John Catsimatidis, Joe Lhota and George McDonald. (Photo: Jill Colvin)

The three leading Republican candidates for mayor all support the use of controversial unmanned drones to watch over New York City--as long as cameras aren't peering into their bedrooms.

"I'm absolutely for it," said former MTA Chair Joe Lhota, speaking at a candidates' forum hosted by the New York Young Republican Club in Midtown Tuesday night. "Drones to be used from a surveillance point of view, so long as it understands people's privacy rights."

He pointed to the Boston Marathon bombings and said that drones could have been used just like helicopters to find suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was discovered hiding inside a boat, obscured by its cover.

"They're not to be used in a military fashion, in the way we use them in the Middle East," he said. "But from collecting intelligence, from following what's going on, a drone is no different than having a camera on the street corner watching what you're doing in a public place. And we now know how important cameras are to how quickly law enforcement was able to get to people in Boston."

Supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis also endorsed the technology and vowed to do anything in his power to keep the city safe.

"I think we have to use 21st Century technology like we talked about to help keep New Yorkers safe, and I'm fully committed to anything that exists to keep New Yorkers safe," he said. "I will press that button and make sure it happens."

Doe Fund Founder George McDonald agreed that more surveillance was inevitable, saying that "Cameras are going to be a part of our life, whether we like it or not."

But he stressed that there needs to be a balance when it comes to privacy.

"Obviously I don't want a drone lookin' in my bedroom," he said. "And I think that all of us have to stay vigilant about the line where our individual freedoms and our collective responsibilities begin."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently said that he, too, had concerns about the technology, but thought the reality of drones hovering over the city's skyline was inevitable.

Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. (Photo John Moore/Getty Images)

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday the country’s interpretation of the Constitution will “have to change” to allow for greater security to stave off future attacks.

“The people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry,” Mr. Bloomberg said during a press conference in Midtown. “But we live in a complex world where you’re going to have to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution, I think, have to change.”

Mr. Bloomberg, who has come under fire for the N.Y.P.D.’s monitoring of Muslim communities and other aggressive tactics, said the rest of the country needs to learn from the attacks.

“Look, we live in a very dangerous world. We know there are people who want to take away our freedoms. New Yorkers probably know that as much if not more than anybody else after the terrible tragedy of 9/11,” he said.

“We have to understand that in the world going forward, we’re going to have more cameras and that kind of stuff. That’s good in some sense, but it’s different from what we are used to," he said.

The mayor pointed to the gun debate and noted the courts have allowed for increasingly stringent regulations in response to ever-more powerful weapons.

“Clearly the  Supreme Court has recognized that you have to have different interpretations of the Second Amendment and what it applies to and reasonable gun laws … Here we’re going to to have to live with reasonable levels of security,” he said, pointing to the use of magnetometers to catch weapons in city schools.

“It really says something bad about us that we have to do it. But our obligation first and foremost is to keep our kids safe in the schools; first and foremost, to keep you safe if you go to a sporting event; first and foremost is to keep you safe if you walk down the streets or go into our parks," he said. "We cannot let the terrorists put us in a situation where we can’t do those things. And the ways to do that is to provide what we think is an appropriate level of protection."

Still, Mr. Bloomberg argued the attacks shouldn't be used as an excuse to persecute certain religions or groups.

“What we cant do is let the protection get in the way of us enjoying our freedoms," he said.  "You still want to let people practice their religion, no matter what that religion is. And I think one of the great dangers here is going and categorizing anybody from one religion as a terrorist. That’s not true … That would let the terrorists win. That’s what they want us to do.”

(Photo: YouTube)

Congressman Pete King, the head of the House's Homeland Security Committee, has been generating some media buzz recently with his forceful rejection of a Democratic amendment which would restricting federal funding from police forces declared to be discriminatory by the Attorney General. While the amendment wouldn't directly impact the NYPD, the subtext of the legislation was clearly intended to send a message regarding the Muslim-surveillance controversy unearthed by The Associated Press earlier this year. And on a recent CNN discussion, Mr. King pushed back hard when The New Yorker's Ryan Liza tried to give credit to The AP's report.

"First off, there is no profiling, that's the absolute nonsense that people like you and others are propagating," Mr. King stated flatly when the topic was broached.

"I'm not propagating anything I'm just telling you that there's been some very legitimate questions raised about what the NYPD is doing!" Mr. Lizza shouted back.

"I'm telling you that there is no profiling, so I want you take that back!," Mr. King countered. "There is no profiling, you have no evidence of profiling at all. They use terms like profiling [and] spying -- casually and cavalierly -- and you don't know what you're talking about. ... You're passing it on as if it's legitimate."

Mr. Lizza started to insist that his questions were legitimate, only to have Mr. King overtake the discussion again.

"They are not legitimate, they're illegitimate," he again stressed. "They're irresponsible charges to make."

As the show's host  began to switch the discussion to the Secret Service's prostitution scandal, Mr. King made one last point about Mr. Lizza, saying, “He can say whatever he wants, he's wrong."

Watch below:

(Photo: NY1)

New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly went on Inside City Hall last night to discuss, among other things, his department's controversial surveillance of Muslim businesses and communities unearthed by The Associated Press.

"We're sort of under attack," Mr. Kelly said, arguing the AP fostered a narrative that his department has done something illegal. "The AP has done over 30 stories. It's pretty tough to go up against a wire service that has a certain template that it's sticking to."

"I would submit that they have not done their homework in terms of the Department of Justice Guidelines and the Handschuh stipulations. Right in there it's authorized to do what we're doing," he added.

When the host, Josh Robin, pointed out that criticism of the NYPD's surveillance activities extended beyond just the AP, bringing up U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder statement that he was "disturbed" by the reports, Mr. Kelly brought the discussion back to the wire service.

He responded, "Eric Holder said he only knows what he reads in the newspaper, so it does get back to The Associated Press."

Ray Kelly (Photo: Getty)

A group of 110 advocacy and activist organizations teamed together to send a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder today asking him to investigate whether the NYPD violated the constitutional rights of American Muslims with its widespread Muslim surveillance program. Signatories of the letter included; the New York Chapter of the NAACP, Occupy Wall Street, Muslim Advocates, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and the Muslim Bar Associations of New York, D.C., Florida, Southern California and Chicago.

"The NYPD appears to have targeted individuals and communities for surveillance based upon nothing more than their faith. Such measures are just the latest manifestation of the NYPD’s discriminatory practices against racial, religious, and ethnic minorities," the letter said. "In light of the breadth of information now available, we strongly urge the Department of Justice to commence a prompt investigation into NYPD surveillance of Muslims in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, including determining whether potentially unlawful surveillance continues."

The NYPD Muslim surveillance program gained widespread attention following the publication of a series of articles in the Associated Press. In the letter to Mr. Holder, the signatories also criticized the department for airing a controversial allegedly Islamophobic film, "The Third Jihad," which featured an interview with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly.

"The NYPD’s improper targeting of innocent Muslims is compounded by its use of a film entitled The Third Jihad. This offensive film falsely depicts Muslims as violent people seeking world domination and was shown continuously at police headquarters, and viewed by an estimated 1,500 officers. Moreover, the producers of the bigoted film conducted a ninety-minute interview with Commissioner Raymond Kelly," the letter said.

Earlier this month, Mr. Holder said he found the reports of the NYPD's Muslim surveillance "disturbing" and was reviewing them at the Justice Department.

"At least what I’ve read publicly, and again, just what I’ve read in the newspapers, is disturbing," Mr. Holder said. "And these are things that are under review at the Justice Department."

Mr. Holder has also been contacted by 34 members of the House of Representatives asking him to investigate the matter. In the letter to Mr. Holder today, the signatories said they had been unable to get officials at the local level to take action.

"Attempts at seeking accountability for the NYPD at the state level have been unsuccessful. With Governor Cuomo’s support, New York State Attorney General Schneiderman recently declined to pursue an investigation, and Mayor Bloomberg has repeatedly defended the NYPD’s monitoring of Muslims as legal and constitutional," the letter said. "It is deeply disturbing that these officials, who are charged with protecting our civil rights and liberties, appear unwilling to hold the NYPD accountable for its abusive policing practices."

Mr. Kelly was grilled on the surveillance program and the "Third Jihad" movie during a tense City Council hearing last Thursday. Some Muslim groups have spoken out in support of the NYPD. Earlier this month, Congressman Peter King held a rally with a handful of representatives from Muslim organizations in favor of the police department's surveillance efforts.

Read the full letter to Mr. Holder below.

March 19, 2012

The Honorable Eric Holder

Attorney General of the United States

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

The undersigned civil rights, faith, community, and advocacy groups write to express our deep concern regarding the New York Police Department’s (“NYPD”) well-documented and blanket surveillance of Muslim communities in America without any suspicion of wrongdoing. The NYPD appears to have targeted individuals and communities for surveillance based upon nothing more than their faith. Such measures are just the latest manifestation of the NYPD’s discriminatory practices against racial, religious, and ethnic minorities. In light of the breadth of information now available, we strongly urge the Department of Justice to commence a prompt investigation into NYPD surveillance of Muslims in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, including determining whether potentially unlawful surveillance continues.

Since August 2011, the Associated Press has released a series of reports, based on the NYPD’s own documents, about one or more NYPD intelligence gathering programs that specifically targeted Muslims. Based on information released to date, the department has surveilled and collected intelligence about approximately 350 mosques, schools, businesses, and individuals, without any apparent evidence of criminal activity, between at least 2005 to 2008. As part of mapping programs that targeted Muslims’ ethnic and national origin throughout New York City, the NYPD maintained a list of “ancestries of interest,” targeted neighborhoods with large Muslim populations, and created maps identifying the religious sect and “ethnic compositions” of Muslim religious organizations, and the ethnicity and national origin of the owners and employees of business frequented by Muslims. The NYPD also sent officers or informants to compile daily reports about Muslim patrons who visited specific cafes and clubs. The range of the NYPD’s surveillance also extended to mosques, community centers, and organizations in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Philadelphia. In October 2011, it was revealed that undercover NYPD officers infiltrated Muslim student associations at eight college campuses in New York. The NYPD has visited the websites, blogs, and forums of Muslim student associations on twelve campuses “as a daily routine” and informants or undercover agents have recorded students’ personal information and taken notes on how frequently students prayed. Most recently, documents show that the NYPD monitored businesses owned by second and third generation Americans because the owners were Muslim.

The NYPD’s improper targeting of innocent Muslims is compounded by its use of a film entitled The Third Jihad. This offensive film falsely depicts Muslims as violent people seeking world domination and was shown continuously at police headquarters, and viewed by an estimated 1,500 officers. Moreover, the producers of the bigoted film conducted a ninety-minute interview with Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

The enormity of the NYPD’s baseless and blanket surveillance operations, which cast suspicion on an entire faith community, and Commissioner Kelly’s own participation in an interview for an offensive and hateful film about Muslims, paint a disturbing picture of NYPD attitudes regarding Muslims. Furthermore, the use of widespread ethnic, racial, and religious profiling to subject religious institutions, schools, businesses and individuals to intelligence gathering is a threat to the rights of everyone. It creates distrust and suspicion among vulnerable communities and sends the chilling message that the NYPD will not act in accordance with the right to be free from unwarranted police scrutiny–a message the NYPD has also been sending by disproportionately subjecting people of color to its aggressive stop-and-frisk practices.

In September 2011, U.S. Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) brought these issues to your attention by requesting an investigation into the NYPD’s blanket surveillance of the Muslim community. Then, in December 2011, thirty-four Members of Congress expressed similar concerns and requested an inquiry into the matter. Most recently, in February 2012, Senator Robert Menendez also reiterated the dire need for a Department of Justice investigation of the NYPD. To date, the Civil Rights Division has neither scheduled nor announced an imminent investigation.

Attempts at seeking accountability for the NYPD at the state level have been unsuccessful. With Governor Cuomo’s support, New York State Attorney General Schneiderman recently declined to pursue an investigation, and Mayor Bloomberg has repeatedly defended the NYPD’s monitoring of Muslims as legal and constitutional. It is deeply disturbing that these officials, who are charged with protecting our civil rights and liberties, appear unwilling to hold the NYPD accountable for its abusive policing practices. As a result, Muslims are being sent the message that the government officials entrusted with protecting their rights will not do so, and furthermore, these officials will not investigate allegations of police misconduct.

In light of the failure of state and local officials to act in response to the NYPD’s abusive conduct, it is critically important that the federal government vindicate our society’s commitment to equal justice under the law and the prohibitions against targeting communities and individuals based solely on their religion, ethnicity, or national origin. We strongly urge the Civil Rights Division to commence an immediate investigation of the NYPD’s past and current practices to identify whether it has violated, or continues to violate, the Constitutional, federal or state law rights of Muslims, including their rights to equal protection of the law, free exercise, and association.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Advocacy for Principled Action in Government

Alliance for Justice

Amal Law Group, LLC

American Arab Forum

American Muslim Voice

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) - Michigan

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) - National

Anjuman-e-Asghari

Arab American Association of New York

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS)

Arab Muslim American Federation

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)

Asian Law Caucus

Association of Muslim American Lawyers (AMAL)

Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC)

Black Unity

Campaign for Peace and Democracy

Capitol Area Muslim Bar Association

Center for Constitutional Rights

Center for Media and Democracy

Center for National Security Studies

CLEAR - Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility, City University of New York School of Law

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC)

Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan (CIOM)

Council of Shia Professionals

Council on American Islamic Relations

Council on American Islamic Relations - New Jersey

Council on American Islamic Relations - New York

Counselors Helping (South) Asians/Indians, Inc. (CHAI)

Daya Inc.

Defending Dissent Foundation

DRUM - Desis Rising Up & Moving

EMERGE

Fellowship of Reconciliation

Florida Muslim Bar Association

George Crawford Black Bar Association

Georgia Association of Muslim Lawyers (GAML)

Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition

Hindu American Seva Charities

Houston Shifa Services Foundation, Inc.

Imam Hussain Islamic Center

Imam-A-Zamana Foundation of North America

Imamia Medics International

Independent Viewpoints

Indian Muslim Relief & Charities (IMRC)

Interfaith Alliance

Interfaith Center of New York

Iranian American Bar Association

Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association (IABA)

Islamic Association of The Finger Lakes

Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati

Islamic Center of Long Island

Islamic Center of Zahra-SA

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)

Islamic Information Center (IIC)

Islamic Society of Corona-Norco

Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH)

Jews Against Islamophobia

Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Judson Memorial Church, NYC

Majlis Ash-Shura (New York)

Masjid Darul Qur’an

Muslim Advocates

Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA)

Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition

Muslim American Community Association

Muslim American Society of New York (MAS-NY)

Muslim Bar Association of Chicago

Muslim Bar Association of New York

Muslim Bar Association of Southern California

Muslim Center of Middlesex County, Piscataway, NJ

Muslim Civil Liberties Union (MCLU)

Muslim Consultative Network (MCN)

Muslim Law Students Association - New York University School of Law

Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA)

Muslim Peace Coalition USA

Muslim Progressive Traditionalist Alliance

Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

Muslim Students Association National

Muslims for Peace, Inc.

NAACP New York State Conference

National Bar Association, Region II

National Muslim Law Students Association

National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)

New England Muslim Bar Association

New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association

New Jersey Peace Action

New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Noor Kids Children's Islamic Books

Northern California Islamic Council

Occupy Wall Street, by consensus of the General Assembly in Liberty Plaza, New York City, March 17, 2012

Orange County Islamic Foundation (OCIF)

Organization of North American Shia Ithnasheri Muslim Communities

Pakistani American Bar Association

PAKPAC

Rights Working Group

Rochester Black Bar Association

SABA Islamic Center

Sakhi for South Asian Women

September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows

Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Somali Action Alliance

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

South Asian Bar Association of New York

St. Mary's Episcopal Church - West Harlem

Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition

The Arab American Family Support Center

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation

The Muslim Political Prisoner Defense Committee Inc.

The Rt Rev. John Bryson Chane, 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC

The Shalom Center

The Sikh Coalition

Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA)

University of Pennsylvania Muslim Students Association

USPAK Foundation

Women Against Islamophobia and Racism

Women In Islam Inc.

Peter Vallone Jr.

In a post on his Facebook wall last night, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. slammed Attorney General Eric Holder for weighing in on the controversy over the NYPD's widespread surveillance of the Muslim community. Mr. Vallone cited Mr. Holder's role in the "Fast and Furious" scandal where the ATF lost guns used in a sting operation and said the attorney general has no business criticizing the NYPD.

"just heard AG Holder is 'concerned' about the NYPD . really? you're concerned about surveillance that anyone with a computer and a car could do but apparently unconcerned that you 'lost' 2000 firearms to drug dealers and terrorists to use against the NYPD???," Mr. Vallone wrote.

On Thursday, Mr. Holder said he was disturbed by reports the NYPD spied on Muslims in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Officials in New Jersey have expressed dismay they were unaware of the NYPD's investigations in that state. Mr. Holder made his comments on the NYPD's Muslim surveillance program during a subcommittee hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee when Democratic New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg asked how a law enforcement agency could investigate residents of another state without notifying local authorities. Mr. Holder said the Justice Department is "in the process of reviewing the letters that have come in expressing concerns about those matters."

"At least what I've read publicly, and again, just what I've read in the newspapers, is disturbing," Mr. Holder said. "And these are things that are under review at the Justice Department.

Mr. Vallone's invocation of Fast and Furious is further evidence of the Queens Councilman's uniquely conservative position within his party. The Fast and Furious investigation is a favored topic of right wing politicos, but it's rare to see the scandal referenced by a New York Democrat like Mr. Vallone.

(Photo: Getty)

Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn't see eye to eye with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on how much information New Jersey is getting from the New York City Police Department.

Yesterday, Governor Christie indicated his state was receiving very little information. "9/11 was not prevented because law enforcement agencies weren't talking to each other, they were being selfish, they were being provincial, they were being paranoid, they were being arrogant," he warned. "I do not want to return to those days."

While on John Gambling's radio show this morning, Mr. Bloomberg was asked if he was surprised by Mr. Christie's or Newark Mayor Cory Booker's criticisms of the NYPD's controversial surveillance of the Garden State's Muslim community in particular.

"Well, I haven't talked to either one about it," Mr. Bloobmerg began. "We have an agreement with the State of New Jersey, signed I think by Governor Codey, in terms of helping them -- because it's a regional problem -- prevent terrorism."

"And also, in the case of, I think it's Newark, they've assigned one of their police officers to work with the NYPD. So we've certainly been keeping them informed," he added, soon repeating again that "we share the information with New Jersey."

Mr. Bloomberg concluded by saying the focus shouldn't be on the disagreements between himself and the New Jersey officials.

"What we've got to do is just work together. We'll do as good of a job as we can to keep everbody informed. Sometimes there's nothing to inform them, sometimes you inform people and they don't listen," he said. "I think we should find things the things we can work together [on] with Governor Christie and Mayor Booker rather than spend our time trying to find differences."

(Photo: Getty)

Congressman Pete King, hosting John Gambling's radio show this morning, interviewed New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly about the recent criticism the NYPD has received over its extensive surveillance of Muslim businesses and mosques. Both the interviewer and interviewee blasted the media for calling the NYPD's actions "spying."

"I just wish the media would show some responsibility and use the words 'surveillance' or 'police investigation' rather than 'spying.' To use that term, to be accusing you of 'spying,' is, to me, really offensive," Mr. King said, asking Mr. Kelly what he thought of the issue.

"It's a pejorative term, it sells well," Mr. Kelly responded. "They forget we've the subject of 14 plots since 9/11 ... We've been lucky. We just have been lucky."

Mr. King also discussed the political implications of the debate. He said the "spying" rhetoric “puts a cloud over what you're trying to do. That's why I worry about the campaign and whoever the next mayor happens to be, if it's against the back drop of 'spying' charges."

Over the weekend, Azi Paybarah looked into where the 2013 mayoral contenders stood on the NYPD's surveillance of Muslims, and found them largely vague on the issue. Of the candidates, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer was the strongest critic, specifically calling the reports "troubling."

In the interview, Mr. King indicated he would unlikely to be a big fan of Mr. Stringer's on another issue as well. Immediately after the "spying" discussion, Mr. King castigated an unnamed City Councilman for saying residents in his community "are more frightened by the NYPD than they are of drug dealers," something Mr. Stringer recently said almost exactly word for word as well.

"Pandering is going on, that is the season that we're entering now," Mr. Kelly replied, dismissing the issue.

"Ray Kelly and the NYPD should get a medal for what they are doing," he told CBS's Marcia Kramer. "This is good police work. If you are going after radical Muslims you don’t go to Ben’s Kosher Deli."

Mr. King has long been unapologetic about targeting Muslims. Last year, in his capacity as chairman of the House Homeland Security committee, he opened up an investigation into the "radicalization" of American-born Muslims, a hearing which was criticized for being inflammatory.

Take a look: