When 2020 presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg spoke to congregants at a historically black church in Selma, Alabama on Sunday, many in the audience turned their backs on the former New York City mayor.
A Silent and Peaceful Protest That Sent a Strong Message
Their protest occurred during Bloomberg’s speech on the 55th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” when over a half century ago police attacked black citizens during a civil rights march. The protesters who snubbed Bloomberg made their statement silently and peacefully.
Photos of the protesters made the rounds on social media on Sunday, showing voters, both black and white, standing with their backs turned to Bloomberg.
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Multiple attendees at #BloodySunday service are turning their backs on @MikeBloomberg as he delivers his remarks and discusses his plans to defend voting rights and address the racial wealth gap. pic.twitter.com/9BzI6n5zSk
— Errin Haines (@emarvelous) March 1, 2020
Some Brown AME church attendees are turning their backs to Mike Bloomberg. More are joining. pic.twitter.com/gTAaTNiew1
— Vanita Gupta (@vanitaguptaCR) March 1, 2020
Former Georgia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams sat behind Bloomberg as he gave his address, according to some attendees.
Some people are standing in Brown chapel with their back turned on Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/JmqNvkZvMu
— Sam Levine (@srl) March 1, 2020
Bloomberg’s History of Racially Insensitive Comments
Bloomberg has had a long history of controversial comments regarding black Americans and particularly his African American former constituents.
In 2011, Bloomberg claimed black and Latino men “don’t know how to behave in the workplace.”
Bloomberg’s controversial “stop-and-frisk” program during his tenure as New York City mayor resulted in over five million people, overwhelmingly young men of color, being stopped and searched.
Recently, Bloomberg’s comments approving of stop-and-frisk reemerged, in which the former mayor can be heard saying during a 2015 speech to the Aspen Institute where he recommended the practice for other cities.
Bloomberg said of minority citizens, “Throw them against the wall and frisk them,” and admitted that “we put all the cops in minority neighborhoods… because that’s where all the crime is.”
The Aspen Times quoted Bloomberg as saying, “Cities need to get guns out of [the]… hands” of individuals who are “male, minority, and between the ages of 15 and 25.”
If the Bloomberg Campaign Continues, Expect More of This
Bloomberg has apologized for stop-and-frisk and his remarks, but no doubt those who protested him Sunday in a Selma church had a hard time accepting or believing that apology.
Super Tuesday this week will help determine how much farther the Bloomberg campaign might be able to go.
But if Michael Bloomberg does move forward, expect some in the black community to have something to say about it.