RNC update: Mysterious memo orders parolees to stay out of Manhattan

FORBIDDEN CITY: "A Bronx parolee planning to protest the Republican convention got a rude shock this week when he was warned to avoid not only the march, but Manhattan entirely.
The parolee’s trouble began Wednesday, at a scheduled meeting with his parole officer in the Bronx. When he asked about protesting, the officer pulled out a notice, typed on New York State Division of Parole letterhead, and ordered him to sign.

The document advises parolees not to enter Manhattan from August 30 to September 3, unless they have a verified job there. Those employed in the borough are barred from the “Red Zone” of 26th to 35th Streets, 6th to 9th Avenues during the same dates. “Failure to abide by the above Special Condition will result in a violation of your parole without exception,” it states.

The New York Civil Liberties Union was quick to blast the Division of Parole. “The arrival of the Republican National Convention should not be used as a pretext to strip parolees of their rights,” said executive director Donna Lieberman.

parole division spokesperson Scott Steinhardt angrily disowned the letter. “This is not and was not division policy,’ he said.

Still, the parolee at the center of this controversy hadn’t heard from his parole officer by press time and didn’t want to take any chances. “I’m on parole and I have certain rules I have to live by,” he said. “I’m not trying to get locked up again.” "

By Cassi Feldman
City Limits