Yesterday morning we reported on a new citizen patrol unit featuring Black and Jewish community residents. As coverage of this story evolved throughout the day it was discovered that one of the expected Jewish leaders of this unit, Leib Skoblo, had been arrested in 1995 for assaulting a Izena Goudy, who is black, when she was 12. Skoblo was 19 at the time of his arrest which explains why his record was not sealed and the press were able to uncover this information. NYPD leaders have been silent on this embarrasing turn of events. Now an adult serving in the Army National Guard, Ms. Goudy was outraged that her former attacker had been selected for this top post, and her sentiments appeared to have been echoed by a number of African American residents once this information was revealed. Thus, what seemed like grand slam public relations moment for Crown Heights and the NYPD appears to have devolved into a soap opera.

Before this story gets out of control and begins fueling the tensions the organization was created to stem, let us take a step back and consider these facts objectively. Are we really prepared to declare that a person should not be forgiven for a crime committed 14 years ago, when he or she was 19? Mr. Skoblo’s actions were heinous, indeed, but also reeked of immaturity, which one hopes would have dissovled in the ensuing 12 years since he attacked Ms. Goudy. Additionally, can one not make a case that who better to serve in a leadership capacity in a Black/Jewish coalition than a person who has had a past indiscretion against a person from the other group?

If, Mr. Skoblo is willing to acknowledge his mistake and is committed to working towards peace in the neighborhood, then who are we to condemn his past.

Another story grabbing headlines in the past 24 hours is police commissioner Raymond Kelly’s visit to the 77th Precinct Community Council. From early reports it sounded as if the meeting started out with a fairly pro-forma report by Commissioner Kelly on the state of crime and the NYPD. According to at least one published article by Nicole Brydson on Brooklyn The Borough, commissioner Kelly surprisingly managed to make it through the meeting without addressing allegations “that officers from the 77th assaulted two lesbian women outside of a local nightclub while spewing anti-gay remarks.”

We’ll do our best to keep an eye on both stories to see how they unfold.

(Note: This entry has been corrected since its initial publication)

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