New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his administration’s practice of locking playgrounds on Tuesday morning, even though he personally has participated in crowded Black Lives Matter and transgender protests in recent weeks.
De Blasio was addressing reporters at a press briefing the a day after city workers welded the gates shut around parks in Brooklyn — and Orthodox Jews used bolt cutters to re-open playgrounds in their neighborhoods later the same day.
Yes. This is actually happening now!
Bill de Blasio is Welding the gates at the biggest park in the Jewish community, (Borough Park, Brooklyn) So your child shouldn't try to break in. While Hundreds of thousands of people gathered yesterday at Brooklyn Museum.#deBlasioMustGo pic.twitter.com/Q02ew5O5nZ
— Joel Fischer (@JFNYC1) June 15, 2020
VIDEO: As @NYCMayor marches with protesters and orders Contact Tracers not to ask people if they were at protests, the City is welding shut a park that is largely used by Hasidim in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/HcAEo4jVA9
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) June 15, 2020
Based Orthodox Jews reject de Blasio's hypocritical orders to close the park (for social distancing) and cut the locks so their kids can play. pic.twitter.com/msAafBjqY6
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) June 15, 2020
De Blasio claimed that the city’s policy was to keep playgrounds closed until “Phase Two” of re-opening after the coronavirus pandemic, and warned that people who used playgrounds without permission risked spreading the disease.