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Video: Enraged Rockaway Residents Get In Bloomberg's Face
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 5, 2012
Modified Nov 5, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 5, 2012
Modified Nov 5, 2012
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On Saturday, Mayor Bloomberg paid a little unannounced visit to the Rockaways, one area of NYC that was hit worst by Hurricane Sandy. Wearing his best badass bomber jacket, Bloomberg answered questions for a local TV reporter, posed for photos, and got screamed at by enraged residents who said they were desperate for water and supplies. Capital New York's Azi Paybarah got it all on tape:
“When are we gonna get some fucking help? Fuck you!” one woman yelled at the Mayor as his security detail held her back. Another unidentified resident who confronted the mayor about a lack of water was told by Bloomberg that a delivery was expected at 1 p.m. "But don't you think that's kind of ridiculous?" the man asked Bloomberg. "Everyone is here and there's not even a bottle of water? Nothing right is going on here. There's old ladies in my building who got nothing! Nothing!"
Back at City Hall, Bloomberg told reporters, "I spoke to many people who were worried, frustrated and cold. There’s no power there and temperatures are dropping. Even those who have generators are having a hard time getting fuel.” One local resident tells the Post, "They’re looting cars all over the place," and Paybarah reports:
Earlier that morning I'd spoken with a photographer in a jacket that had the words "News" and "Fire" in big letters on his back, who told me he was out Monday night photographing the storm. He said he was out "with the gangs." They didn't bother him, he said, but they were ripping stuff off of boats and people's houses. He said he took their pictures and that stopped them from stealing anything else while he was around, but he said they were everywhere.
We'll have more photos of the devastation in the Rockaways later today. If you'd like to donate or volunteer, here is some useful information; they're no longer seeking general clothing donations, but they are requesting winter gear.
Tagged
far rockaway
hurricane sandy
mayor bloomberg
the rockaways
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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