Politics & Government
Video: Mayor Heckled Over Coronavirus Prospect Park Jaunt
"This is the epitome of non-essential travel," a heckler yelled at Mayor Bill de Blasio during Hizzoner's 10-mile one-way trip to Brooklyn.
PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Mayor Bill de Blasio's pleasant walk in Prospect Park turned into a roving critique of his coronavirus travel and policies, a video shows.
Twitter user @DarrenGoldner — a self-described "progressive, socialist, bicyclist," among other things — spotted de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray out for a stroll Saturday in Brooklyn.
Goldner confronted Hizzoner over the 10-mile one-way trip from Gracie Mansion to Prospect Park.
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"Seriously, you guys have a park. You live in the middle of a park,” he said as de Blasio waved at him. “You don’t need to not essentially travel to Brooklyn.”
@NYCMayor no, I won't "give it a break." You don't get a break. We don't get a break. You can't change the past & will always have blood on your hands. If I were you, I'd be working night & day to help those in most dire need. Maybe start with your inadequate homeless services. pic.twitter.com/i71ulg7Hvl
— darren (@DarrenGoldner) April 25, 2020
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Someone then tells Goldner to “Give it a break." But he pressed on with his critique as de Blasio and McCray walked away and the mayor's staff tried to put themselves in Goldner's path.
"I’m not going to give it a break," he said. "This is selfish behavior. This is so terribly selfish. You call yourself a progressive but you chauffeur yourself to Brooklyn. You force people to drive you. This is ridiculous. This is the epitome of non-essential travel."
De Blasio's regular trips to Brooklyn, specifically Park Slope's YMCA, garnered criticism even before the coronavirus outbreak. His final trip to the Y unfolded as Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced gyms would be shut down to stop the virus' spread — a move The Atlantic called "the stuff of legend" before a more-unflattering description.
Since then, de Blasio has been regularly walking in Prospect Park — trips that critics like Goldner have called unnecessary and out-of-touch, especially given de Blasio's until-recent opposition to opening up more city streets to pedestrians during the crisis.
de Blasio opposes opening streets for all, esp 4 those who don't happen to live near a nice park, aren't chauffeured in fossil-fuel convoys to Park Slope They tend to be poorer, working class, POC. BdB's wrong opinion: They can't be trusted, more cops needed, more boots pic.twitter.com/5XzNqrF7w5
— darren (@DarrenGoldner) April 25, 2020
De Blasio on Monday agreed to open up 40 miles of city streets to pedestrians.
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