Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that only one group in New York City will be allowed to exercise its First Amendment rights over the summer.
The Democrat told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that, although all large events in the city are canceled through September, Black Lives Matter protesters can keep marching and demonstrating because they are too important to restrict.
(Source: CNN)
De Blasio claimed to be “focusing on health” in New York City during his interview on Thursday, banning fairs, parades and concerts over concerns about large gatherings of people amid the threat of the coronavirus. But social justice protests supporting the Black Lives Matter movement apparently don’t pose any threat, according to the mayor who earlier that day joined activists to paint “Black Lives Matter” on the street in front of Trump Tower.
“This is obviously the thing President Trump doesn’t understand,” the mayor told Blitzer, not missing a chance to bash the president. “We don’t just decree we want things to happen regardless of the human impact. We look at the science, we look at the data. The data is telling us, it is not time for large gatherings.”
Speaking out of both sides of his mouth, de Blasio declared that it’s “just not time” for gatherings that “can mean not just thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people,” but protests represent “an area of sensitivity.”
“We understand at this moment in history, people are talking about the need for historic changes. Today in New York City, recognizing the power and the meaning of the message of Black Lives Matter, which we did in front of Trump Tower today, this is a historic moment of change,” he said. “We have to respect that but also say to people the kinds of gatherings we’re used to, the parades, the fairs, we just can’t have that while we’re focusing on health right now.”
While BLM protests have been given the green light, traditional events in the city such as the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy, the Dominican Day Parade and the West Indian American Day Carnival in Brooklyn have been shut down.
Blitzer did not push back at all or question the double standard, instead choosing to ask the mayor about U.S. Open.
“I love going to the U.S. Open, I love tennis. What’s happening with that?” he asked.