and transported the victim to the Jersey City Medical Center in critical condition. Redmon was pronounced dead shortly after 6 p.m. yesterday, authorities said.

The investigation revealed that Redmon was shot while inside the vehicle in the area of the Booker T. Washington Housing Complex near Freemont and Colden Streets in Jersey City. Mr. Redmon was then transported by his friends towards the West District. Jersey City

Police were able to identify Daquan Mixson, age 24, as the shooter, the prosecutor's office said.

Mixson is described as a black male, approximately 5?8? tall and 150 pounds.

Mixson should be considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

The motive for the shooting has not been ascertained, the prosecutor's office said.

Mixson was originally charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault and Firearms offenses, however those charges have now been upgraded to Murder in violation of N.J.S. 2C:11-3 (first deree) and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

The Prosecutor?s Homicide Unit is now investigating the fatal shooting with the assistance of the Jersey City Police Department. Acting Prosecutor Gregory credited the Jersey City Police Department under the leadership of Chief Robert Cowan, whose agency conducted the investigation that led to the filing of the charges against Mixson.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Mixson or about the fatal shooting is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor?s Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345 or by email at hcpotips@hcpo.org. All contacts will be kept confidential.

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Yvonne, just curious if you wouldn't be comfortable if anyone was praying in a library, or just a Muslim person? What if you sat next to a family at a restaurant reciting "grace" before dinner? Would that make you uncomfortable, too?

To keep this in context, Muslims pray five times per day at specific times that change as the lunar calendar changes. A Muslim can pray "anywhere" - they face toward Mecca as they pray - a brief process that follows a set pattern (you will notice standing, bending at the waist, then bowing down on their knees with head toward the floor. If you are able, the prayer is done on a special "prayer rug" that one carries with them. In a world that moves at a dizzying pace, the prayers remind Muslims to keep mindful of God and what is really important in their spiritual lives.

The library study rooms certainly sound like a good resolution. But at the end of the day, every Muslim knows that it's not the room you pray in, but that you remember to pray. Battling the ignorance of some regarding the perception vs. reality of Islam is really the true battle that these young students face.

A man was shot in the head in Jersey City at around 11:30 p.m. last night, according to Jersey City police spokesman Bob McHugh.

The man, whose age and hometown have not been released, is now in "critical" and "guarded" condition at the Jersey City Medical Center, according to a JCMC spokesman.

The shooting happened at the Booker T. Washington Housing Complex, near 90 Fremont Street, McHugh said.

Reginald Jones, 26, who identified himself as Jersey City committeeman F-2, was working on his car on Fremont Street this morning when he told The Jersey Journal that he saw emergency vehicles and police officers in the area at around 12 a.m. today.

Jones said a resident in the area told him that someone in a black van had "shot off some rounds" on the street, but that he and other neighbors were under the impression that no one had gotten hurt.

Yesterday's shooting comes on the heels of a shooting that happened last Saturday, in which a 25-year-old man was killed in downtown Jersey City.

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has not yet released any information regarding whether suspects in that case have been identified or apprehended.

The investigation into yesterday's shooting is ongoing, McHugh said.

Authorities have not released information regarding suspects in the shooting or how the shooting happened.

Man Shot in Head - JJ

Search "Shop Rags" on Ebay.com - scroll down for cheap bundle selections.

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I know that and you know that, but 22,000 people fell for this - which is really alarming. The fact that they target immigrants in the U.S. and threaten their immigration status is just awful - they're preying on their ignorance of United States law and the ongoing, deeply felt fear of many immigrants that they'll be sent home for the smallest infraction.

I got called several times this week from these folks. They sound like idiots so I knew it was a scam from the start. I listened just for pure entertainment purposes, but then did a little research on the phone number they called from and found the article below.

Please be aware - they've already scored more than $1 million dollars doing this - and scared the pants off other unsuspecting individuals who do not know how our government system works. It's really a shame.

I got a call from 321-352-6893. They always called around dinner time.

Largest IRS Phone Scam Ever Targets Indian Americans

Indian Americans and other South Asian Americans are being predominantly targeted by scam artists pretending to be Internal Revenue Service officials who threaten to send out an arrest warrant if money is not paid to them immediately over the phone, the Federal Trade Commission reported in a bulletin released Mar. 21.

J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, also issued a warning to consumers the same day, indicating that more than 20,000 people have been victimized by this scam and have paid out over $1 million.

?This is the largest scam of its kind that we have ever seen,? said George, adding: ?The increasing number of people receiving these unsolicited calls from individuals who fraudulently claim to represent the IRS is alarming.?

IRS and FBI spokespersons told India-West that newer immigrants seemed to be the targets of the scheme.

The calls ? from several different phone numbers and area codes ? have targeted people across the country. Interestingly, the scammers themselves seem to be of South Asian origin.

Readers reported calls coming from (321) 352-6893; (202) 803-4825; (585) 310-3285; and (202) 241-2073. While the majority of numbers simply rang without being answered, the last number connected to a voicemail which said: ?You have reached the Investigation division of the IRS. Leave a message and we will return your call.?

India-West used a reverse phone directory to track the callers. Several of the numbers belonged to the YMAX Corporation, distributors of Magic Jack, a device which allows users from anywhere in the world to make unlimited calls to the U.S. and Canada.

In its bulletin, the FTC explained the scheme in detail. ?You get a call from someone claiming to be from the government ? maybe the IRS, maybe a law enforcement agency, maybe the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The caller often has a foreign accent, and might even speak to you in Hindi or Urdu.?

?The caller might have information about you ? the last four digits of your Social Security number, for example. The caller tells you that you owe money, and that if you don?t pay, many bad things will happen: deportation for you and your family, freezing your assets, jail, you name it. The caller will tell you to pay using a prepaid card, and will threaten you if you protest,? reported the FTC.

One of India-West?s employees, who wished to remain anonymous, was one target of this scam. Earlier this month, the employee found a message on her home phone number from ?IRS Special Division? agent Alex Cooper. On the message, Cooper said she and her family were under federal investigation for incorrectly filing their taxes.

Cooper threatened them that ? if they did not return his call ? ?an officer will be at your doorstep in 30 minutes.? He advised them to return the call before further steps were taken by local police.

The employee told India-West that she was terrified by the threat and immediately called her husband at work, who told her not to worry, and that news of the scam had been floating around his office. The couple did not return the call, but have received two follow-up messages from the same agent, most recently on Mar. 23.

Posing as a person who had received a similar call, this reporter called the number left on the couple?s answering machine and asked to speak to Alex Cooper. The callback number was (321) 352-6893, indicating that the call originated from Brevard County, Fla.

Cooper ? who spoke with a distinct Indian accent ? identified himself as an IRS special division agent and gave a badge ID number of ALIR56396. He then asked for this reporter?s home phone number.

Terrifyingly, after providing an old number that had not been used for five years, Cooper was able to trace the name and address of this reporter. Though this reporter had never received a call from Cooper or any ?IRS agent,? the scam artist told the reporter that she was in violation of both IRS and USCIS laws for miscalculating the amount due on her taxes over a five-year period.

Cooper went on to say that the reporter owed the IRS $1,648, which had to be paid immediately, otherwise a warrant would be issued for her arrest. ?Pay the penalty and clear your name; otherwise, it won?t be our fault when the cops will be coming to your home,? he threatened.

Cooper alleged that this reporter was called because she had made or received monetary transactions to the ?Middle East,? which she had not reported. He then provided a file number for the case and said: ?I?m here to help you out.? The scammer said the call was also being recorded by agents in the Department of Homeland Security, as tax evasion was ?an act of treason.?

?Before the police come to your door, do you want to clear this issue right now?? threatened Cooper.

This reporter then said she agreed to pay the $1,648, and was then transferred to the ?IRS Restitution Department.? The transfer was picked up by Nick Rai, who identified himself as an ?IRS Special Division agent, Badge Number 251,? who told this reporter that unless she paid immediately over the phone, a warrant would be issued for her arrest. Fremont Police Department officers would then be at her door, and detain her for 72 hours before transferring her to Washington, D.C., where her case would be heard by the IRS, Rai added.

Should she lose the case, all her property and financial assets would be immediately seized by the IRS, he said. Additional fines would also be levied for violating U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service laws, threatened Rai, who also spoke with a distinctly Indian accent.

Asked what immigration laws she had violated, Rai noted that this reporter was an immigrant. ?They are allowing you to live here, and you are violating IRS laws, so you are also violating USCIS laws,? Rai nebulously stated, repeating that the DHS was also recording the call.

He backed off when the reporter informed him that she had lived in the country for 42 years, but still insisted that the financial obligation must be met immediately.

When asked about a payment arrangement, Rai immediately agreed, asking how much could be paid off within an hour. This reporter asked if she could pay $100 a month towards her debt.

?Are you crazy?? stated Rai incredulously, demanding that at least $500 must immediately be paid to keep the police at bay. When the reporter said she could not immediately obtain $500, Rai abruptly stated: ?You are refusing to cooperate. An officer will be at your door in a couple of hours.? He then hung up.

A Fremont, Calif., police department spokeswoman told this reporter that no warrant had been issued for her arrest. Fremont police have received many similar calls in recent months, she said, adding that an investigation team is following up with local victims of the scheme.

IRS spokesman Raphael Tulino told India-West that he had done interviews with many victims all over the country and added that the agency has seen mostly new immigrants being victimized by the scam. The IRS and TIGTA have been investigating the case for at least eight months, he said.

The IRS is never going to demand immediate payment over the phone, emphasized Tulino. People who owe taxes may get multiple letters in the mail, and ? at some point ? may get a phone call, but usually only after several letters.

The IRS will never threaten police action over the phone, Tulino emphasized.

TIGTA spokesman David Barnes told India-West that the scheme was ?an ongoing law enforcement matter,? but declined to state whether the FBI was involved. Barnes also declined to state whether victims were subscribers of a single phone company, such as AT&T or Vonage, or whether calls were being made solely to land-lines.

Barnes advised readers who receive suspicious calls to hang up immediately. If the person does owe federal taxes, they can call the IRS at 800-829-1040. If the person does not owe taxes, they can contact TIGTA at www.treasury.gov/tigta or call 800-366-4484.

Read more at http://www.indiawest.com/news/17849-l ... .html#QVMz66FeLiBuq1Wj.99

The "ATA" tag represents the name of a NJ street gang. If they're tagging buildings they're marking territory or sending a message to the rival gang in that part of town - could be about turf, a "beef" with a disrespected rival member, drug sale territory, etc. It's meant to send a message to antagonize or threaten.

Every gang expert will tell you if a city leaves gang graffiti up, a gang problem will continue to escalate.

If a New Jersey company requires drug testing for employees and bases hiring/retention decisions on positive tests for marijuana (they don't hire you/you get fired for a positive test)- does that go away or become an illegal hiring practice if marijuana is legalized in the state?

Just switched to Progressive and was super-shocked at the savings - more than 50% on both my home/car policy. Did everything online, paid online, got my docs the same day. Had to call customer service a few times with questions and they were very helpful and easy to talk to.

www.Progressive.com

Jersey Journal Story Link

There were two carjackings within an hour Sunday night in Jersey City, and in one of them, a horrified couple watched the carjacker drive away in their car with their young children in the back seat.

At 11:24 p.m,. officers responded to the area of West Side and Boyd avenues after a report of a woman screaming that her 8 and 9-year-old children were inside a vehicle that had been carjacked.

At first the woman was too upset to provide information but after a while she told police that she and her husband were closing the roll-down gate of their restaurant when someone got into their black Acura and fled with the children inside.

Police broadcast a description of the vehicle and it was found a short time later at the corner of Clendenny Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard with the children still inside but the carjacker gone, the report says.

A witness told police the carjacker was a 45-to-50-years-old man with short brown hair and he had fled heading north on West Side, the report says.

An ambulance was called to the scene to evaluate the children and the mother who was still ?visibly distraught and upset,? the report says, adding that officers then went to the Jersey City Medical Center to conduct further interviews with the victims.

In the second carjacking, at 12:11 a.m., a 53-year-old man told police he was parking his 2010 Cadillac in a lot near Ocean and Bramhall avenues and when he got out to open the gate, a man with a silver handgun asked, "Are the keys inside?" a police report says.

After the victim responded "Yes," the carjacker took off heading west on Bramhall Avenue, police said.

Officers drove the victim around to see if they could locate his car, but there were no reports of the vehicle being found.

My best tenants were from a corporation who ran a downtown JC operation and had their employees living in a single family home we rented. We did keep a careful watch on how many tenants were in the house and made a stipulation in the lease that we needed copies of ID from every tenant that stayed in the home. We also capped occupancy.

We watched carefully so they did not exceed occupancy - and they never did.

They were neat, clean and had good rapport with our neighbors. Never had a late check or damage to the property.

If you have a question, I would consult an attorney and make sure your lease was buttoned up tight.

Political Insider: Councilwoman's politeness belies strong potential as Jersey City mayor

Story by Agustin C. Torres

Some time ago, I asked who should fill the vacuum if Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop leaves that post to become governor. I?ll give you a possible candidate, even though I can already hear the groans in some corners of the city.

Only a few people on the present City Council secretly want to be in Fulop?s shoes and, of course, there are some would-be mayors outside the present administration. Nobody would openly admit their coveting the title of king or queen of the city.

The person I?m thinking of has a ?slight southern? drawl with a bit of Pollyana-esque (or is that Scarlett-esque?) quality about her that can mask an inquisitive and intelligent mind. Yes, I never thought I would say it, but that was my male chauvinistic first impression of Councilwoman Candice Osborne, who replaced Fulop as the Downtown representative. She doesn?t seem afraid to tackle issues that affect her constituents and while her questions at council sessions are softer than those of say Councilman Richard ?The Grate? Boggiano, that is just their respective natures.

Osborne is a political fledgling but so was Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer. The Jersey City politician is a Georgia model of congeniality while the Hoboken mayor has a cooler Yankee background. To Hudson County residents, both exude qualities of outsiders ? members of an invading species that should be shunned by true locals. And yet Zimmer remains mayor and Osborne, in this insider?s opinion, has the potential to become one once she develops and learns from the burns and scars of four years in the City Council office.

Naturally, as an ?outsider,? Osborne would have to achieve name recognition in other parts of the city, although I?ve seen her attend functions at The Hub on Martin Luther King Drive. This city also has a number of families who have migrated up from the Deep South.

Rightfully, critics say she has taken communion from the Fulop chalice but that could be because she agrees with the mayor?s vision for improving the city and its public school system. Boggiano likes to say I write for ?The Fulop Times.? Sources very close to Mayor Fulop, when asked about who could replace him, gave it some thought and came up with her name ? and then swore me to secrecy because they don?t want any divisions in the governing body. Besides, who knows what will happen in a few years ? whether I?ll still be writing or even if Osborne is interested in higher office? Now that the bug has been placed in her ear, imagine the potential council jealousies.

Watching this week?s council meeting was interesting in that Osborne decided to tackle a difficult issue that will tell me a great deal about her as a politician and as a person.

Problem: Several residents of the tiny skyscraper at 77 Hudson St. complained to the City Council this week about another summer of concerts and ethnic festivals at Exchange Place where the ?music? travels up into their apartments and the ear-splitting sounds makes it impossible to even put their children to sleep.

Naturally, you also had some City Council speakers suggest that these people who chose to live in those buildings knew what they were getting in an urban environment. Still, I doubt they expected to move next to a jet engine testing plant.

What the councilwoman faces are tenants who probably have recorded those ?Oye Come Va? moments in their apartments as if they were sitting by the edge of a concert stage. On the other side are those who will argue that this is an attack on ethnic festivals and a city institution.

Osborne said she hopes to come up with some solutions, perhaps have concert stages face the river rather than away from it (with the audience in the middle). The city is also expected to pull the clock back on some of those events that end at midnight, shutting them down at 10 p.m. instead. The councilwoman expects to hold a community meeting Friday to discuss the issue. Good luck.

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Agreed. In a new era that claims local government transparency, I would like to know "why" as well.

A clear explanation from LHS or JC Govt. would be appreciated. Why have hours been reduced? Whose side is that from - or has another entity been tapped to pick up the slack leading to a reduction in hours?