Charley Fisher

Publishers Note: Let me make something clear ... The story here beyond the obvious is the MONEY ... "Follow the Money" ... Sound familar ... The deli store consortium plays a role in funding these operations. Cash business ... Wire tansfers ... etc. Fisher had it right form day one ... So live with it Buffalo News et al. This story is about Charley Fisher to a certain extent. You missed the boat & still are missing the Ocean Liner for goodness sakes! Joe Illuzzi

I met with Buffalo Common Council member Charley Fisher today at the Jackson Bros. Soul food restaurant on Genesee street and May St. to interview him about the arrests in Lackawana of suspected terrorists.

Fisher has been criticized for his past accusations of, particularly, the Yemenite business Association and the Arab owned deli-stores on the east side of Buffalo.

He had much to say on the topic today, some of which could not be dismissed as simply "I told you so." rhetoric.

Fisher’s most significant point is that he believes there is a training camp for terrorists in Buffalo on Masten and Best streets at the old juvenile detention center, a property purchased recently by an Arab group, according to Fisher.

He also said that two of the five suspected terrorists arrested by federal agents were associated with a Deli on Gennesee and Sherman streets in Buffalo. In fact, Fisher insists the arrests were made there.

Fisher sees these arrests of these Lackawanna men as vindication of his long-standing and oft criticized role as a critic of certain operators of what he calls "predatory delis" in the WNY area.

Without further ado, and with minimal editorial interpolation, it seems best to simply quote Fisher on the topic:

"I bore for a long time, " he said, " the criticism that I was a hate monger. I was being mean to the Arab community.

"But then I could not tell the whole story."
A man walks past a residence searched by the FBI Friday in Lackawanna, New York.

Fisher revealed that in addition to the well-publicized arrests yesterday, that recently a WNY deli store operator was arrested and detained in the Batavia federal center. He owned a car that was being driven by someone who had attended the same flight school in Texas that other terrorists participated in who were involved in the 9-11 attack. The federal agents came here and arrested him. He owned two stores in Buffalo."

Fisher alleged. "On the infamous and aborted flight headed for our nation’s capital there was a man on board who had been living in a deli store (not from WNY)" Fisher said. "His name was Hani Houjoure"

Fisher said much of what he told authorities cannot be revealed, but he would reveal this much: "There is a connection between Patterson, New Jersey, Lackawanna, and Dearborn, Michigan."

The latter city, Fisher said, is the "nerve center" for much of the nation’’s Arab deli centers.

"The point of origination of much of the food products that show up on the shelves of these deli stores in Buffalo and elsewhere comes from Dearborn."

Fisher believes there is a conspiracy to use these Deli stores as fronts, to make money to fund terrorism and to corrupt the inner city to help spread chaos in America, beginning with its inner cities and targeting the African-American community.

"You’ll note that primarily these people come into black neighborhoods and practically take over or monopolize the food choices in poor neighborhoods. You hardly see a black owned deli store. Now they do this by combining and essentially selling inferior products at higher prices and, more specifically, illegal products.

"There is a Yemenite association in Buffalo whose combined members own about 150 stores in WNY. Most of these have similar or identical products. The leader is Mohammed Albano .

"Albano, the leader of the association is, on the surface, an amiable, friendly individual who is extremely good at PR. But he is a ruthless and sinister man. He permits a climate of illegality. But because this is so much bigger than him. He looks the other way as the stores come in and create blight in the neighborhoods and only puts out fires when the heat is specifically on. He knows what is going on.

"They sell old food products and drugs and guns, and drug paraphernalia."

(To confirm what Fisher said, I personally stopped at several deli stores and was able to purchase over the counter and for as little as one or two dollars, crack or "stem" pipes.)

Fisher continued, "You see the true ownership of these deli stores is deliberately vague. That is why I sponsored the Deli licensing law so there would be someone on record. But sometimes the ostensible owner is not the real owner at all and various relatives and friends, some of them illegally in the country, are working there and doing who knows what.

"It’’s all very secretive. The role of each is very vague. The thing about it is, a deli is a great place to hide and work and launder money or even make money and send it to help fund anti- American activities. Note also that it is always in ghetto areas where the scrutiny is far less. Could they get away with this in Amherst or Clarence or Orchard Park?"

Fisher claims that the Yemenite group has increased their political power by giving contributions to a number of local politicians. Fisher named some of these politicians, but at press time, we were unable to confirm his allegation, and decline to name them.

But Fisher was unequivocal: The deli stores help fund terrorists.

"There have been numerous arrests," he said. Arrests for drugs, old food, guns. And you know what? People can stomach that. To some extent. They say, ‘well, after all, it’s the ghetto.’ But they can’t and won’t stomach what is going on in Masten Park."

Driving past the building situate on Best street, the large building is walled off and above the walls are barbed wire fence making it virtually inaccessible. It would be impossible to know from the street what might be going on inside.

"They bought a farm in a rural town in WNY where they had legal trouble for pedophilia. Then they bought Best street and this big monstrosity of a building. This is where their people start. For those who are inclined to think this is all far- fetched, let me tell you -- this is not so far-fetched."

I asked Fisher how he knew what he claimed to know.

"I have sources, " Fisher said. "Inside sources. These people at Best are armed and dangerous. They are doing para- military training there.

"I believe my sources are truthful. They have been truthful in the past. When they say these people are extremely dangerous, I believe them.

"Arabs themselves, these are my sources, good Yemenites, and good Muslims, who are believed to be part of this unspoken group of sympathizers who hate the US so much.

"But they understand that this will not help them in the end. So they have come and told me ‘hey they don’t represent us.’"

When Fisher first learned some of the shocking allegations made by some of his sources, he immediately called Federal authorities and asked them to investigate, and, while federal officials are remaining close-lipped about much of the case, Fisher’s early warnings and extensive reports (with names and addresses) may have had a hand in leading them to Lackawanna. Fisher has been on the case for some time.

And remember it was he who authored the deli-licensing law.

"Only the Yemen business group litigated it." he said. "The Pakistani, the Koreans, no one else fought it.

"I personally have closed eight deli stores for criminal and uncivil behavior."

On Waverly street Fisher videotaped a deli store selling liquor to a 16 year old boy.

"I turned that tape over to Rocco Diina and that store was closed, " Fisher said.

"I personally purchased an eight year old jar of pizza sauce while undercover reporters from Channel 4 watched and then filmed it at a deli near the Perry projects. That was shown in channel 4 news."

"I confronted stores that were abusing children. In one instance an 8 year old child, the grandson of attorney Franklin Pratcher, was physically held at 461 Grider and locked in a basement for alleged shoplifting.

"He was held in a dark basement for two hours.

"We did a four day protest of that store."

Fisher brought attention to a deli store for criminal activity and in turn they responded with a threat on his life.

Another store’s personnel took the law into their own hands when they imprisoned a 20 year old black woman for alleged shoplifting. She claimed she was innocent, but the men physically restrained her. Her cries for help alerted neighbors who called Fisher. He and other men literally came to her rescue and pushed the door of the deli in and rescued her, then called police.

"On east Ferry, a woman was sexually fondled by the owner, Fisher continued. "I had him arrested and convicted and he lost his business."

Fisher went on and on with a list of offenses these deli owners and employee had allegedly committed. Rats, filth, old rotten food.

"On Fillmore, convicted of guns. At 1279 sycamore a literal armory of guns was confiscated."

Then Fisher let out a fact that the general public probably does not know. Fisher has been in direct communication with members of the Yemen community and authorities.

"Did you know that two of those five in Lackawanna are connected and were arrested at a Deli on Gennesee and Sherman in Buffalo?

"On High street, the store owner was arrested and convicted of having 35 bags of crack cocaine at the store.

"The same sources that helped me expose these outrages have revealed to me and I have shared this with federal and local authorities --some of these people are involved in a "Jihad," a holy war against the USA and illegal profits, drugs, guns, prostitution, bad food, paraphernalia - all this is for the furtherance of their cause. My sources have told me these are members of an evil sect of Muslims that have the destruction of America at heart. They run from NJ to Lackawanana, Buffalo and Dearborn Michigan. They want to grab money and filter it and these stores are selling drugs. This store is selling bad food, this store is trading guns That’’s the idea. To exploit the ghetto, to raise money and hurt America. They have no intention of becoming American citizens. They are criminals who in their warped perverted skewed religious view are making it bad for the rest of the Yemenites, the majority of whom are good decent people."

In the meantime, Fisher has repeatedly been in contact with federal officials, including three sperate meetings to discuss his findings, he said and will continue to share the information he gets.

"The most alarming thing, however, of it all, Fisher warns, "is not the cell in Lackawanna but this Masten Park. l’’ve been warned by my sources, one of whom was actually a member of the group and he said they were holding para military exercises there and that he fears he is in danger of his very life.

"Of course we don’’t want to trample on people’’s civil rights but some people simply bear watching and investigation. And not only are there terrorists but you have to realize that there are hundreds maybe thousands of people who are, if not actively participating, are sympathizers who will aid and abet the mission, if by doing nothing more than turning a blind eye to the terrorists efforts, people who want to see America destroyed from within, people who believe that America is evil and that they are justified in destroying us, while living here and using us and stealing our money. Some of these people are plotting and hoping for the destruction of America and are right now working at Buffalo Deli’’s as we speak."

 

 

 

Joe Illuzzi edited out the follwoing passage from the original manuscript:

(And speaking of sexual harassment, the Arab-run deli near my own home lends credibility to Fisher’’s claims. The other day an attractive blonde woman told me she was at the counter of the deli store and the attendant just stood there staring at her, not ringing up her purchase. She finally asked him, "are you going to check me out?" And he replied, with lustful glee, "I am checking you out baby."

Another instance involved my niece who was 15. The attendant lustfully proposed a sexual encounter with her. When she backed away he pushed his entire body up against her and refused to let her leave for half a minute until she cried for help. Upon hearing this I personally confronted the man and getting an insincere answer I began to criticize him. Soon a crowd surrounded us. When he refused to apologize to ym niece who was with me, I slapped him directly across the face in front of about twenty witnesses. His uncle rushed to me to apologize and told me he had just come to the country, and was a little wild but that he would fire him immediately. He later went to work at another deli store)