WHEN POLS PUSH RIOTS
JUSTIFYING political violence as a means of expression has real-life consequences. Unfortunately, my neighborhood was the victim of a riot that increasingly looks motivated by race and our support for the police.
Too many New York politicians fanning the flames of violence by commenting, tweeting and virtuesignaling to their respective cultural and political tribes sensationalized the verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. Their statements ignored the facts as they tried to sow doubt about our country’s criminal-justice system.
Worse, these words tacitly encourage a repeat of the riots we saw in the summer of 2020.
On the night of the verdict, Nov. 19, about 50 rioters rampaged through Middle Village, Queens, vandalizing cars, destroying American flags and attacking police and innocent bystanders.
These were not protesters. There were no chants or signs, just violent acts by masked perpetrators mostly dressed in black. At least one young woman was attacked with an unknown liquid substance while being subjected to verbal attacks on her race and gender.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has thus far been silent on the assault. Yet he had time to spread lies about a trial that happened 860 miles away, saying a “dangerous man chose to take a gun across state lines and start shooting people.” Most people know this is nonsense; Rittenhouse did not cross state lines with a gun.
The mayor was not the only politician making matters worse. Our own congresswoman, Grace Meng, injected race into the issue and bizarrely compared the case to Trayvon Martin’s killing, tweeting, “There is no justice in today’s verdict, or in how our system treats Black Americans every day.”
At a time when racial tension is higher than it has been in years, why would an elected leader drag race into a trial that involves four white people? Perpetuating falsehoods fosters an environment for conspiracy theories to take hold. The thinking goes: “If they’re lying about this, what else are they lying about?” The imagination will find an answer.
Not all our leaders behaved irresponsibility. Mayor-elect Eric Adams, Rep. Tom Suozzi and my fellow neighborhood lawmaker Assemblyman Brian Barnwell contacted me immediately following the attack to offer my constituents support. As a group, we toured the neighborhood, met with victims and assured the community that we are working to ensure this type of attack never occurs again.
Adams recognized that the attackers aim to pit different races, ethnicities and neighborhoods against each other. His words of healing and unity give me hope that his administration will take the concerns of my district and the safety of all New Yorkers seriously.
Our system of justice works, even when the left-wing elite disagree with the verdict. Divisive rhetoric is making political conversations impossible and tear at the fabric of our society. The next time a Twitter mob vents, our leaders must be wise enough to urge caution, restraint and respect for institutions that work diligently for truth and justice. Proclaiming “systematic racism” every time a verdict doesn’t favor keyboard warriors’ narrative reduces trust in experts, local agencies and the elected leaders we need for a functioning society.
Sadly, through social-media networks, media allies and fear of a loud minority, politicians who should know better have built and consolidated outrage machines that take every opportunity to remind people they should be angry. While politicians reap the benefits of a larger virtual presence through additional followers, clicks and likes, working-class people suffer in reality.
Words can have unintended consequences, which is why those with a platform must be more discerning in what they say, especially when emotions are running high. No one who was arrested in the Middle Village riot lived in New York City, but they found their way to my district to wreak havoc. The next time a controversial event grips the country’s attention, as elected leaders, let’s exercise caution, remembering that our country is exhausted and there is more that unites us as New Yorkers and Americans than can ever divide us.
Robert Holden represents the 30th District, covering parts of Queens, in the City Council.