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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was slammed again for an apparent disregard for his own constituents.
Video of the Democrat’s response to a bakery manager lamenting the hit his business has taken due to COVID-19 lockdowns has sparked heated backlash. De Blasio was accused of making the rounds in the neighborhood as simply a “photo op mission” and was called out for turning his back on the manager, walking away with no solutions.
A bakery manager tells de Blasio that his business is suffering from reduced foot traffic in Chinatown: “We’re all hurting.” pic.twitter.com/9qCLi2IOXX
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) August 11, 2020
“We’ve been taking a hit since January,” the man could be heard telling the mayor in a video posted by New York Post reporter Elizabeth Meryl Rosner.
“We lost our Chinese New Year, our busiest day of the year of our community. The most festive holiday that we have,” the man, later identified as Patrick Mock, told de Blasio who was walking through the area known as Chinatown on Wednesday.
“Then COVID happened,” Mock continued saying through his face mask. “Now, we’re all hurting so bad. What we need is people’s confidence.”
De Blasio, who was also wearing a face mask, stood listening with his hands on his hips. As Mock finished his sentence, the mayor offered no support, encouragement or assistance. It seemed like someone standing nearby may have countered something the manager had said because he began to reiterate that businesses need help.
“It’s just a difference of opinion, that’s the bottom line,” de Blasio finally said as he turned to walk away, reportedly saying the situation was “very unfortunate.”
“That’s very unfortunate,” responds the mayor as he turns his back on the young man.
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) August 11, 2020
“We need help. We need more confidence. Our merchants need more confidence,” Mock continued, but the mayor had already tuned him out and was on his way, not even glancing back.
Mock reportedly noted that the Democrat leader had “brushed me off.”
.@NYCMayor “brushed me off,” said the bakery manager. And added de Blasio was only in Chinatown today for a “photo op mission.”
— elizabeth meryl rosner (@elizameryl) August 12, 2020
Business owners are reportedly escaping Manhattan as their shops and restaurants have become “unsustainable,” as reported by BizPac Review. Major retailers, many with flagship stores in New York City, have not reopened and are focusing on their businesses in other cities and states where the lockdowns have not been as stringent.
And with fewer people working in the city, and substantially lower traveling amid 14-day quarantines and coronavirus checkpoints, many don’t know how long it will take New York to recover.
Meanwhile, de Blasio has repeatedly come under fire for his handling of the pandemic, the rioting and looting in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and his disrespectful treatment of law enforcement. He warned about the “painfully real” plans to lay off 22,000 public workers while clamoring for a multi-billion dollar federal aid package to bail him out.
His encounter with the bakery manager was yet another example for social media users of his “indifference” and “incompetence” in running the city.
de Blaz didn’t even try to encourage him. In fact he turned and left without saying a word. This mayor is totally disconnected and indifferent.
— JQ LLC / Impunity City (@jqllc) August 12, 2020
“We need more help, we need more confidence”
and the Mayor turns and ambles away.He is bad at cops, business, schools, budgets, media, transportation, community outreach, communication, administration
He must #Resign it is so clear to everyone.
— alan baglia (@alanbaglia) August 12, 2020
Did he at least offer to paint Bakery Owners Matter in large yellow letters on the street? You know…things that really make a difference
— E.C. (@ec1873) August 12, 2020
Listen to the pain in that man’s voice. It breaks my heart. Zero compassion from @BilldeBlasio . NYC take back your city. Recall this monster.
— L. P. Y. (@urbanmom202) August 13, 2020
I like how he has his sleeves rolled up as if he’s “ready to do some work” give me a break.
— It’s Anthony the 💻👨💼 | 🇺🇸 (@Ctrl_Alt_Pasta) August 12, 2020
It’s every saddening to see in such hard time. Maybe if he was a “protester”, the mayor would’ve listened intently and maybe the mayor would’ve taken part in painting the street in front of his store.
— Hatem El-Gamasy (@HatemGamasy) August 13, 2020
JFC! What an abysmal failure. While it was an emotionally charged moment, it was also a soft ball for any experienced politician. This is a moment where a person makes an open ended request for “confidence”. It’s so easy to offer something, anything. He just turned his back.
— Anthony Francis (@Anthony48796308) August 12, 2020
de Blasio just needed some b-roll footage for an ad about how he’s “listening to small business owners”
— Dan O’Mara (@Dan_OMara) August 13, 2020
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Frieda@bizpacreview.com
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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