NEW YORK (AP) — Potential candidates for New York mayor are taking a stand on the New York Police Department’s surveillance of Muslim students, from cautious support to a warning about curtailing civil liberties.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg leaves office in a year and a half.
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, a Democrat, says police should do their “extraordinary job protecting our city” as long anti-terrorism efforts “do not trample” on civil liberties.
Documents obtained by The Associated Press show the NYPD infiltrated Muslim student groups at colleges in the city and throughout the Northeast.
City Comptroller John Liu, a Democrat, praises the NYPD for keeping residents safe but warns that people should not be profiled “based on religion or race.”
Media executive Tom Allon, running as a Liberal and a Democrat, supports the tactics.
