De Blasio Butchers Ceremony for Terror Attack Victims, Doesn't Even Say Names
On Oct. 31, 2017, an Islamist terrorist used a rented truck to plow through a crowd of cyclists, pedestrians and runners on a path through the Hudson River Park in New York City, killing eight innocent people and wounding dozens more in what has been described as the worst terrorist attack in the city since the horrific 9/11 tragedy.
As the anniversary of that atrocity drew near, one would think the city’s administration would be well prepared to memorialize the high-profile incident and pay tribute to the victims. While there was indeed a memorial service marking the day, there was unfortunately absolutely nothing “well prepared” about it.
A report from WCBS reported that the memorial event was put together at the last minute with minimal planning, family members of some of the victims weren’t notified of the memorial until the day before it took place and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio even forgot to read of the names of the victims during the service … until after he was reminded to do so by one of the mourners.
“The problem was the event was put together way too late. It was not originally planned,” the mayor admitted to the media outlet.
As it turns out, de Blasio’s office hadn’t even thought about holding a memorial service for the anniversary of the attack until after the recent tragic mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh had occurred and grabbed the attention of the liberal media as they searched for ways to blame the anti-Semitic mass murder on President Donald Trump, arguably the most Israel-friendly U.S. president in history.
“The idea really emanated from what happened the week before because it focused everyone’s attention on the fact that we went through another type of attack,” de Blasio explained. “So there was an effort to put together an appropriate memorial, but it wasn’t handled right.”
By “wasn’t handled right,” the mayor was referring to the fact that he completely forgot to read the names of those who’d been killed by the truck-driving terrorist, stepping down from the podium after concluding his speech only to rush back up and read the names after he was chastised for forgetting them by a mourner in the audience.
“I want to apologize,” he said upon retaking the podium. “This should have been part of the gathering, to read the names.”
The mayor may also have been referencing the fact that relatives of the victims of the attack — particularly the mother of local victim Nicholas Cleves — were not notified of the memorial service until around 4:00 p.m. on the day before it was to take place. Cleves’ mother was out of town and therefore unable to attend, so a family friend went in her place and made his disdain for the mayor and the shoddy service abundantly clear.
In the end, the mayor apologized once again for the lame memorial service his staff threw together at the last moment.
“I’m not happy about it,” he said. “It wasn’t right.”
None of that was a particularly good look for the progressive mayor who seems far more focused on his own future political ambitions — such as a potential 2020 run for the Democratic Party nomination — than the goings-on of the city he was elected to govern, as this memorial service is but one of countless issues that have been ignored, downplayed or mismanaged by de Blasio’s administration.
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told WCBS, “Not remembering the names of those murdered in the second worst terror attack in New York City history shows one thing: The mayor’s mind is on Iowa, not here.”
“More importantly, why would you have to wait to think about something like that? Why wouldn’t it be on your mind? If you’re the mayor, it’s on your mind,” the consultant added.
Recall that this the mayor who has sided with illegal immigrants and leftist protesters against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and has sided with criminals and leftist protesters against his own city’s police officers in the past.
He has also fought a losing battle against the blessedly delicious chicken sandwiches of Chick-fil-A in a failed attempt to keep the leftist-hated, Christian-owned fast-food franchise from opening and successfully operating in his liberal city.
Bill de Blasio is little more than a bad joke, one that people will be laughing at — not with — if he does attempt to run for president in 2020. The man can’t even manage to properly honor victims of a major terrorist attack in one city … what makes anyone think he would do any better managing the entire country?
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