Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

15 hours ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

16 hours ago

Trump Pushes for Release of Epstein, Maxwell Grand Jury Testimony

18 hours ago

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting Friday

18 hours ago

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

20 hours ago

Israeli Minister Hints at Annexing Parts of Gaza

20 hours ago

Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady Despite Trump’s Push for Big Cuts

20 hours ago

What’s Behind California’s Frozen Housing Market?

2 days ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Is First Republican Lawmaker to Call Gaza Crisis a ‘Genocide’

2 days ago
Bloomberg Advocated Targeting Minorities in 2015 Remarks
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
February 11, 2020

Share

The billionaire and former New York mayor made the comments at a 2015 appearance at the Aspen Institute, as part of an overall defense of his support for the controversial “stop and frisk” policing tactic that has been found to disproportionately affect minorities.

Bloomberg Again Apologizes for Remarks

Bloomberg launched his Democratic presidential bid late last year with an apology for his support for the policy. On Tuesday, after the comments resurfaced, he reiterated his apology and said his 2015 remarks “do not reflect my commitment to criminal justice reform and racial equity.”
But the audio of his Aspen speech highlights his embrace of the policy just a few years ago and suggests he was aware of the disproportionate impact of stop-and-frisk on minorities. Bloomberg says that “95 percent” of murders and murder victims are young male minorities and that “you can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops.”
To combat crime, he says, “put a lot of cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods.”
He acknowledges focusing police forces in minority neighborhoods means minorities are disproportionately arrested for marijuana possession, but dismisses that as a necessary consequence of the crime in those neighborhoods. And to “get the guns out of the kids’ hands,” Bloomberg says, police must “throw ‘em against the wall and frisk ’em.”
“And they say, ‘oh, I don’t want that, I don’t wanna get caught.’ So they don’t bring the gun,” he says.

Bloomberg Blocked Video Release of Comments

According to a report in the Aspen Times that year, Bloomberg blocked the release of video of the Aspen Institute appearance, but the Aspen Times reporter uploaded what appears to be the full audio online, and it drew renewed attention Monday after podcaster Benjamin Dixon circulated it on twitter.
In his Tuesday statement, Bloomberg notes that he “inherited the practice of stop and frisk” from the previous administration, and notes that by the time he left office he significantly reduced its use. He said, “I should have done it faster and sooner.”
But stop and frisk expanded dramatically on Bloomberg’s watch, reaching a peak in 2011 when over 685,000 people were stopped, according to ACLU data. While its use declined significantly after that, Bloomberg stood by the program even in the face of widespread criticism and legal challenges.

Biden Campaign Calls Remarks ‘Despicable’

Early Tuesday, Bloomberg faced sharp criticism. Symone Sanders, a top adviser to Joe Biden’s campaign, called the comments “sad and despicable,” and said he “will have to answer for these comments.” President Donald Trump, who himself has supported stop-and-frisk policies, sent out a tweet with a clip of the audio declaring “Bloomberg’s a racist,” which he soon after deleted.
The former New York mayor focused the bulk of his statement about the audio on Trump, arguing the president’s attack “reflects his fear over the growing strength of my campaign.”
“Make no mistake Mr. President: I am not afraid of you and I will not let you bully me or anyone else in America,” Bloomberg said.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Jet Crashes in Fresno County Field, Pilot Aided by EMS

DON'T MISS

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

DON'T MISS

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: New Fresno Ordinance Targets Vacant Blighted Properties

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

DON'T MISS

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

DON'T MISS

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

DON'T MISS

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

DON'T MISS

Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them

DON'T MISS

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

UP NEXT

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

UP NEXT

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

UP NEXT

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

UP NEXT

Trump Signs Order Implementing Additional 40% Tariff on Brazil, White House Says

UP NEXT

Trump Says US to Hit India With 25% Tariff Starting Friday

UP NEXT

Republican US Senator Grassley Clashes With Trump Over Nominations

UP NEXT

Tariff Revenues Hit Record $150 Billion Amid Trump’s Trade Talks, Fox Business Reports

UP NEXT

California Under Tsunami Advisory After Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake

UP NEXT

New York Gunman Was Flagged by Security Camera System Before Attack, Sources Say

UP NEXT

US House Panel Rejects Immunity Request by Epstein Associate Maxwell

Wired Wednesday: New Fresno Ordinance Targets Vacant Blighted Properties

12 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

13 hours ago

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

13 hours ago

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

13 hours ago

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

13 hours ago

Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them

14 hours ago

Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal

14 hours ago

Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge

14 hours ago

Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok

15 hours ago

Kamala Harris Will Not Run for Governor of California in 2026

16 hours ago

Jet Crashes in Fresno County Field, Pilot Aided by EMS

Emergency crews responded Wednesday evening after a jet crashed into a field in Fresno County, authorities said. The crash was reported arou...

8 hours ago

8 hours ago

Jet Crashes in Fresno County Field, Pilot Aided by EMS

Lavale Vean Jr., 28, was sentenced Wednesday, July 30, 2025, to 34 years to life in prison for the 2017 murder of Roberto Ramos in Fresno. (Fresno County SO)
11 hours ago

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

High Noon has recalled some vodka seltzers after they were accidentally labeled as Celsius energy drinks and shipped to six states. (Shutterstock)
12 hours ago

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

12 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: New Fresno Ordinance Targets Vacant Blighted Properties

Fresno Unified Susan Wittrup
13 hours ago

Fresno Unified Trustee Susan Wittrup Responds to $162,000 Payout

Adrian Hernandez Medrano, 20, accused in multiple sexual battery cases and a fatal assault in Visalia was arrested in Alaska, police said. (Visalia PD)
13 hours ago

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 30, 2025. (Reuters File)
13 hours ago

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September

13 hours ago

Dubai Nut Processor Aims for October Opening in Fresno: Dyer

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend