Rocklanders were among the thousands who marched over the Brooklyn bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn for the No Hate, No Fear Solidarity March yesterday, several from a group called “Hasidic Peace International” stood along New Hempstead Road in New City Friday morning to denounce political activism by Orthodox Jews, and pictures purporting to be of Orthodox men arming themselves with high-powered weapons made their way around the internet. Fears are running high in the wake of several incidents in the area of late, capped by the Hanukkah attack in Monsey over a week ago. A Rockland grand jury late Friday indicted 37-year-old Grafton Thomas of Greenwood Lake on six counts of attempted murder, three counts first-degree assault, three counts of first-degree attempted assault and two counts of burglary in the first degree for the Monsey attack. He pleaded not guilty, but he also faces federal hate crime charges. Ramapo police chief Brad Weidel says there’s a lot at stake in these cases, and it has to be done right…
Ramapo supervisor Michael Specht says the town is trying to get about $2 million in funding together to set up a stationary plate-reading system like the one the NYPD used to nab Thomas just hours after the incident occurred…
The town is also working to re-start the Ramapo Council of United Americans. Chief of Staff Mona Montal says it’s an inter-faith, inter-cultural forum that lets residents share concerns over tensions in the area…
The group could start holding meetings later this month or in early February.