Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has unveiled plans to fortify the border between Long Island and New York City by constructing a surveillance camera wall, equipped with facial recognition technology. The security measures aim to counter what Blakeman sees as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's pro-criminal policies.
Blakeman, a Republican who is mulling a gubernatorial run, described Mamdani in an interview with Fox News Digital as "pro-criminal," echoing criticisms from Republicans nationwide that the mayor-elect will be soft on crime. In contrast, Mamdani has emphasized focusing on serious crimes and reallocating resources to social workers for mental health emergencies.
Blakeman's stance on immigration and public safety has been a central aspect of his campaign, with a focus on collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the establishment of an armed unit to provide "another layer of protection" for residents. However, this initiative is currently being challenged in court by opponents who see it as an illegal militia.
The proposed surveillance camera wall would also include technology that reads license plates and has facial recognition capabilities, which some civil liberty experts have questioned due to concerns over accuracy and privacy. A spokesperson for Blakeman did not provide further information on the technology or its costs.
Blakeman's efforts are seen by many as a stunt aimed at catching President Donald Trump's attention, rather than addressing pressing local issues such as infrastructure and public services. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik has been criticized for Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani, but her own campaign was complicated last week when Trump dismissed her criticisms, saying Mamdani is not a "jihadist."
Blakeman, a Republican who is mulling a gubernatorial run, described Mamdani in an interview with Fox News Digital as "pro-criminal," echoing criticisms from Republicans nationwide that the mayor-elect will be soft on crime. In contrast, Mamdani has emphasized focusing on serious crimes and reallocating resources to social workers for mental health emergencies.
Blakeman's stance on immigration and public safety has been a central aspect of his campaign, with a focus on collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the establishment of an armed unit to provide "another layer of protection" for residents. However, this initiative is currently being challenged in court by opponents who see it as an illegal militia.
The proposed surveillance camera wall would also include technology that reads license plates and has facial recognition capabilities, which some civil liberty experts have questioned due to concerns over accuracy and privacy. A spokesperson for Blakeman did not provide further information on the technology or its costs.
Blakeman's efforts are seen by many as a stunt aimed at catching President Donald Trump's attention, rather than addressing pressing local issues such as infrastructure and public services. Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rep. Elise Stefanik has been criticized for Islamophobic attacks against Mamdani, but her own campaign was complicated last week when Trump dismissed her criticisms, saying Mamdani is not a "jihadist."
It's like he's trying to relive his glory days as a Fox News guest, but this time it's just gonna get him into trouble with the courts. And let's be real, the facial recognition tech is straight outta a bad sci-fi movie - what if they start mistaking innocent people for criminals? 
It's all about security, but at what cost to our civil liberties?
Rep. Stefanik's comments were totally unacceptable and she needs to apologize ASAP.
.
This whole thing feels like a plot from the movie "Idiocracy" - you know, where the politicians are more concerned with being popular than actually doing what's best for their constituents? 
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is trying to score points by proposing a surveillance camera wall with facial recognition tech, but at what cost to people's privacy? 
And let's not forget about Rep. Elise Stefanik's Islamophobic attacks against Zohran Mamdani - that's just low. 
I'm keeping an eye on this one... 
it's not about "pro-criminal" policies or "soft on crime", it's about using immigrants as a scapegoat for all your own policy failures... and meanwhile, we're still dealing with real issues like affordable housing and healthcare in this county 
. It's like, if you can't even get the basics right, how are we supposed to trust the politicians with more power? And what's with all the focus on crime rates? We should be talking about affordable housing and mental health support 
. I mean, I'm not saying Zohran Mamdani is perfect, but this surveillance wall thing just feels like a distraction from the real issues at hand 
. And let's be real, Rep. Stefanik was totally out of line with those Islamophobic comments 
. Can't we all just get along and focus on finding solutions that actually help people? 
Nassau County Exec Bruce Blakeman wants to build a surveillance camera wall along the Long Island NYC border equipped with facial recognition tech? Like how much does he wanna be like that? 
And what's up with his 'pro-criminal' comments about Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani? I mean, can't we just focus on getting some decent public services around here instead of worrying about "soft on crime" policies? 
Can't we have a grown conversation about this stuff without resorting to hate speech? 
. I mean, can't we focus on building stronger communities instead of fueling fear and division? This surveillance camera wall is just a huge overreach, and let's be real, it's also super expensive 
.
?
.