Anybody But Bloomberg: New Yorkers of Color Pen Open Letter Rooting for Everybody Except Mike Bloomberg

More than 90 New York activists, citizens, politicians, city officials, and religious leaders who survived the Bloomberg administration have united to pen an open letter in an attempt to shed light on โ€œThe Real Mike Bloomberg.โ€ The missive from the group described as โ€œNew Yorkers of Colorโ€ is an appeal to voters in the remaining…

More than 90 New York activists, citizens, politicians, city officials, and religious leaders who survived the Bloomberg administration have united to pen an open letter in an attempt to shed light on โ€œThe Real Mike Bloomberg.โ€ The missive from the group described as โ€œNew Yorkers of Colorโ€ is an appeal to voters in the remaining Democratic primaries and comes with receipts, actual evidence and an โ€œurgent messageโ€ that can be condensed into two words:

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Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

Not him.

The coalition representing โ€œfamilies of New Yorkers killed by the New York Police Department, community leaders, elected officials, and other New Yorkers of colorโ€ began by explaining that they lived during the former mayorโ€™s โ€œabysmal and destructiveโ€ 12-year tenure, noting that he used his wealth and influence to change the laws that prevented him from serving a third term.

โ€œAlthough Bloomberg is running in the Democratic primary, he has a long history with the Republican party,โ€ wrote the signers. โ€œWe urge you NOT to reward Bloomberg with your vote.โ€

While highlighting Bloombergโ€™s past as a GOP candidate and financial contributor, the letter explained that the billionaire Democratic contender stood at the helm of an administration that produced racial, economic and social inequality in New York City. But they didnโ€™t just point to the NYPDโ€™s racially destructive stop and frisk practices. The list of Bloombergโ€™s barbaric policies included:

Warrantless surveillance of Muslim communities

Targeting nonwhite youth for marijuana arrests

Rezoning housing, closing shelters and canceling support for the homeless in order to make the city a โ€œluxury productโ€

Allowing big banks to discriminate against homeowners of color

Fingerprinting food stamp recipients

Promoting a โ€œtest and punishโ€ policy in NYC schools

Closing minority-serving schools and diverting taxpayer dollars to privately run charter schools

โ€œAfter four years of Trump, the last thing our country needs is is someone who will champion racist and discriminatory policies, exacerbate economic inequality and undermine democracy with his wealth,โ€ pleaded the letter-writers, who (literally and figuratively) said boldly:

โ€œ[S]tay away from Mike Bloomberg.โ€

โ€œOur critics are welcome to offer alternative opinions, but the broader range of facts presents a different picture,โ€ Bloomberg campaign adviser Stu Loeser told Buzzfeed. โ€œBut as much as we encourage everyoneโ€™s right to speak their minds, not all of the facts in this letter line up with Mikeโ€™s real record.โ€

Bloombergโ€™s campaign pointed to a New York Times article that praised the mayorโ€™s record on race. Waitโ€ฆI think thatโ€™s the wrong link because the title says New Yorkers were โ€œconflicted.โ€ Plus, the article says 38 percent of black New Yorkers rated him favorably while 55 percent of whites did, which was an improvement over his predecessor. But if three out of five black people didnโ€™t approve of your performance, what would you expect the letter of recommendation to say?

Anyway...

It seems as if the only black people who support Michael Bloomberg all curiously have a brown paper bag filled with cash under their sink. But maybe itโ€™s a coincidence. I think the takeaway here is that the black and brown people who know him best say โ€œDonโ€™t vote for Michael Bloomberg.โ€

Iโ€™ll take their word.

Straight From The Root

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