Why Now! -continued
Regardless of the position one takes, the apology and the timing of it, lends itself to, many questions.
Questions such as, why now? What occurred that caused this epiphany now? Why did this realization not
come at anytime between 2002 and 2013, during his mayoral terms, when many innocent people who were
affected by this “misguided” policy were crying out against it?
Even if we accept this apology on the surface, the next question becomes, ok, what now? This country has
a long history of providing financial assistance and sociological healing to those adversely impacted by
these types of policies. Does this apology now mean the Black and Latino community, which has already
been greatly disenfranchised, will be compensated for the adverse effects of this “Stop and Frisk” policy?
Or is this another empty statement offered to a community that has yet to receive a genuine reparations
policy since slavery ended? The negative propaganda regarding Blacks and Latinos has never been matched
with a true effort to heal the wounds and reverse the stereotypes created by 150 years of malicious
propaganda aimed to depict Blacks and Latinos as less than human. A malicious intent that is still felt
today, which causes individuals to commit inhuman acts against us, even in 2019, 154 years after the Civil
War ended.
In order for an apology to effectively heal a wrong done, it must be followed by definitive actions to right
the wrong admitted to in the apology. This should be accompanied by an action plan to mitigate the effects
of that “misguided” policy that has affected, the New York City community for the past 17 years.
So I again ask, is there a planned follow up to right the wrongs forced upon this community? Or is this
another way for our backs to continue to be used as a rung for another ambitious individual to use to climb
the political ladder?
So many questions that sadly, I believe we already know the answer to. If Mr. Bloomberg’s apology was
pure it would have come with a plan to repair the damage that his “Stop and Frisk” policy caused to families
of our community. It did not! The apology came days before a filed presidential run. This clearly indicates,
this apology was not based on a conscious remorse for the destruction that this policy has caused to our
communities. The timing of this redress discloses an ulterior motive of attempting to absolve Mr.
Bloomberg from a policy that has destroyed families. Once forgiven he can now proceed with his
presidential aspirations.
We should not accept this apology as it represents a disingenuous gesture to further pacify us. Our
community deserves an individual that champions for our rights, not simply for our votes!
By: ZBD
11/2019