The mayor, speaking during an interview on 1010 WINS Friday morning, justified his rhetoric by saying the woman, a tenant activist, was disrespectful when she stood up at a town hall and pointedly asked the mayor about the Rent Guidelines Board, a body entirely composed of mayoral appointees that recently voted for another rent increase for regulated apartments.
I think it’s silly this is a national story.
He was wrong to bring race into it. I think it’s obvious he was playing the race card by using the plantation owner analogy. He was attempting to paint her as racist to shut down otherwise legitimate criticism.
It’s irrelevant that she’s a holocaust survivor. Maybe she was being disrespectful and disruptive. Don’t know. If so, being a holocaust survivor is irrelevant to her being called out for that.
Regardless, this is a silly thing to show up in national news.