REV. SHARPTON RESPONDS TO FORMER MAYOR BLOOMBERG’S APOLOGY FOR STOP-AND-FRISK POLICING

MAYORMICHAELBLOOMBERGWIKI

[New York News\ Racial Policing Policing]
Rev. Al Sharpton: “I am glad to see Mr. Bloomberg now admit that the policy [stop-and-frisk] was wrong. He called me after his speech and I communicated to him that it will take more than one speech for people to forgive and forget a policy that so negatively impacted entire communities.”
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg apparently had a recent epiphany–now that he is about to run for president, as a Democrat–that stop-and-frisk policing was “really wrong.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of National Action Network, issued the following statement regarding Bloomberg’s Sunday apology for stop-and-frisk policing during his three terms as mayor:

As one who helped lead countless demonstrations, marches and rallies to amplify the racial impact that was had on the Black and Brown community from stop-and-frisk policing, I am glad to see Mr. Bloomberg now admit that the policy was wrong. He called me after his speech and I communicated to him that it will take more than one speech for people to forgive and forget a policy that so negatively impacted entire communities.

“However, I’m glad to see his position vocalized at a time when President Trump is calling for stop-and-frisk nationally and I’m glad this position is being taken by someone so identified with the policy. We will have to wait and see whether it was politically motivated but Mr. Bloomberg should be judged by the same standards we judged Joe Biden, the author of the 1994 Crime Bill that led to disproportionate numbers of Black and Brown men going to jail for years, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders, who voted for it.”

Mr. Bloomberg recently spoke at the Brooklyn Christian Cultural Center saying “Over time, I’ve come to understand something that I long struggled to admit to myself: I got something important wrong. I got something important really wrong. I didn’t understand that back then the full impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities. I was totally focused on saving lives, but as we know, good intentions aren’t good enough. Now, hindsight is 20/20. But, as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops, and as it continued to come down during the next administration, to its credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner and acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had. I’m sorry that we didn’t. But, I can’t change history. However today, I want you to know that I realize back then I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

PBA President, Patrick Lynch, criticized Bloomberg’s supposed change of heart saying,“Mayor Bloomberg could have saved himself this apology if he had just listened to the police officers on the street.” Lynch continued: “We said in the early 2000s that the quota-driven emphasis on street stops was polluting the relationship between cops and our communities. His administration’s misguided policy inspired an anti-police movement that has made cops the target of hatred and violence, and stripped away many of the tools we had used to keep New Yorkers safe.”

 

About National Action Network

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality or gender.

For more information go to: www.nationalactionnetwork.net

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *