I have followed the Ali matter very closely because it so closely parallels
my experience as a 'critic' of City Hall, eventually leading to my
disillusioned departure from Bflo.
There is a massive chasm between City Hall rhetoric & reality. Here is
Police Commissioner Gipson on the city website . .
COPY: http://www.bpdny.org/Home/About
Message from the Commissioner H. McCarthy Gipson
. . . .The primary mission of the Buffalo Police Department is to improve
the quality of life in the City of Buffalo. To accomplish this mission, the
values of Respect, Integrity and Excellence must be the basis for all of
our actions as law enforcement officers. . . .
In that noble context, my complaint about the Ali debacle filed to
Citi-stat on Tuesday was already "resolved" yesterday (Wed).
COPY:
Request for police services
Case/Service Number 424079
Status Closed
Description On Nov 7 (12 1/2 wks ago) 6 police agents illegally confiscated
many bags of Ali family member's possessions on a dubious search warrant
signed by Judge & close friend of the Mayor. One family member, Syaed,
detained for 7 hr, apparently having angered the Mayor. When will the
property be returned & this dramatic abuse of power & Constitutional rights
be explained?
Date Raised 02/03/2009 12:09
Raised against 578 BRECKENRIDGE, Buffalo, NY, 14222
Service Request Progress
The list below shows the current list of tasks for this service request:
Task Name Due Date Status
Resolve Police Issue 03/03/2009 12:09 Complete
Resolve Case 02/04/2009 Case Resolved
-Description: The Chief of Detective Richards has been notified and a
request has been made to be contacted. D District has been notified as an
FYI
City of Buffalo - Division of Citizen Services.
END QUOTE
But Bflo police still are holding thousands of dollars worth of Ali family
members' property nearly 13 weeks after the dramatic 'house invasion' by 6
officers on Nov 7.
No explanation is apparently required . . . reflecting "Respect, Integrity
and Excellence"?
Opening up on Syaed Ali |
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Buffalo Police say state and federal agencies are in on the case; state and federal agencies deny it
First the Syaed Ali case, now the Brian Davis investigation: Up until last week, Buffalo Police Department spokesperson Mike DeGeorge insisted that it was against BPD policy to comment on ongoing investigations. Now he can’t seem to stop himself from commenting on ongoing investigations.
DeGeorge started rewriting the rules last week, sharing information about the investigation of Syaed Ali with the Buffalo News and Channel 7 Eyewitness News.
Ali is the young IT entrepreneur accused of sending anonymous emails containing allegations about Mayor Byron Brown’s private life. On November 7, armed with a search warrant signed by Buffalo City Court Judge Craig Hannah, Buffalo Police detectives searched Ali’s house on Breckenridge, confiscated his and his family’s possessions, and whisked Ali downtown to the local office of the New York State Attorney General, where he was held for seven hours without ever being arrested or read his rights. Ali says he was told that if he contacted a lawyer or family member he would be arrested and charged with aggravated harassment. He claims that his interrogators asked him to admit he had sent the anonymous emails under direction from the mayor’s political rivals, including New York State Assemblyman Sam Hoyt and South District Councilmember Mickey Kearns.
When he was finally released, Ali says he was told that if he spoke to the media or a lawyer about what had happened to him that morning, he would be arrested and charged.
Ali hired the firm of Magavern Magavern & Grimm the next business day. Three months later, he still has not been charged with any crime and police are still holding his possessions. Now Ali has spoken to the news media, too—and, like DeGeorge, can’t seem to stop talking—and Buffalo Police have come forth to suggest he’ll be charged.
Two weeks ago DeGeorge told Artvoice he would not comment on the investigation at all—would not even confirm that there was an investigation. Last week he told Channel 7 and the Buffalo News that police were investigating Ali, prompted by concerns expressed by the mayor’s bodyguards that the emails posed a substantial threat to the mayor and his family.
DeGeorge added that, while currently Ali faced possible charges of aggravated harassment and criminal impersonation, Buffalo Police had reached out to federal and state law enforcement agencies, and it was possible that new, more serious charges would be added to those.
That seems unlikely, based on recent conversations with state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Earl Gould of the FBI’s Buffalo office said that as a rule the agency does not comment on its ongoing investigations. Then he added, “From our standpoint, if we ran out and talked to the guy, that’s all we did—we talked to him and we pretty much decided there was no federal violation.”
FBI agents often check out leads brought to their attention by local law enforcement, he said. But if there’s no federal crime, they drop it. “Regardless of what you see in the movies, we pretty much bow out if it’s not us,” he said. “You can’t make a silk purse of a sow’s ear. It is what it is.”
That doesn’t mean the FBI would no re-engage the case if a federal angle were to assert itself, Gould cautioned. But he said that hasn’t happened yet with the Ali case.
Rich Bamberger, a spokesperson for the New York State Attorney General’s office, told me several times in the course of a conversation last week, “It’s not our case. This is all Buffalo Police.”
To hear what Syaed Ali has to say about all this, visit AV Daily at Artvoice.com, where you’ll find a video interview with Ali.
—geoff kelly
Reader Comments
Dick Kern 05 Feb 2009, 14:22
Dick Kern
08 Feb 2009, 10:47
It is now over three months since six police agents committed a major
violation of the Constitution at Syaed's family home. None of the family's
possessions have yet been returned, nor have any charges been filed. And the chief of detectives has speedily assured me that such inquiries to Citi-stat about major police (& Mayoral?) misconduct may not be submitted by an "individual inquiring (who) does not have anything to do with the case"! COPY: Request for police services Case/Service Number 424079 Status Closed Description On Nov 7 (12 1/2 wks ago) 6 police agents illegally confiscated many bags of Ali family member's possessions on a dubious search warrant signed by Judge & close friend of the Mayor. One family member, Syaed, detained for 7 hr, apparently having angered the Mayor. When will the property be returned & this dramatic abuse of power & Constitutional rights be explained? Date Raised 02/03/2009 12:09 Raised against 578 BRECKENRIDGE, Buffalo, NY, 14222 Service Request Progress The list below shows the current list of tasks for this service request: Task Name Due Date Status Resolve Police Issue 03/03/2009 12:09 Complete Resolve Case 02/04/2009 Case Resolved -Description: The Chief of Detective Richards has been notified and a request has been made to be contacted. D District has been notified as an FYI Resolve Case 02/05/2009 Case Resolved -Description: This case is ongoing, and the individual inquiring does not have anything to do with the case. There is a notice of claim filed with the city by the complainant and his attorney. Dennis J. Richards Chief of Detectives City of Buffalo - Division of Citizen Services. Leave a Comment:
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