Mayor Bloomberg Extremely Angry at Stop-and-Frisk Ruling
The always grouchy Michael Bloomberg was especially irritable today at a press conference following a federal judge’s ruling that the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk tactic is unconstitutional and needs federal oversight. In a good-cop-bad-cop routine with Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, the mayor argued that the court “ignored the real-world realities of crime” and “displayed disturbing disregard for the good intentions of our police officers,” but he really got heated at reporters who dared question his immovable stance. To one journalist — but really to all of them and any critic of stop-and-frisk, however moderate — Bloomberg exclaimed, “You couldn’t be more wrong!”
Kelly, while also fiercely critical of the decision, kept a cooler head, calling accusations of racial profiling “recklessly untrue” and the ruling “disturbing” and “offensive.” (He also said he has not had a chance to read the entire ruling yet because he was at the dentist.)
Bloomberg, meanwhile, promised an appeal and reverted to fear, as he’s done in the past. “Throughout the case, we didn’t believe we were getting a fair trial and this decision confirms that suspicion,” he said. Asked if the appeals process would last through his term as mayor, Bloomberg said, “Boy, I hope so. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for a lot of people dying.”
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