Neal Kwatra Analyzes the Public Response to the Clashes Between Police and Protesters

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Violence and looting erupted across the nation in the wake of the police-inflicted death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.  It seemed as though the violence was starting to diminish, when New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio first set an 11 p.m. curfew and later extended it to start at 8 p.m.

Widespread circulation of videos showed members of the NYPD using unnecessary force against peaceful protesters during the first hours of the stricter curfew. Rather than condemn the brutality, de Blasio praised police for showing "tremendous restraint" toward protestors.  

And, despite the tide of public opinion turning against him, he declared: "I am the duly elected mayor, I have put this curfew in place."

Those words and the mayor's continued fumbles caused former aides to forcefully speak out against his policies and lack of leadership.  

"The most charitable assessment is that his mayoralty is currently on life support," said Neal Kwatra. Kwatra, CEO of the successful political consulting firm MPS, who has advised Governor Andrew Cuomo in the past. Cuomo tersely noted that he had the ability as governor to remove de Blasio from office, but he did not do so.  

More past aides and advisors of de Blasio spoke out against the police lawlessness. The mayor's former counsel, Maya Wiley, took to Twitter to share a video depicting the harsh reality of police misconduct on Wednesday June 3.  She encouraged witnesses to file a complaint against the police with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

At the height of the clashes, a previous advisor to de Blasio, Jonathan Rosen, pressed MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell to question the mayor on the violent video circulating on social media.

Yet another former adviser who worked in the mayor's office for economic opportunity, Essence Franklin, expressed his disappointment in the NYPD's actions while enforcing the curfew, as the mayor's response,  noting that "there were people who used to work for the mayor's office out there that night, who were in that area." 

What was Mayor de Blasio's response to these negative assessments? He claimed his past associates did not fully understand the ins and outs of the situation. 

"For anyone out there who is concerned or criticizing, I'm not sure they understand the depth of the reality of what we've faced," the mayor insisted. "We have to keep the peace. We have to keep order. We have to protect our democracy and our democratic rights."

Unfortunately for Mayor de Blasio, the public remained angry about the way he handled the crisis, and expressed a lack of favor and faith, which they displayed at a subsequent memorial service in Brooklyn - and which will forever remain part of his record. 

About Neal Kwatra

Neal Kwatra founded MPS in 2013 and has since been at the forefront of some of the most fiercely contested political and advocacy campaigns in New York and across the nation. Kwatra has fought to uphold his ideals with great tenacity and continues to expand the reach of MPS into the strategic management of nationally recognized grassroots and issue advocacy campaigns.