‘This is why no one likes you…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is encouraging New Yorkers to snitch on those who don’t practice social distancing and report them to the city government.
“Thank you to everyone who has done this the right way, but we still know there’s some people who need to get the message,” de Blasio said in a video posted to Twitter on Saturday.
How do you report places that aren’t enforcing social distancing? It’s simple: just snap a photo and text it to 311-692. #AskMyMayor pic.twitter.com/WQdCcVf1Rl
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 18, 2020
“And that means sometimes making sure the enforcement is there to educate people and make clear we’ve got to have social distancing.
In a move ripped right from the pages of dystopian novels like George Orwell’s 1984, de Blasio unironically endorsed reporting violators to authorities.
He then posted a number New Yorkers can text, and encouraged them to send pictures of the alleged violators to that number.
“So, now it is easier than ever—when you see a crowd, when you see a line that’s not distanced, when you see a supermarket that’s too crowded, anything, you can report it right away so we can get help there to fix the problem,” de Blasio continued.
Suffice to say, very few people on either side of the aisle responded positively to de Blasio’s request.
This is why no one likes you
— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) April 18, 2020
Comrade citizen! Report all suspected anti-distancing activities to friendly New York Ministry of Social Cleanliness! pic.twitter.com/1RiSehqakS
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) April 18, 2020
Others pointed out the hypocrisy of de Blasio asking New Yorkers to tattle on those who don’t follow the rules when he can’t even follow the rules himself. Right after he issued a shelter-in-place order, de Blasio was caught sneaking to a public gym in Brooklyn.
I’d like to report a crime https://t.co/g5ujHDj9eP
— Stultus (@StultusVox) April 18, 2020
He has attended in large group gatherings multiple times, as well.
Here’s one from last night. pic.twitter.com/Di2iEbXqNz
— JimRockaway (@JimRockaway) April 18, 2020