Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
City Touts Crime Stats With Tone-Deaf "Sports Banners" At Bloomberg Address
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 14, 2013
Modified Feb 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 14, 2013
Modified Feb 14, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor Bloomberg's final State Of The City address is underway (watch it here), but there already is some seriously questionable fanfare going on there. Most prominently, there are "sports banners" hung around the Barclays Center touting various crime stats. It's one thing to be self-congratulatory and to proclaim in an email that you'll be stepping onstage to "Empire State Of Mind" after a children's dance performance set to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” (this really happened). It's another thing to treat "Fire Fatalities" and homicides like they're retired basketball superstars. To be sure, the NYPD and FDNY have done a commendable job keeping NYC safe, but every number on those triumphant banners represents people who are now dead.
The NYPD was proud enough they also Tweeted a photo of one of the banners. It's really too bad about their tone-deafness, considering the fact we were really starting to get into the pre-event DJ set, which included cutting-edge tunes such as "Jamboree" by Naughty By Nature, "Sexual Healing" by Shaggy ft. Marvin Gaye, and "Where My Girls At" by 702.
Tagged
bloomberg
crime stats
mayor bloomberg
nypd
state of the city
tone-deaf
original
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .