New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio trashed his predecessor Michael Bloomberg for flipping on his support of stop and frisk just before he announced his campaign for the presidency.
“One hundred percent [phony],” de Blasio told Hannity on Wednesday. “If he were not running for president right now, we still wouldn’t have that apology.”
Bloomberg, who was mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, long voiced support for stop-and-frisk policing, including a speech where he said criminals could be “Xerox” copies of young black men and told cops to stop them all and “throw them up against the wall.” Bloomberg has repeatedly apologized since setting his sights on the White House.
De Blasio argued that most New Yorkers opposed stop and frisk. He claimed the policy not only harmed the individuals who were stopped, but it ruined police relationships because the policy eroded trust and left many residents feeling that police were harassers, rather than protectors.
“He’s totally out of touch with the people of his own city when he says that. It’s derogatory. It’s unfair. It’s not truthful. But on top of that, what happened? It made it harder for police and community to communicate and be on the same page,” de Blasio said.
He continued, “It created tons of pain for parents, grandparents, trying to bring up their kids the right way. Look, if you were stopped, you’re a law-abiding guy your whole life, you’re a young person, you’re stopped, you’re frisked over and over and over again. … Imagine what that does to someone.”
Fox News host Sean Hannity agreed with de Blasio and said Bloomberg’s description of tossing men against the wall equated police brutality.
De Blasio said he’s hired additional officers and improved police relations in the city.
Hannity wasn’t convinced, referencing the attacks and harassment of officers in the city, including one viral video of residents hitting officers with buckets of water.
“You need to protect our cops better,” Hannity warned de Blasio. “Every one of those videos — you need to arrest every one of those people.”
De Blasio said most of those responsible for police harassment have been arrested.
