An Open Letter to Michael Bloomberg — The Official Website of Pharoah Bolding

Dear Michael,

On Sunday, November 17, 2019, you - a former mayor of New York City and, at the time, newly-minted 2020 Democratic presidential candidate - visited the Christian Cultural Center, a black megachurch in Brooklyn, New York, to speak to their congregation. During your speech, it appears you decided that now was a good time to apologize for not putting a stop to “stop-and-frisk” in NYC sooner. Your words, courtesy of The New York Times:

“Over time, I’ve come to understand something that I long struggled to admit to myself: I got something important wrong. I got something important, really wrong. I didn’t understand that back then, the full impact that stops were having on the black and Latino communities. I was totally focused on saving lives, but as we know, good intentions aren’t good enough. Now, hindsight is 20/20. But, as crime continued to come down as we reduced stops, and as it continued to come down during the next administration, to its credit, I now see that we could and should have acted sooner and acted faster to cut the stops. I wish we had. I’m sorry that we didn’t. But, I can’t change history. However, today, I want you to know that I realize back then I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

So as far as your apology is concerned, let me say we ain’t interested.

Apology not accepted.

Nope.

Nah, Michael.

No, thank you.

Not happenin’.

Nein.

Cha.

Nee.

Michael, let me say that I don’t want to speak for the entire Black delegation, as that would be presumptuous of me and buy into the idea that all Black folx are on the same page about topics of interest like your “apology.” Truth is we’re not on the same page. About a lot of things. Just like any other race (which is something that should not have to be said but, well, we’re talking about white supremacy so we might as well debunk some tried-and-true theories as we go), we have our similarities and differences. The acceptance of “apologies” of this nature from wealthy white people (and white-adjacent people) in power for their past white supremacist actions and motivations is something that will always divide us in some respects. Even though many of y'all consistently do nothing to earn forgiveness, some Black and Brown folx want to forgive y'all. With that said, I think I can say that the overwhelming majority of Black and Brown U.S. Americans, and especially the Black and Brown citizens of New York City who have lived with the terror of "stop-and-frisk,” do not accept your “apology.” And honestly? You shouldn't expect us to accept your “apology.” Why? Because we have no good reason to accept your “apology.” You’ve done nothing of note to make amends for your supporting heinous policing policies under your jurisdiction and on your watch to make your “apology” hold any real weight. And yes, your “apology” gets substantial quotations and equally massive side-eye because it’s…it’s just weak, Michael. It's just weak.

An apology isn’t an apology when the reasons behind said apology are so transparent that they’re akin to wet one-ply toilet paper rolled out and left to lay in a puddle in the rain. And, Michael, in this case, it is pretty evident that the only reason you’re apologizing is that you want to distance yourself from your openly embracing one of the most racist policing policies in United States history. The problem is, Michael, it is not that easy. You were the mayor of New York City for twelve years. During those twelve years, you openly embraced and championed the “stop-question-and-frisk program.” Throughout your career, you defended this policy, even after a federal judge ruled that it violated the constitutional rights of BIPOC citizens in 2013. Hell, you were supporting “stop-and-frisk” in January of this year. Forgot about that, Michael? Allow me to jog your memory with a little help from CNN.com:

Taking questions from the audience during the United States Naval Academy's 2019 Leadership Conference, Bloomberg was told by a Naval Academy midshipman that "there have been a lot of controversies surrounding your support of the policy of stop and frisk that was being used by law enforcement to target African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans."

"What would you say to those in the two communities that have been negatively affected by the policy that you supported in the past?" the midshipman asked Bloomberg.

"We focused on keeping kids from going through the correctional system ... kids who walked around looking like they might have a gun, remove the gun from their pockets and stop it," Bloomberg said. He added that "the result of that was, over the years, the murder rate in New York City went from 650 a year to 300 a year when I left."

…Bloomberg once again voiced his support for "stop and frisk" policing, adding, "I think it's also true that most police departments around the world do the same thing, they just don't report it or use the terminology."

Earlier in his speech, Bloomberg warned against racial discrimination.

"I'll never forget my father, making out a check to the NAACP because he told me, 'Discrimination against anyone is a threat to everyone,'" he said to the gathered midshipmen.

Bloomberg added that with "stop and frisk," "we certainly did not pick somebody by race."

Instead, Bloomberg argued, police focused on "kids who might have a gun," before adding, "it was a program which we had, and then, when the number of guns we were confiscating started to fall and people left their guns at home, we tailed that off."

See, the truth is Michael, you never really had an issue with Terry stops, and you didn’t have a problem with the way “stop-and-frisk” was handled and weaponized in New York City during your tenure as mayor. I don’t necessarily believe you have an issue with them now, although you’ve had a few friends and colleagues here and there trying to vouch for your remorse over the past week or so. However, seeing how the people testifying for you are all white cisgender men in power positions their accounts of your remorse come with all the grains of salt I can get out of a container of Morton’s.

Let’s be real, Michael: the only reason you suddenly felt the urge to apologize is because you realized you might need to get some Black people to vote for you if you have a rat’s chance of grabbing the Democratic nomination. I mean, why not, right? You’ve proven yourself as the mayor of one of the United States' most diverse cities! It’s “your time”! The funny thing is, Michael, your running for the Democratic nomination is hollow, insincere. On the surface, it appears that your presidential run is pushing that you will be a change of pace. Skimming over your platform and plans via your campaign website, however, one could walk away with a different picture. Your campaign appears to be predicated on how moderate you are and how “un-radical” your approach to politics is in comparison to other Democratic candidates. Oh, and how you will be able to return the United States to a particular kind of status quo that will restore a white-centric power and privilege driven “normalcy” to the office of the President. Your platform tows the moderate Democratic party line. But, Michael, what you fail to understand is that the status quo your presidential run eludes to? That “normalcy”? More than half the United States citizenry wants the opposite of that. Look at polling; look at the issues that are of import to the populace in this next election. We are at a point in this nation’s history where something desperately needs to change.

And you, Michael, are not that change.

Your actions in deciding to stage this public “apology” right before diving into the Democratic fray are a prime example of how you are not the change.

See, Michael, hindsight is 20/20. We all have moments in our lives, decisions we have made, that when we sit with our thoughts for a spell, we see opportunities where we could’ve been better, done better, took a left instead of the right when we got to the proverbial fork in the road. Hindsight can be a symbol of growth, a willingness to scrutinize yourself and begin to take steps to improve yourself. The thing is, Michael, hindsight is not 20/20 when hindsight suddenly materializes because you think you deserve to be President of the United States. It seems to be a rather convenient time to have a “eureka” moment concerning how racist you are, wouldn’t you agree?

Michael, what you fail to realize is that you don't get to apologize to a room of Black folx in front of cameras and press. It's instantly disingenuous. And choosing a setting as integral to the Black experience as the church to do this in, countless years after openly supporting and continuing an oppressive police state procedure that incarcerated and traumatically impacted a whole city of Black and Brown folx for a decade-plus? That's exploitative. And you expect those same Black and Brown folx to be like “it’s all good?" It’s blatant agenda-driven pandering. And you definitely shouldn’t expect forgiveness less than a year removed from, once again, publicly saying that there was nothing wrong with “stop and frisk.” These aren’t the actions of someone who wants to be President because they want to make this country better for everyone who lives here. These are the actions of someone who thinks they deserve to be the President. Not wants to be because they inherently want to help people - deserves. And frankly, Michael? We’ve already had a four-year stint with the country being led by a wealthy person who thinks they deserve to have power over others. This country does not need another politician launching a political campaign while openly trying to get ahead of their hate-based politics before reporters start sniffin’ around, asking questions, and scrutinizing their track record. Isn’t that politics, as usual, Michael? I thought you were offering the opposite of that. What happened, Michael? Can’t stay on brand?

Of course, you can. Especially when your brand is perpetuating racist systemic oppression. Case in point, courtesy of CBS News:

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was asked on Monday, December 30, 2019, about his mayoral administration's support for the way New York City handled the notorious Central Park Five case, and Bloomberg did not say whether he still stood by it. Years after defending the city and its police department, Bloomberg said the exoneration of the five wrongly convicted men is "the final word" in the case, and "we just have to accept that."

CBS News asked the former New York City mayor about his stance at a campaign event in Montgomery, Alabama. The Bloomberg administration had argued that New York City and the NYPD acted in good faith in the case.

"I really have no idea," Bloomberg said. "I've read in the paper, I've been away from government for a long time. So apparently, the courts have ruled that they did not commit it, commit a crime, and that's the final word, and we just have to accept that. It isn't a question of what anybody believes."

…All five men had their convictions vacated in 2002. During the Bloomberg administration, they filed a civil rights lawsuit against New York City, alleging malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress. The Bloomberg administration spent nearly $6 million fighting the case over a decade, arguing that the authorities at the time had good cause and acted in good faith.

In 2014, less than a year after Bloomberg left office, New York City and the Central Park Five agreed to a $41 million settlement. Under the terms of the agreement, the city continued to maintain there was no wrongdoing by police or prosecutors in the case.

So…should we be expecting an apology for this, Michael? Are you and your team planning another church-based event to beg for some more Black and Brown forgiveness? Or would you like us to take your terry stop “apology” and carry it over to this aspect of your racist political philosophy too?

I think your views on, and handling of, the injustice that was levied against the Central Park Five says everything it needs to say about the overall sincerity of your “apology” and how you feel about the policing of Black and Brown bodies.

Thanks again for the “apology,” Michael, but no thanks. We’re good. But hey! Enjoy not getting even remotely close to securing the Democratic nomination! And making sure your candidacy contributes to taking votes and opportunities from candidates who are legitimately interested in addressing the fallacies and systemic oppression of U.S. politics! Oh, and believing your wealth, ego, and business acumen are the antidote to this country’s woes we the people are all seeking in our next President! Bloomberg 2020!

You out here MAGA’ing and don’t even realize it, Michael.

You were MAGA'ing all over politics before MAGA as an acronym was a thing, though, so you've got it honest. That's the one honest thing we can say about your political track record. But wealthy and racist is as wealthy and racist does, am I right? Right? I’m guessing you don’t agree with me, Michael. You probably don't agree with anything I said. I suppose we are going to have to agree to disagree then, Michael. That shouldn’t pose an issue for you, though.

You’ve been doing that when it comes to Black and Brown lives for decades.

Ciao,
Pharoah