Assemblyman Dinowitz Slams Bloomberg for Insensitiv
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz blasted Mayor Michael Bloomberg for his insensitive remarks regarding iPhone thefts at his budget announcement on Thursday.
Asked about the 44 percent increase in iPhone thefts this year, Bloomberg replied, “If the worst problem we have is iPhone stealing...” He then turned to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and sarcastically said, “Ray, you’d better get on this iPhone right away. This is serious!” He continued to suggest that victims should not treat their iPhones “cavalierly.”
“Mayor Bloomberg’s remarks are insensitive, hurtful, and wrongheaded. A member of our community was shot and killed for his iPhone last month. I don’t think the Mayor appreciates how serious this problem is. Instead of blaming the victims, we must do more to improve law enforcement’s ability to fight and deter this type of crime. That’s why I support Senator Chuck Schumer’s push to permanently disable stolen phones. I call on Mayor Bloomberg to apologize for his insensitive remarks, particularly to the family of Hwang Yang, who are constituents of mine,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz.
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