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