De Blasio says Black Lives Matter matters more than all other groups
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday that the Black Lives Matter movement “transcends any notion of politics,” as he defended allowing the words to be painted on streets across the city while not approving similar mural requests from groups like the pro-cop Blue Lives Matter.
“This is about something much bigger than any one group,” de Blasio said during his daily City Hall press briefing in response to a reporter’s question about whether he would green-light mural requests from groups like Blue Lives Matter and Women for America First.
“This is about righting a wrong and moving forward. So I think that’s the right approach,” Hizzoner said as he explained why he had “Black Lives Matter” painted in massive yellow letters on city streets, taking part in several of the painting processes.
Last month, de Blasio announced that the city would paint the BLM murals in each borough amid the massive protests in the Big Apple, and around the country, in response to the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“I think we have had a seismic moment in this country’s history,” de Blasio said Thursday as he compared the recent nationwide protests to the “civil rights movement of ’50s and ’60s in terms of its importance.”
“The original sin of the United States of America — slavery, and all of the effects over 400 years being brought out into the open in a new way and a chance for this country to get it right to address this problem to move forward and it’s summarized in the three words: Black Lives Matter,” he said.
De Blasio said he does not believe “Black Lives Matter” is “a political message in the traditional sense.”
“I think it’s a message about human respect and the value of human beings and addressing the fact that one group amongst us in particular has been devalued for centuries and that can’t go on,” Hizzoner said.
But civil liberties lawyer Norman Siegel called the mayor out for claiming his BLM moves have not been political. “De Blasio, once again, doesn’t get it,” said Siegel. “He got it wrong.
“He’s putting something out there that isn’t valid. How can you argue that it’s not a political statement? How did he pick the block between 56th and 57th Street,” Siegel said, referring to the location of the BLM mural in front of Trump Tower.
The former head of the New York Civil Liberties Union said the mayor’s argument wouldn’t hold up in court.
“Once you open the door and allow Black Lives Matter murals to be on the streets of New York, you can’t now turn down Blue Lives Matter. That would be a violation of the free speech provision of the Constitution,” Siegel said.
Hawk Newsome, president of Black Lives Matter’s Greater New York chapter, told The Post that he agreed with de Blasio’s sentiment.
“This is beyond politics,” Newsome said of Black Lives Matter, adding, “I rarely agree with Mayor de Blasio, but on this one I do.
“We are talking about the liberation of people who have been oppressed on this land for over four centuries,” Newsome said. “This is about the ability to pursue life, liberty and happiness.”
Newsome denounced groups like Blue Lives Matter wanting a similar mural in the city for recognition.
“Let’s be realistic … what the f–k is a blue life?” Newsome said. “I didn’t choose to be black. People choose to be police officers. If you don’t like the way you’re treated or criticized as a cop or the critiques, get a new job.”
Earlier this month, the group Blue Lives Matter NYC penned a letter to the mayor asking to have a “Blue Lives Matter” mural painted outside NYPD headquarters in Lower Manhattan.
“There is no such thing as a blue person, but that blue uniform makes up the best of the best that this world has to offer from all walks of life,” said the group’s founder, Sgt. Joe Imperatrice.
“If we are going to begin to value all human lives it starts with these guardians,” he said.
When asked if de Blasio will approve the requested “Blue Lives Matter” mural, City Hall spokeswoman Julia Arredondo said last week: “It’s not open season to paint our streets. DOT [Department of Transportation] has an application process, and requests must go through their site, not open letters.
“For all lives to matter, we must first make clear that black lives matter. That is why we approved the murals and met those words with actions,” Arredondo said.