Giuliani Campaign Press Release - Mayor Giuliani Cleaned Up New York City

Mayor Giuliani Cleaned Up The City: Residents Wanted To Stay And Not Leave Like They Did Prior To His Administration. According to a 1990 Time magazine poll, 59% of New Yorkers said they would live somewhere else if they could, but by the end of Mayor Giuliani's time in office, just 31% said that they'd want to live somewhere else. (Joelle Attinger, "The Decline of New York," Time, 9/17/90; The New York Times/CBS News Poll, Conducted 10/6/01-10/9/01, Results Available At: www.nytimes.com, Accessed 4/20/07)

GIULIANI CUT CRIME 56% AS MAYOR

Between 1993 To 2001, New York City Experienced A 66% Decline In Murders. ("1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report: 1993 Index Of Crime By Metropolitan Statistical Area" Federal Bureau Of Investigations; "2001 FBI Uniform Crime Report: 2001 Index Of Crime By Metropolitan Statistical Area," Federal Bureau Of Investigations)

During The Same Time Period, There Was A 72% Decline In Shootings. ("Reengineering Municipal Services 1994-2001," City Of New York Office Of Operations)

New York City Experienced A 56% Decline In The FBI Crime Index Between 1993 And 2001, Far Outpacing 16% Decline In National Crime Index. ("1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau Of Investigations; "2001 FBI Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau Of Investigations)

In Addition To The Decline In Murders, New York Saw A 45.7% Decline In Rapes, A 67.2% Decline In Robberies, A 39.6% Decline In Aggravated Assault, A 68.2% Decline In Burglary, A 43% Decline In Larceny, And A 73.3% Decline In Motor Vehicle Theft. ("1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau Of Investigations; "2001 FBI Uniform Crime Report," Federal Bureau Of Investigations)

In 1993, There Were 11,545 Major Crimes Per Week; By 2001, That Number Dropped To 5,072. ("1993 FBI Uniform Crime Report: 1993 Index Of Crime By Metropolitan Statistical Area" Federal Bureau Of Investigations; "2001 FBI Uniform Crime Report: 2001 Index Of Crime By Metropolitan Statistical Area," Federal Bureau Of Investigations)

Over A 7 Year Period Mayor Giuliani Added 12,000 Police Officers In New York City. Under Mayor Giuliani the number of police officers in New York City skyrocketed. Mayor Giuliani added 12,000 police officers between 1994 and 2000, bringing the number of NYPD officers to 40,000, the highest number in the history at the time. 7,555 of those officers were the result of merging the NYPD with Transit and Housing Police Departments. (State Of New York Office Of The State Comptroller, New York City Police Department: Action Needed To Make The 'Safe Streets, Safe City' Program More Effective, 6/8/94; "Fiscal Year 2001 Mayor's Management Report," City Of New York Office Of Operations; "The City Of New York Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2002: Message Of The Mayor," City Of New York Office Of Management And Budget; "The City Of New York Executive Budget Fiscal Year 2002 Message Of The Mayor: Appendix 5A," City Of New York Office Of Management And Budget)

Drug Use, Particularly Crack Cocaine, Declined Dramatically In The City During Mayor Giuliani's Term. "On the surface, crack has all but disappeared from much of New York, taking with it the ragged and violent vignettes that were a routine part of street life. … The police consider the transformation of parts of Harlem, Washington Heights and Brooklyn something of a miracle, emblematic of New York's determination to beat back the drug tide that many people thought would overwhelm it. 'I'm not ready to say we won,' Police Commissioner Howard Safir said recently. 'But we're no longer the crack capital of the world.' He attributed the change to a policy of zero tolerance for the open sale or use of drugs." ("Crack Fizzles In New York, Spurned By Youths," The [Baltimore] Sun, 9/26/99)

FBI Statistics Established New York City As Safest Large City In America. "According to FBI statistics, New York is the safest large city in the nation. From July 1, 1996, through June 30, 1997, the graphs showed 44% fewer major felonies and 60% fewer murders." (John J. Goldman, "Giuliani's State Of Mind Goes From N.Y. To National," Los Angeles Times, 10/18/97)

Mayor Giuliani Got Rid Of The Mob At The Fulton Fish Market. "Ousting the mob from the Fulton Fish Market was one of the Giuliani administration's most important achievements – not just in reducing crime, but also in improving the city's business climate. And cutting the exorbitant prices that resulted from mob control meant real savings to every New Yorker. As part of that cleanup, Team Giuliani ousted six mob-linked unloading firms from the market and gave the contract to Laro Service Systems. Now the vendors have formed a new cooperative and want to do the job themselves, ostensibly to save money." (Editorial, "First, Keep The Mob Out," New York Post, 10/2/05)

GIULIANI REMOVED PORNOGRAPHY FROM CITY & TIMES SQUARE

Giuliani Cleaned Up Times Square. "'It's great to have him moving in here. It's very symbolic,' said Ellen Goldstein, director of community management for the Times Square Business Improvement District. 'He's the guy who chased out the porn, the three-card monte guys, the squeegee men from Times Square. Nobody would be building offices in Times Square if Rudy Giuliani hadn't been mayor.'" ("Giuliani to Take Office In Heart of Times Square," Newsday, 1/3/02)

Giuliani Brought Together A Public-Private Partnership To Clean Up Times Square. "About four years ago, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani harnessed a private-public team of developers to start cleaning up Times Square, bringing in shiny, neon-lighted hotels, theme stores and restaurants that are the core of the area's renaissance." (Verena Dobnik, "At Almost $30 Million, 42nd Street Studios Serve Nonprofit Artists," The Associated Press, 6/20/00)

"New York City Has Made Progress Against Commercial Sex Under The Leadership Of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Times Square Has Been Cleaned Up And Porn Shops All Over Town Shut Down." (Bill Reel, Op-Ed, "Don't Look Closely Under The Boardwalk," Newsday, 4/18/99)

NYCLU Head Norman Siegel Defended Sex Shops When Mayor Giuliani Instituted Moratorium Against New Or Expanded "Sex-Oriented" Businesses. "City Council members yesterday agreed to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani's plan for a one-year moratorium on opening or expanding any sex-oriented video store, theater or bar. … Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said the moratorium was a violation of the First Amendment, and added that he expected his group would file a suit against the city on behalf of the adult-entertainment businesses." (Jonathan P. Hicks, "City Council Supports Mayor On A Sex-Store Moratorium," The New York Times, 11/23/94)

Siegel: "Law Is Antithetical To Civil Liberties And Repudiates New York City's Rich History And Tradition Of Respect For Freedom Of Speech, Especially Sexual Expression …" (Tracey L. Miller, "NYC's Sex Zoning Law Challenged," United Press International, 2/27/96)

New York Observer: Pornographers "Owe A Big Thank You To Norman Siegel." "The pornographers also owe a big thank you to Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and his so-called 'civil libertarian' colleagues, who have been defending the rights of porn peddlers over the rights of average New Yorkers. It's hard to choose which group is more obscene, the pornographers who seek to return the city to the dark ages of the 1970's, or Mr. Siegel and his dimwit pals, who itch to file lawsuits on their behalf." (Editorial, "Norman Siegel And The A.C.L.U.: Princes Of Porn," The New York Observer, 1/10/00)

Giuliani Vowed To Seal Loophole In Law That Allowed Porn Shops To Continue To Operate. "Mayor Giuliani revived his crusade to crush smut shops and X-rated clubs yesterday – vowing to seal a loophole in a 1990s law that failed to slow the topless dancing and porno video trades in many neighborhoods. … The mayor said his proposal would let city inspectors take into account other factors – such as the prominence of sex-related items – when deciding whether to shut an establishment. The proposal also would require owners to place partitions between the adult and non-adult portions of their businesses – helping to end "sham efforts" to sidestep the law, Giuliani said." (Michael R. Blood, "Rudy Renews Push To Strip City Sex Shops," Daily News, 3/27/01)

Giuliani's New Zoning Restrictions Drew Fire From X-Rated Businesses And NYCLU. "Mayor Giuliani's tough new zoning restrictions on sex shops drew mostly yelps of protest yesterday at their first public airing at City Hall. The complaints came from a parade of lawyers for X-rated businesses, the New York Civil Liberties Union … the proposed new restrictions, which are aimed at tightening the definition of adult establishments subject to the much-litigated 1995 zoning law. Eliminated would be the so-called 60-40 loophole that allowed scores of sex-related businesses to stay open by devoting at least 60% of their inventory or floor space to nonadult material or activities. The proposed new rules would empower the city Buildings Department commissioner to use customer activity and volume of sales, along with physical features, to impose the zoning restrictions." (Frank Lombardi, "X-Rated Howl Over Rudy's New Rules," Daily News, 5/24/01)

GIULIANI CUT DOWN QUALITY OF LIFE OFFENSES

"The Phenomenal Decline Under Mr. Giuliani Of Larger Crimes Such As Murder, Robbery And Rape Was Matched By A Reduction In Quality-Of-Life Offenses — Which In Turn Contributed To The Drop In Major Crime …" (Editorial, "Return Of The Squeegee?" New York Observer, 1/7/02)

Giuliani Cracked Down On Squeegee Men. "Rudy Giuliani adopted the broken-window approach to policing when he became mayor of New York City in 1994. Even though New York was besieged with gang violence, muggings and murder, Giuliani turned the city police's attention to small, quality-of-life concerns, and with astonishing success. … When police cracked down on the infamous squeegee men who harassed commuters by city bridges, they sent the message that the laws – all of them – were to be taken seriously." (Editorial, "Fixing Broken Windows," The Daily News Of Los Angeles, 1/11/02)

"The City's New Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly, Has Also Been Praised For Ordering Precinct Commanders To Continue Giuliani's Policy Of Vigorously Tackling Minor Crimes Which Affect The Quality Of Life." ("New York Murders Reach All-Time Low," Daily Mail [London], 2/27/02)

Bloomberg "Took Pains To Say He Would Not Abandon" Giuliani's Quality Of Life Crimes Reduction. "And Mr. Bloomberg, who will take office on Tuesday, took pains to say that he would not abandon what had been a hallmark of Mr. Giuliani's tenure: curbing the kind of low-level lawbreaking, be it public urination or drinking, that Mr. Giuliani argued contributed to a general decline in the fabric of life in New York before he took office in 1994." (Adam Nagourney, "Quality Of Life Is High Priority For Bloomberg," The New York Times, 12/27/01)

GIULIANI FOUGHT TO CUT FUNDING TO BROOKLYN MUSEUM OVER ITS "SENSATION" EXHIBIT

Mayor Giuliani Called Brooklyn Art Museum "Sensation" Exhibit "Catholic Bashing." Giuliani: "Is there Catholic bashing going on? Go--go ask Cardinal O'Connor if there's Catholic bashing going on. You take one of the most important symbols to Catholics and throw dung at it and have pictures of private parts of women splayed all over it and, of course, it's Catholic bashing." (Mayor Rudy Giuliani As Quoted On, CNBC's "Rivera Live," 9/28/99)

NYCLU Head Norman Siegel Attacked Mayor Giuliani For Withholding City Funds From Brooklyn Museum Of Art Over "Sensation" Exhibit. "A controversial art exhibit, featuring mutilated pigs floating in formaldehyde and a dung-splattered painting of the Virgin Mary, has every right to go on – but without a penny of city money … Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Wednesday. … New York Civil Liberties Union head Norman Siegel sided with the museum, calling Giuliani's yanking of funding 'heavy-handed and inappropriate.'" (Larry McShane, "Giuliani: No More Money For City-Funded Museum Over Exhibit," The Associated Press, 9/22/99)

Siegel: "We Have To Support The People In The Museum, And We Have To Let The Rest Of The Country Know That We In New York Are Not Going To Let Mayor Giuliani, Or Anyone In Government, Dictate What Goes Up On The Walls Of A Museum." (CNN's "Saturday Morning," 10/2/99)