Dick Cavett Show

Baldwin & Bloomberg

February 12, 2020

“This Baldwin clip in light of the Bloomberg audio released yesterday means so much. Spend 2 minutes of your day and watch this.” –Former SC House of Rep ’06 – ’14. Democratic nominee for Lt. Gov. ’14. Author of “My Vanishing Country” on sale 5/19.

NPR:

Michael Bloomberg is distancing himself from a 2015 speech in which the former New York City mayor defended aggressive police tactics in minority neighborhoods.

“95% of your murders and murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description and Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities 15 to 25.”

He continues: “That’s true in New York. That’s true in virtually every city in America. And that’s where the real crime is. You’ve got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed.”

Bloomberg’s idea of a solution? Flooding minority neighborhoods with law enforcement.

“People say, ‘Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana who are all minorities.’ Yes, that’s true. Why? Because we put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. Yes, that’s true. Why’d we do it? Because that’s where all the crime is. And the way you should get the guns out of the kids’ hands is throw them against the wall and frisk them,” Bloomberg says.

Bloomberg, in a statement, noted how he had apologized for championing stop and frisk before kicking off his presidential bid.

“I should’ve done it faster and sooner. I regret that and I have apologized — and I have taken responsibility for taking too long to understand the impact it had on Black and Latino communities,” Bloomberg said in the statement. “This issue and my comments about it do not reflect my commitment to criminal justice reform and racial equity.”

CBS:

“A subtle look. The bus driver not letting you on the bus. A salesperson following you in a store while you’re shopping.

A Columbia University professor created a virtual reality program that allows people to see what African-Americans experience on a day-to-day basis.” pic.twitter.com/M1xtgXkYoB