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Mayor Bloomberg Not a Fan of Plaxico's Actions

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Photograph of Plaxico Burress being led to Manhattan Criminal Court by David Karp/AP

Mayor Bloomberg had very harsh words for Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who turned himself in to the police today (after shooting himself in the thigh at a nightclub on Friday). The mayor took some time out to discuss the matter; the Post has quotes:

"The police only found out about this because of a story on television. The hospital didn't call and the Giants didn't call," he said. "The Giants should have picked up the phone right away as good corporate citizens. I don't care if there's a legal responsibility for them to do it.

"They are a team that is here in this region - I know they're in New Jersey but it's the New York Giants - and they have a responsibility as a team that depends on the public and wants to be a role model for the public.

"So the police certainly didn't have any knowledge in advance and once they found out about it they right away went after it."

Bloomberg added, "I think it is also an outrage the hospital didn't do what they're legally required to do. It's a misdemeanor. It's a chargeable offense," referring to how New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell didn't contact the police to say they were treating a gunshot wound.
"I think that the district attorney should certainly go after the management of this hospital. The lame excuse that they didn't know - this is a world class hospital in a city where we all know what goes on in the streets of our city and we all should be working together to get guns off our streets. There's a reason why hospitals are required by law to immediately call the police department. They didn't and they should make sure that they people who didn't no longer work there and I would question why the management didn't have training in place and didn't discipline them immediately."
TMZ, which has video of Burress in handcuffs, spoke to a source who said the player "looked really, really down ... shellshocked." And his bail was set at $100,000; the grand jury hearing is scheduled for March 31.

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Comments [rss]

  • bjuptown

    I think Burress and Bloomberg are both idiots. Burress should never carry a gun without a license and Bloomberg should get a life and worry about bigger problems. If this was not Burress getting caught with a gun bloomberg would not even care about the case. Bloomberg needs to worry about the economy and bigger issues. I hope the New York people will step up in the next election and vote in someone with some common sense and someone that is looking at the bigger issues- and is not just trying to get his name in the paper

  • heycarrieann

    If this had been anybody else, they would have been handcuffed to the bed, then once realeased, go directly to jail...do not get to go home, do not get to call high priced lawyer. He has shown no respect for the law, his wife, his ability, his team and the fans...all of which he owes everything to. As far as being a victim, he is a victim, of his own stupidity, and now it is time to act like an adult male(for a change) and suffer the consequences of his actions...and no little bitch whining.

  • getserious

    gun permits are a scam,

    if your politically connected to the system

    you get one, even if your only interested in killing your dogs in case of another 9-11.

    (insert HUH ??? here)



    http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262008/news/regionalnews/the_mets_are_loaded_135381.htm





    Among those permitted to carry guns are Robert De Niro, artificial-heart inventor Robert Jarvik, Donald Trump and billionaire supermarket king John Catsimatidis.



    To qualify for carry permits, applicants must show documented threats against them or prove that they routinely transport cash or valuables in business.



    Carrying a firearm without a permit is a felony punishable by more than a year in prison. Permit holders must get them renewed every three years.



    Gristedes grocery mogul Catsimatidis, who mulled an election run against anti-gun Mayor Bloomberg, has held a license for nearly 30 years, said spokesman Rob Ryan.



    "He got it back then for the obvious reasons," Ryan said. "New York was a very different place back then. If the business lost a day's worth of receipts, it could drive him out of business."



    Permit holder Alexis Stewart, daughter of homemaking queen and ex-convict Martha Stewart, told The Post that she applied for a gun license after 9/11.



    She said she got a gun, now kept in a lockbox in her $3 million TriBeCa apartment, to euthanize her elderly dogs in the event that another calamity struck and forced her to abandon them.



    "I had two very old English bulldogs," said Stewart, who hosts a show on her mother's Sirius Satellite Radio channel.



    "They could never make it out of Manhattan. I could never leave my dogs to die of thirst in my apartment, so I looked on it as a euthanasia situation. I would never kill my pets unless they were going to die anyway."



    Trump's sons, Eric and Donald Jr., also have permits to keep guns in their residences. His daughter, Ivanka, does not.

  • tingo

    He should've gotten a permit to carry if he felt he needed it.



    He's a role model, and this isn't going to help steer the kids on the streets of NYC the right way. Bloomberg's right for wanting to make an example, right or not.

  • west side Michael

    I just wonder how much cash exchanged hands

    at the hospital for a couple of people being

    "quiet" and not reporting this to the NYPD.

  • nik13

    I have no problem with gun ownership. Have them, but keep them at home. Dangerous clowns like Plexiglas, who clearly has no clue how to handle firearms properly, should not be trusted to wander around with loaded ones. Would he have held his piece horizontally,like in some B-class Hollywood movie?



    Only good thing is that he shot himself, not someone merely standing nearby. He'll get off easy.

  • FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

    Bloomberg overturn the will of the people and belongs in jail. who cares about law? Bloomberg doesn't, so he should shut the hell up.

  • r1b2

    Mayor Bloomberg bringin' down the hammer.



    Bottom line: non-permit handguns are illegal. What he did broke the law. We as a society have laws in place to protect us all, and when the laws are broken there are penalties. There is no way he was justified. He's a law-breaker and a moron. A moron.



    End of line.

  • If he's able to afford his 100K bail, he can afford the permits and licensing to legally carry a firearm in NYC.



    Carry a gun in a shoulder holster not like some punk-ass in your waistband (which by the way, is illegal, except for law enforcement.)



    Also, it's pretty clear the safety was off which means he has no idea how to handle a gun, I wonder if he knows how to clean his gun...



    On top of all of this, and regardless if the gun is legal or not, they tried to dispose of the weapon which in it of itself is illegal.



    ---



    And while I think New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell is one of the best medical centers on Earth, if they did in fact did not report this (all gun shots, by law must be reported to law enforcement), they should be charged and/or fined to maximum penalty.

  • Bottomless Chips
    @ Bottomless Chips, many of these athletes are targeted because their salaries are published and some tend to flaunt their wealth. Your argument is flawed in that Alex Rodriguez makes 25 million a year and is all over the city like horseshit. No guns, no knives, nothing. How come he isn't held up every day? Burress broke the law that is on the books. if you want to turn this incident into Ruby Ridge be my guest...


    Though I cannot be sure, I would be my measly 401k that ARod has been hassled by some guy who had a few too many drinks at a club. And though it may have been false bravado, those threats are real threats. Who knows what people are capable of?



    But the athletes I mentioned have acknowledged that their childhood friends and their poor, black neighborhood followings are a big part of it. Yes, Tom Brady who grew up with friends who probably are working stiffs in the 'burbs of San Fran are probably different than the friends and 'friends' of a Sean Taylor who grew up in Dade County.

  • whitecastlerock

    @ Bottomless Chips, many of these athletes are targeted because their salaries are published and some tend to flaunt their wealth. Your argument is flawed in that Alex Rodriguez makes 25 million a year and is all over the city like horseshit. No guns, no knives, nothing. How come he isn't held up every day? Burress broke the law that is on the books. if you want to turn this incident into Ruby Ridge be my guest...

  • Guest

    That being said, Plax did something stupid and he should pay for it.



    Bloomberg, on the other hand, needs to get a life. His crusade against guns is just as ridiculous as Dubya's crusade against terror. Just like Western medicine, they want to treat the symptoms instead of the actual disease.

  • SP

    He isn't the victim. The other patrons of the club he was attending were the victims. Any one of them could just as easily have been hit by the bullet. And yes, the thousands of Americans who act like Gangstas, wear big flashy jewelry, "make it rain" dollar bills at strip clubs shouldn't be surprised when their fellow "thugs" attempt to stick them up. And often, they aren't surprised, as this is their culture. They deserve their fates. And they also deserve to go to jail when they break the law.

  • Guest

    #13, you can say that Bottomless's arguments are stupid all you want, he's still right.

  • Bottomless Chips
    He could also try not going out with thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry on him, and generally not behaving like a fucking asshole if he is worried about attracting the wrong kind of attention. All your arguments are stupid.


    Though I would be modest with my attire, you can't blame the victim here---if he even is the victim. So the thousands of Americans who dress nicely, drive nice cars, or wear flashy jewelry should have seen this coming?

  • SP

    The dude was keeping his gun in the waistband of his fucking sweatpants. He and people like him are the last people that should be allowed to have guns, because they are MORONS. As #8 said, he shouldn't be trusted with my dirty laundry, let alone a firearm. If he is worried about his security, he is paid well enough to hire a licensed bodyguard. He could also try not going out with thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry on him, and generally not behaving like a fucking asshole if he is worried about attracting the wrong kind of attention. All your arguments are stupid.

  • Bottomless Chips
    There's nothing unconstitutional about the law. The Amendment says WELL REGULATED, which is what our laws do. He belongs in jail, not just for carrying a concealed unlicensed and unregistered handgun (three years in jail for that) but also for criminal negligence and reckless endangerment. Not to mention attempting to cover it all up.


    Though he can obviously afford it, the hundreds of dollars required is a poll tax. And the poor, overall, are the ones who probably need guns more than the rich in NYC do.

  • Bottomless Chips

    #8,



    In the past couple of years:



    Richard Collier: paralyzed

    Darrent Williams: killed, though he took precautions with a limo when going out

    Javon Walker: beaten to an inch of his life

    Sean Taylor: killed in his own home

    Dunta Robinson: house was invaded, he and his family held at gunpoint

    Ben Roethlisberger: gun pulled on him

    Joey Porter: shot in the butt

    Rashard Mendenhall: robbed at gunpoint



    The stupid gun laws in this country have only enabled criminals, while preventing law-abiders from protecting themselves.



    Don't give me the BS that guns cause more trouble, as Sean Taylor, Collier, and Williams weren't carrying them when they were killed/paralyzed. Bet you wish they could've been able to fight back fairly.



    But, no, you're a thug if you carry a gun with you, though you're probably a law-abiding guy.



    These people are targets. In South America it's worse; athletes' families are held hostage.



    You have to let people defend themselves in this country. The NYC gun laws prohibit that and encourage reckless criminal behavior with guns as the "good guys" are banned from holding them.

  • JacqueMehoff

    The 2A is my license.

  • SP

    There's nothing unconstitutional about the law. The Amendment says WELL REGULATED, which is what our laws do. He belongs in jail, not just for carrying a concealed unlicensed and unregistered handgun (three years in jail for that) but also for criminal negligence and reckless endangerment. Not to mention attempting to cover it all up.

  • GM

    The fact that he was walking around with a gun and a round in the chamber is all I needed to know: he is officially retarded and couldn't be trusted with my laundry.

  • Bottomless Chips

    Though I think the Giants are so mediocre and losing last year was such a fluke (note my avatar) I cannot believe the people calling for his head.



    The 2nd Amendment is still around, I believe. Any NYC law that requires $300+ for a permit and waiting periods is illegal.



    Plax, you should be able to carry a gun wherever establishments allow them. And LQ didn't seem to mind to let you carry a gun on their premises.



    You have the money: Fight to local/state government on this unconstitutional policy.

  • JacqueMehoff

    Gerald Shargel wasn't available?

  • midtown

    Criminal defense lawyers pray for guys like Plax -lots of money, no common sense. If Brafman is lucky, Plax will be very stubborn and want to take this to trial (likely seeing himself as the victim of an establishment out to get him). BB can probably stretch it out to $250K in fees. Not bad for a simple illegal gun possession case.

  • the player "looked really, really down ... shellshocked



    Who gives a rats ass? F*k these guys. They belong in a cage. I would give anything right now to have that job, football, basketball, baseball, these MF's are greedy bastards... not all, but some. The working class folks (me and you) are struggling to keep from drowning and these f*cking douche bags walk around doing what they do best, guns, drugs, dog fights, beating on people... WTF? Shame on them and shame on any sports team for not firing them immediately... Are you telling me there's no clause in those detailed contracts about illegal fire arms?

  • JacqueMehoff

    which hospital will bloomberg go to when he's ill?

    there's a few good one's in boston.

    NYPWCMC is a rich person's hospital. this isn't your Staten Island University hospital.

  • fugothamist

    racists

  • SP

    Lock him up. And Antonio Pierce too.

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