Jill Filipovic is an opinion columnist for several left wing media outlets, including CNN. Her latest column accuses Michael Bloomberg of racism, thereby disqualifying him as a presidential candidate
Her column relies on an audio recording of a 2015 speech by Bloomberg in Colorado which was released by a Bernie Sanders supporter. Filipovic is an Elizabeth Warren supporter (my condolences), but shares a loathing of Bloomberg, except for what he may be good for later in the year -- pouring billions into electing Democrats other than himself.
Bloomberg’s comments in his speech are a tough defense of his stop and frisk policy, used by New York City police when he was Mayor from 2001-2013.
"You've got to get the guns out of the hands of the people that are getting killed," Bloomberg can be heard saying. "You want to spend the money on a lot of cops in the streets, put the cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods."
"So, one of the unintended consequences is people say, 'Oh my God, you are arresting kids for marijuana that are all minorities.' Yes, that is true. Why? Because we put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. Yes, that is true. Why did we do it? Because that's where all the crime is," Bloomberg says. "And the way you get the guns out of the kid's hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them."
"Ninety-five percent of murders, murderers and murder victims" are male minorities between 16 to 25, Bloomberg says.
Filipovic argues that what Bloomberg says is not true, not in New York City, nor nationally. Her evidence are a few statistics she throws out: