One of the remarkable things about Bill de Blasio, the worst mayor in the history of cities, is that every time you think he has done the stupidest thing possible he finds a way to outdo himself.
His absurd run for president wasn’t enough, his slashing of police budgets during a surge in shootings wasn’t enough, either. Now, he is painting Black Lives Matter in huge letters on Fifth Avenue in what is nothing short of a huge insult to the diverse men and women of the New York Police Department.
Over the past few weeks, it has been noted by many commenters that Black Lives Matter means different things in different contexts. Presumably the street mural de Blasio has commissioned a few blocks from Trump Tower is meant as the general sentiment of support for black lives that all people share. But the problem is that Black Lives Matter is also a Marxist organization that basically seeks the overthrow of America.
According to a Monmouth Poll 70 percent of Americans say that Black Lives Matters has not improved race relations. Thirty-eight percent say the movement has made things worse. Again, it is unclear whether respondents are referring to the general movement or the specific organization, but what is clear is that there is nowhere near any consensus on whether either are very much good for society.
There is also the matter of the political implications of the message Hizzoner is having painted. It is laughable to suggest that Black Lives Matter is a bipartisan movement, even if Sen. Mitt Romney dons a mask and marches with them. And with the placement of the mural so blatantly close to Trump’s New York residence and offices this might as well be a giant, Vote Democrat sign paid for by the taxpayers.
And what have de Blasio and those Democrats given the city? It was the epicenter of death from coronavirus, its small businesses are still reeling, many still shuttered, food lines stretch for blocks, contact tracing is a ridiculous joke, shootings are occurring at a rate not seen in 25 years, police are retiring at record numbers, and who can blame them? And de Blasio’s response to all of this is to paint a mural that says Black Lives Matter on 5th Avenue? It’s an infuriating joke.
This is nothing short of city funds going to prop up political propaganda and its wrong. While not reflective of the entire movement or organization, because nothing actually is, the haranguing and epithets thrown at police along with bottles and Molotov cocktails at Black Lives Matter rallies are very real. This is just the latest in a long list of creative ways that Bill de Blasio has found to spit in the eye of the NYPD.
New Yorkers, the ones who don’t flee in the next several months because the city no longer has functioning schools or a supported police force, or, you know, indoor dining, need to start making some choices. Our city government is wildly out of step with will of the people.
In the next mayoral election, and in all local elections New Yorkers must look to restore sanity. We need real leadership, not quasi-Marxist slogans painted on streets. If we don’t get it, the “bad old days” are lurking around the corner. And those of us old enough to remember them know how much tragedy and sadness that would bring.
