Bloomberg Reaches 'Pounding the Table' Phase of Defending Stop-and-Frisk
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lashed out today at just about anybody anywhere who opposes his police department's destined-to-be-declared-unconstitutional stop-and-frisk policy, currently the subject of a court dispute.
The New York Times reports:
With criticism of the police infusing the Democratic race to succeed him, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Tuesday delivered a staunch defense of the New York Police Department, as well as a spirited attack against its critics.
Speaking at Police Headquarters, Mr. Bloomberg took a swipe at those suing the department in Federal District Court in Manhattan over the stop -and-frisk practices, but he saved his strongest words for legislators and mayoral candidates "playing politics with people's lives."
"Look at what's happened in Boston," Mr. Bloomberg said. "Remember what happened here on 9/11. Remember all of those who've been killed by gun violence and the families they left behind."
Mr. Bloomberg described criticism of the police as politically motivated. "The attacks most often come from those who play no constructive role in keeping our city safe, but rather, view their jobs as pointing fingers from the steps of City Hall," he said.
In an amazing, balls-out move prompting comparisons to Kanye West, Bloomberg argued that opponents of the stop-and-frisk policy are the ones who are racist, not the authorities manhandling any minority they stumble across. He accused the New York Times of ignoring the shooting death of a young minority, something it wouldn't have done were the teen white. Adam Serwer of Mother Jones makes note of the amazing gall of the man:
There are 11 plaintiffs in the stop and frisk case currently on trial in federal district court, none of whom are white. According to Bloomberg, if minorities don't want to their freedom of movement restricted because of their skin color, it's just because they're racist…against themselves. A New York Times spokeswoman told Politico that Bloomberg's criticism of the paper was "absurd."
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