New York – In the days leading up to and throughout one of the worst storms in recent memory, there was something quite reassuring about seeing Mayor Bloomberg step up to the podium, broadcasting live from the Office of Emergency Management right into our living rooms. He not only conveyed information vital to our survival, but also shared words of support and encouragement. “We will get through this together” was his basic message, and he imparted that message often and in three languages.
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So, we had high hopes that with Mayor Bloomberg’s steady hand at the helm of what would become a very rocky and water-logged ship, we would somehow make it through this nightmarish ordeal intact – and we would do it together.
As Hurricane Sandy whipped ashore, the Mayor capably evacuated those in flood-prone areas. He made the difficult decision to cancel public school classes, and, in conjunction with Governor Cuomo, he shut down mass transit. The Mayor opened shelters citywide to house thousands of New Yorkers – driven from their homes by rising water – who simply had nowhere else to go.
And as Sandy wreaked havoc on our homes and our hearts, we had high hopes that the Mayor got it – that he understood and felt as deeply as all New Yorkers do – that our sense of security, of normalcy, had been violently ripped away from us in just a matter of days. We thought he experienced the same sense of trepidation we did when we tried in vain to reach our loved ones for days on end, wondering if they were still alive or if they had died, trapped and buried in a tomb of rubble that had once housed them.
We were certain the Mayor could smell the acrid stench of smoke that wafted across Breezy Point, Queens, the Rockaways, and parts of Brooklyn, as our heroic firefighters and other first responders fought unprecedented wind gusts to battle flames that ultimately engulfed and ate through more than 100 homes.
And as the power went out all over the City, we felt better knowing the Mayor was – figuratively speaking – stumbling around blindly in the dark with us, yearning for a hot shower and a power strip to juice up cell phones and other electronic lifelines to the outside world. We hoped that maybe Mayor Bloomberg would take a page out of Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s playbook and invite some of his constituents to stay in his luxurious, warm and well-lit digs on the Upper East Side.
But as it turns out, a billionaire doesn’t change his spots. It turns out the Mayor can only camouflage himself for so long amongst ordinary New Yorkers before reverting back to his out-of-touch and snobbish ways. And nothing proves that more than the Mayor’s decision to move forward with the New York City Marathon even as 551,362 New York City residents remain without power.
The New York Post reports that two gigantic generators are being run in Central Park around the clock in preparation for Sunday’s marathon, and a third generator remains on stand-by. There are an additional five generators waiting outside the park. Powered by diesel, these generators serve up enough power to light up 400 homes in hard-hit areas like downtown Manhattan, Staten Island or the Rockaways. Con Ed said yesterday that some New Yorkers will remain in the dark for at least another week.
Hundreds of cases of water have already been brought in to keep the runners well-hydrated, even as many New Yorkers have taken to rifling through trash bins looking for food and water which has become scarce in many areas of the still ravaged City. NYPD flatbed trucks are being re-directed from disaster sites including Breezy Point to help prepare for the marathon, as are 100 police officers from all around the City.
The Office of Emergency Management has denied requests for generators to run pumps in order to bring water to seniors trapped in their homes in Chinatown citing “other priorities.” “You know what this is about? This is all so Bloomberg can stand at the finish line Sunday and tell the world we bounced back,” one source told the Post. “But these poor people on Breezy, who knows when and if they will bounce back?”
But Billionaire Bloomberg defended his callous decision. “The marathon is not going to redirect any focus. Keep in mind, by Sunday, we’ll have electricity back downtown. That will free up an enormous number of police.”
New Yorkers must take a stand against Mayor Bloomberg’s naked indifference. We must shake off our weariness and emotional exhaustion, silence our hunger pains and temporarily put our grief on hold to fight against the latest injustice the Mayor has wrought on this City, to send a message that we New Yorkers will not tolerate this irresponsible, unilateral and galling decision.
Every television network, cable station, newspaper, radio station and blog should refuse to cover the marathon in protest. Every registered runner should skip the marathon and volunteer to bring food, water, comfort, and basic necessities to those now living in virtual squalor. And every corporate sponsor should cut a check instead to reputable charitable organizations to help accelerate the City’s healing.
The Mayor was right. We will get through this together – and we will do it without him.
Right on!
So completely out of touch with reality, this opgarisana dumbkopf of a mayor that we’re stuck with.
Completely out of touch. They’re pulling bodies out of wreckage in Staten Island. Just a mile from the marathon starting line. They will have volunteers in hydration stations just feet from residents without power and in need of assistance. These volinteer resources are so much better used to help people in need than the marathon. Many runners don’t even want to participate in NYC due to the gas and power crisis taking place. The airports are still catching up with schedules. When Obama wanted to survey the damage there wasn’t enough police resources to spare. But for the marathon he whips them out of his hat. Out of Touch Mike.
What a Shame! Why doesnt he take all these generators and give it to gas stations all around the city who still have gas but no power to run it so we dont have to wait hours online, this mayor loves to see poeple suffer.
Shame on you Mayor Bloomy!!!
the mayor and the president are so similar. They are both so full of themselves and both talk alot but don’t deliver. Bloomberg told the president don’t come to NY I can handle everything myself. What has he accomplished so far, no electricity in lower Manhatten, millions of people not working, and the outer boroughs almost totally ignored. As long as he can give his daily press briefings.
Why didn’t the president go to Long Island or to upsate NYand show concern for other people, very simple he got his photo op with Governor Chrystie made big promises andaccomplished nothing.
I hope America is not dumb enough to re-elect this do nothing president.
Where are the demonstrations??? If Egypt Libya could do it why not us???????
Don’t just blame him. What about Cuomo the H–o? Let him worry about people’s needs instead of lamenting about Global Warming. Where are all the National Guardsmen? And if NY has deployed all of them, which I doubt, how about asking his Buddy Pres. Obama to get from other states or the Army themselves! This is an idiotic city gov., controlled by an idiotic State, controlled by an idiotic Federal Gov.!
Great editorial, so true. This is a shocking situation.
I lost my house in another natural disaster, and our senators and mayors were in tents, etc,. with us, and we literally got through it together with the cooperation of the community, outside volunteers, and ! gasp! the government. Yep. But FEMA always was terrible as is Red Cross, thisi s yet another great example of that
Government talks big and doesn’t deliver (except for manure)! The proof is in their actions not their words! Hash-m should help us all this election day and give us success in getting rid of all the garbage we have as elected officials. I just wonder if any mentchen are running.
hes a rich snob, at this point with the mounting deaths, he really qualifies to be arrested
I thought Bloomy was just an Anti-Semite…
Turns out he hates everyone other than himself.
Silly me – I stand corrected.
They need the cops in the Rockaway Bayswater area to prevent the looting, not for a marathon.
Want to send a message to these goons? Write in Ron Paul on election day!
On the same day that sandy started oct 22 Here is what our dear mayor did..
Michael Bloomberg spend $500,000 of his personal fortune on gay marriage campaigns in Maine, Minnesota and Washington state.
And he also spoke in a very negative way about black hatters..
First Hashem elevates Reshoim so they will have a bigger downfall, like Homon et al. Don’t worry Bloomberg and Obama will get what’s coming to them I am sure, just be patient.
“That will free up an enormous number of police”…
Which will then be squandered on the marathon instead of helping New Yorkers.
I am not clear why everyone believes the marathon should be canceled. People have already flown in from around the world to participants. What do we lose by conducting it on schedule?
People are so easy to judge without any consideration. I think our mayor is great in some things but shows really a lack of sensitivity in others. He donated a lot of money to Israeli projects yet he chooses Obama because of environmental issues vs foreign policy. both are important but I would put Israel first.
Also marathon requires a lot of city resources and is a great event but not in the times whin city is in shock and crisis
When the residents of SI who are devastated tried to use the portable toilets that they have for the marathon, they were not allowed. They have to go in the woods
Most of the tourists are here and have spent their money. To postpone the marathon and hold it again in two weeks would only get the tourists to spend moeny again. So cancelling it would be a win / win situation. The only downside is that the very bored billionaire would not get his way like he always does.
I wish the marathon runners themselves will say “we came to help” and we aint running anywhere etc.
The people of Staten Island should go to the Verrazano en masse Sunday morning and block the race from starting.
Great article BUT the joke is on us. This hurricane gave us a real awaking even though Katrina happened, but it didnt happen to US!
We knew all along what Bloomberg is all about but it didnt effect “US”, now that it effects “US” we are all up in arms.
So if we took him when we it effected many other people and just let it go, we are tasting our own medicine Shame on us and Good for us!
The NYC Marathon is a big boom for the NYC economy — at just a time when it needs it most, and there is no telling that people who would visit form all over the world to participate, would be willing to come back at a rescheduled time.
People can disagree about the timing, but I fail to see how Bloomberg’s wealth plays any role in this. Do all billionaires act the same way? At least your headline suggests so. The ad hominem has never been know to be a useful or compelling argument.
Our founding fathers were right when they limited the time a president can stay in office. More then 8 years you become a dictator and out of touch.
Mr. BLOOMBERG ITS TIME FOR YOU TO GO.
Great work Leader Bloomachuv
I think there is much misinformation regarding the amount of resources that are being used by the marathon and how much difference they would make in relief efforts. Bloomberg is doing a great job getting the city back to normal and trying to assure that nearly a quarter billion dollars from the marathon flow into the city economy. I spoke with colleagues who live in the affected areas this morning and they are saying things are inconvenient but not life threatening. Most either biked or walked uptown to get to work and plan on shlepping home groceries tonight for shabbos from the stores open in midtown and uptown.
The 1st thing that was back normal in NYC after Sandy, Was “Parking Meter Rules” what a shame!!!!
Many of the facts in this article are plain wrong but seem to be repeated over and over anyway. For millions of Americans elsewhere in the country who routinely have had their power interrupted for days and sometimes more than week when storms hit, this incredible whining by new yorkers, many of whom made zero effort to prepare for a well-predicted storm is a joke. There were interviews with New Yorkers who seemed clueless as to why anyone would expect them to have non-perishable emergency food supplies or battery powered phones and lighting. Its someone else’s responsibility to take care of them. Well too bad…
Where were all of the protests eleven years ago, when right after 9/11/01, not only was the Marathon race held, but also the Columbus Day Parade, and the Thanksgiving Day parade! All three of those events should have been cancelled in 2001, in memory of the nearly 3,000 victims! Incidentally, the only reason that His Honor cancelled the Marathon was not out of the goodness of his heart, but because of mounting public protests.
The marathon is likely not an interfering event with the progress that must be done to restore New York. I really cringe at articles with this sort of headline as it indicates that Jews have an audacity to criticize the hope we have for our own future. Mayor Bloomberg is a reasonable person and though it might have been sensical to redo the marathon at another time, this is likely something he understands better than most people and if you have an event, likely you will have runners enjoy the event. As long as people are safe, I do not see the issue.
Now we can see first hand what we will get if we elect a “gazillionaire” to lead and show care for people. Money, mansions, marathons, and Me comes first. Haven’t seen or heard from bloomberg since the cancellation. He probably took his jet to the Bahamas or Cayman Islands.
Thousands of people including Jews have flown into NY from all around the world to run the marathon, some with sponsorships for various charities – google it, and if they can run it, then why not. I doubt it would take away from resources that can be used for recovery.
You are all aware by now that the mayor cancelled the marathon but for the wrong reason. VIN is clearly right! The mayor does not get it! Although how many Chassidic Jews took money from him, day care, really. Think about it!
The last two paragraphs of this article administer a real shot in the arm. The first makes a good rallying cry for NYers, and the second offers great ideas for replacing ‘marathon’ related stuff with thoughtful acts.that will benefit the needy.
“The mayor was right. We will get through this together-and we will do it without him.”
A great closing sentence for a well-written article.
It has of course, now been cancelled – but you know, the people who came to run the marathon are strong and able bodied. They could really help while they are here. If they were appealed to, I bet they would be happy to visit and help people in S.I. and the Rockaways. Leadership could have made that happen.
Watch what happens when people decide to help. Look at Brachs in the 5 towns. They gave out food and ready to eat meals and did everything they could to ease the pain.
Each of us should ask ourselves, what can we do to help someone? Check on your elderly neighbors, entertain and teach the children who are not in school. Maybe some people need warm clothes and blankets!
Everyone in this city should be inspired to help their neighbors. It could be done.