THE WORLD READS WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER — 8,324,077 VISITS IN ONE YEAR | 2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)

Bronx Man Charged in Manhattan Federal Court with Sex Trafficking of Minors

Posted on October 5, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR FBI WIRE. Special to WPCNR from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. October 5, 2017:

Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and James P. O’Neill, Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”),announced Thuradsy that–

ADRIAN BROOKS, a/k/a “Abee,” was arrested for his alleged role as the leader of a sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise that exploited and abused women and minor girls.

BROOKS was charged in an Indictment with sex trafficking of minors and sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. BROOKS was also charged with the use of interstate facilities and interstate travel to promote a prostitution enterprise.

BROOKS was arrested Thursday morning and was to be presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Gorenstein in Manhattan federal court Thursday afternoon. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley.

Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said:

“As alleged, Adrian Brooks used threats and violence to coerce underaged girls into performing sex acts for money, and then kept most of the money for himself. For his reprehensible alleged crimes, Brooks will now face federal sex trafficking charges. This Office remains committed to protecting vulnerable children from the sick world of commercial sex trafficking.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment[1] filed in Manhattan federal court:

Since at least 2014, BROOKS directed and conducted a criminal sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise (the “Sex Trafficking Enterprise”) that recruited and exploited minor girls, and then forced them to engage in commercial sex acts for his own profit by, among other things, using an online classifieds website called Backpage.com (“Backpage”).

BROOKS operated the Sex Trafficking Enterprise out of motels in the Bronx, New York, and Yonkers, New York, as well as on the streets of the Bronx.

To evade detection by law enforcement, the Sex Trafficking Enterprise’s advertisements often purported to be offering escorts. However, such advertisements often signaled that they were, in fact, offering individuals for commercial sex acts through a variety of cues, including pictures of partially-clothed women in sexually suggestive poses, and coded language indicating that the people being offered would perform sex acts in exchange for money.

The victims of BROOKS’s Sex Trafficking Enterprise were typically forced to engage in commercial sex acts with multiple customers in a single day. Customers typically paid for such commercial sex acts in cash. BROOKS kept most or all of the profits from his Sex Trafficking Enterprise.

BROOKS forced certain of his victims to take prescription pain relievers, to which they became addicted. In addition, BROOKS set rules for his victims, controlled their actions, and punished violations of his rules and disobedience through physical violence, among other things.

BROOKS is charged with one count of sex trafficking conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and by force, fraud, or coercion, each of which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison; and one count of use of interstate facilities and interstate travel to promote a prostitution enterprise, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Any individuals who believe they have information concerning ADRIAN BROOKS, a/k/a “Abee,” that may be relevant to the investigation, or information regarding other sex trafficking crimes, should contact the FBI at (212) 384-1000 or https://tips.fbi.gov/, or the New York City Police Department at (646) 610-7272.

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney Jr. said: “Brooks’s alleged acts are horrendous, preying on and exploiting minors. Cases like this are disgraceful examples of the worst in our society. Sadly, too often these types of crimes are unknown or ignored in our communities. The FBI simply won’t tolerate this behavior. Our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force will be relentless in pursuing those who target our youth. I encourage anyone with knowledge of trafficking activity to step forward to help us make a difference”

The investigation was conducted through the New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, a joint task force between the FBI and NYPD to combat human trafficking. Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI and the NYPD. Mr. Kim also thanked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – Youth Services Unit and the New York City Administration for Children’s Services for their assistance during the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorneys Elizabeth Hanft, Sagar K. Ravi, and Alexandra N. Rothman are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

NOW ON THE INTERNET ON PEOPLE TO BE HEARD: PREVIEW OF “GHOST” AND THE WHITE PLAINS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FALL SEASON

Posted on October 5, 2017 by John Bailey

RIGHT NOW ON www.wpcommunitymedia.org

YOU’VE GOT

JOE WALSH, DIRECTOR OF GHOST

AND

STEPHEN FERRI, ASSOCIATE PRODUCER

ON “GHOST” OPENING NEXT WEEK WITH NATALIE WEISS

AND A PREVIEW OF

THE WHITE PLAINS PERFORMING ARTS CENTER FALL SEASON

JOE WALSH DIRECTING NATALIE WEISS AS MOLLY and STEVEN DOUGLAS as SAM in the Musical Ghost that opens the season next week at White Plains Performing Arts Center

Letter from Latimer Follows Up With County Gun Policy Reforms Challenges to County Executive

Posted on October 5, 2017 by John Bailey

WPCNR THE LETTER TICKER. From State Senator George Latimer, Candidate for County Executive. October 5, 2017:

October 4, 2017

Honorable Robert P. Astorino

County Executive

Westchester County

148 Martine Avenue

White Plains, NY 10601

Dear County Executive Astorino:

In light of the terrible events earlier this week in Las Vegas, a great deal of concern has been raised regarding items that can be used to turn a legal semi-automatic rifle into a rapid fire weapon – commonly known as “Bump Stocks”. Adding a bump stock to a weapon such as an AR-15, a modification that is in fact specifically designed for that weapon, uses the recoil of the rifle, when fired, to greatly increase the number of rounds that can be consecutively fired.

Currently, Bump Stocks are not illegal in New York, but adding them to a weapon in our state would render that gun not compliant with the NY SAFE Act. Thus, the purchase of a Bump Stock in New York serves no other purpose than to make a legal gun an illegal one. This form of weapon modification allegedly permitted the perpetrator of the Las Vegas attacks to shoot as many as 400 rounds per minute, causing the unfathomable death toll our nation now mourns.

In response to these attacks and to my own efforts to address the issue of gun sales in our community, your office has issued conflicting statements on the future of the controversial gun shows at the Westchester County Center and the items sold there.

Promotional materials indicate that the next Westchester Gun Show is slated for January 20 and 21, 2018. However, a spokesperson for your office was reported as indicating that “no dates [have been] agreed upon.” Likewise, your office has dismissed very real and disturbing reports of Nazi and Confederate paraphernalia having been sold at last year’s show, an action that ignores the pain that this imagery inflicts upon countless Westchester families.

As such, it is critical that you share the following information with us regarding the 2017 Westchester gun show, as well as the upcoming 2018 gun show.

1) Does the County gather information regarding history of compliance with state and federal law for the vendors and the items they sell at Westchester gun shows?

2) What does the County do to ensure that only items legally compliant with state and federal law are sold at gun shows?

3) Are Bump Stocks sold at Westchester Gun Shows? Please provide the names of the vendors selling Bump Stocks.

4) Does the County have a policy banning the sale of Bump Stocks at the Westchester Gun Shows? If not, would you consider implementing one immediately?

5) To ensure the safety of the residents of Westchester County, please provide a list of all vendors that participated in the 2017 gun show, and the current list of the anticipated vendors for the 2018 gun show.

6) Will you commit to prohibiting the sale of hate materials, such as Nazi and Confederate Paraphernalia at county events.

7) Will you, in light of the Las Vegas attacks, commit to the ban on the sale of guns on county property, restoring the practice put in place following the massacres of Columbine and Sandy Hook.

Far too often, we have seen our fellow Americans fall victim to instruments of war that have no place in civilian hands. The true test of leadership is to ensure the safety and security of all Westchester residents at such a difficult and trying time.

I implore you, as a fellow Westchester resident, to stand not on the side of powerful gun lobbies, but on the side of decency and safety. In answering these questions for every Westchester family, you can help bring about positive change in our community.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in addressing this request.

Sincerely,

George Latimer

###

In The Garden of Remembrance

Posted on October 4, 2017 by John Bailey

The Garden of Remembrance was dedicated by the Westchester Holocaust Commission and Foundation (now the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center) on October 4, 1992, located in front of the Michaelian County Office Building, at 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains, Westchester, New York.

As we stand before these Gates, we are called upon to REMEMBER what we must NEVER forget.

The Gates of Remembrance were created in 1992 by Rita Rapaport to memorialize the suffering and death of millions during the Nazi era from 1933 to 1945.The posts supporting the Gates look blown by the wind. They evoke memories of the flames of the chimneys of the crematoria. To some they will resemble the Hebrew letter Vov, which represents the number six, for the six days of creation or the six million Jewish victims. The Gates themselves may symbolize the bars of a prison or the entrances to concentration camps. Or, are they the Gates of Heaven or Hell? Do they lead to freedom or bondage?The five plaques on the Gates depict images meaning Zachor or Remember, torn fabric bearing a prisoner’s number; barbed wire representing concentration camps; the Bible in flames commemorating Kristallnacht, when the Holocaust began; and the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments.As we stand before these Gates, we are called upon to REMEMBER what we must NEVER forget.

The Garden walls are inscribed with the names of 26 places in which Jews and other innocent victims of Nazi persecution were tortured and murdered. These names represent only some of the many hundreds of locations where recorded and unrecorded atrocities occurred.

Drancy
Krakow-Plaszow
Sachsenhausen
Klooga
Buchenwald
Sobibor
Jasenovac
Lwow-Janowska
Stutthof
Belzec
Ravensbruck
Babi-Yar
Ponary