רא"ט טעראר ווידער אנגעהויבן ספרעי פעינט קרית יואל

State Police beef up presence at KJ; upset villagers may hire an attorney

Vandalized bus

KIRYAS JOEL – State Police say they have daily patrols in the Village of Kiryas Joel in recent days because they want the community to know they are being protected.

The trooper brass also said they won't tolerate anymore of the large crowds of warring factions in the Hassidic village to congregate, vandalize and overturn vehicles. One car was flipped last weekend during three days of unrest that brought out State and local police in large numbers. 

The latest unrest apparently centers around a disputed wedding that took place, recently.

Monroe State Police Barracks Commander Capt. Steven Nivens Thursday said they need to establish a sense of law and order in the village.

''It has become socially acceptable in KJ to have a mob mentality whenever they get a decision that doesn't favor one side or the other, they can get a group of 300 to 700 to 1,000 people and cause disturbances and these disturbances are getting progressively more dangerous,'' he said

Dissident leader Joseph Waldman said Monday that he appreciates the beefed-up police presence that followed, even if it means more people are getting tickets

"We are extremely happy that they are here," he said 
 "Because they are here, we have peace

One resident, Moshe Klein, said people feel ''terrorized'' by the State Police, who are issuing tickets for vehicle and traffic violations.

''The people here really feel they are being targeted by the State Police now,'' he told MidHudsonNews.com.

Another resident, Kiva Weinstock, said other communities wouldn't tolerate what the troopers are doing in Kiryas Joel.

A group in the village is circulating a flyer saying the State Police are conducting a ''ticket blitz'' and that they are hiring an attorney to fight it.