Tipsheet

NYC Councilwoman Who Told People Not to Call the Cops Reportedly Did So After Receiving Threats

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 07, 2022 10:00 AM

Last Friday, Julio covered the tragic story of an EMT worker, Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling, who was killed in an unprovoked, broad daylight attack in Queens. The killing came not long after Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, released a "public safety resources" guide telling local businesses to call 311, rather than the police. As it turns out, though, the New York Post reported on Wednesday that the councilwoman's office called the NYPD over the weekend, after her office received voicemail threats.

From the report:

The messages were received over the weekend and reported to cops by someone in the progressive pol’s office late Tuesday, sources told The Post. 

The callers spewed vile threats, telling Cabán they hoped she got “beaten up on the subway” and “your eyes fall out,” according to sources. 

“I hope you get your a– kicked,” one of the messages threatened.

...

Police are currently probing the threats, but Cabán’s spokesperson stressed that her office never called 911. 

“We did not call 911, and any suggestion to the contrary is a lie,” the spokesperson said, without elaborating on how they notified cops. 

“We will not be offering any comment on the nature of the threats we’ve received.”

The councilwoman shared the guide to Twitter, with the tweet also pointing out that they're "distributing them to local businesses, so our neighborhood is equipped with better ways of solving problems than simply summoning police every time a challenge arises."

Certain section include potentially life-threatening situations, such as for "someone experience a drug overdose or drug-related issue," which is the only section that does indicate to call 911 in case of "medical emergencies."

Another section is for those "encountering a conflict that appears to be escalating." Besides directive to "call a neighbor" and "get trained in de-escalation techniques," the section suggests to "use one of the five 'Ds' of upstander intervention." These include not only talking to a potentially violent aggressor, but a directive to "give the person causing harm the chance to correct their behavior," and "repeat the same statement until the person causing harm corrects their behavior." One directive even encourages people to "divert attention," such as "spilling your soda" or asking the aggressor if they went to the same high school. 

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When it comes to the "someone outside your business experiencing homelessness" section, the guide says in the very first directive that calling 311 for "a street outreach team" could "take a few hours and potentially involve the police."

People were quick to take issue with Cabán's guide.

A local landlord and cop are also quoted in the piece as expressing outrage:

“This is hypocritical,” a local landlord raged to The Post in the wake of her office alerting the NYPD. 

“When people were getting robbed at gunpoint across the street from her office she did nothing, now she wants police to do something.

“Now someone leaves an anonymous message and she is crying and calling cops while she tells her constituents to call 311 — typical do as I say, not as I do phony politician.”

Meanwhile, a Queens cop griped: “How can anyone take her seriously?”

“She is calling police over an anonymous phone call while she tells victims of violent attacks to ask them if they went to school together,” the cop added. “Maybe she should put a case of soda outside her office.”

Cabán appears to have a habit of not just hypocrisy, but downplaying what victims go through. After Elizabeth Gomes was viciously assaulted on a subway in Queens last month, the councilwoman tweeted that "Subway violence is a one-in-a-million event." She also claimed to be "a believer in a violence-free NYC," adding "let’s not let fear-mongering politicians and corporate media outlets scare us into thinking we have a dangerous, scary public transit system."

Violence is a problem in NYC, including and especially on subways. 

Gomes, who is a mother of five, blasted the councilwoman when speaking to the New York Post and Fox News. As she's quoted as saying in the Post:

Gomes, a JFK airport security guard, blasted Cabán as wildly out of touch.

“The subway system is dangerous and for her to post something like that — it seems to me that she doesn’t ride the subway or have anyone to ride it. She doesn’t really understand what it is,” Gomes told The Post. “It’s just getting worse and worse.”

Gomes, who lives in Far Rockaway and was on her way to work when she was attacked, said subway violence has increased since the pandemic.

“People are afraid,” she said. “People are getting robbed. People are getting shot. People are getting molested.”

She said defunding the police shouldn’t be an option.

“We need protection. That’s what we’re looking for,” she said. “That’s what the people are looking for.”

Gomes said she was still suffering from throbbing headaches more than a week after the assault and is scheduled to see an eye specialist.

She previously pleaded with the mayor that the city needs “major help.” 

“Obviously, the government or nobody is doing anything for us,’’ she said. 

Felony assaults on the subway were up 19% through August compared to 2021.

The opening monologue for Thursday night's episode of Fox News' "Gutfeld!" also called out Cabán.