Some people think Mayor Bloomberg has been too hard on the protesters in Zuccotti Park, while others believe he’s been too lenient. But former New York City mayor David Dinkins has not a bad word to say about Bloomberg’s handling of Occupy Wall Street.
When we ran into Dinkins at the New York Landmarks Conservancy gala last night, where he was honored as one of New York City’s Living Landmarks, we asked him if he’d approach the situation any differently if he were the one occupying Gracie Mansion. “I don’t think I would,” he told us. “It’s a difficult situation for him.” Ever the elder statesman, Dinkins didn’t feel it would be appropriate to nitpick Bloomberg’s decisions. “It is easy, for those of us who do not have the responsibility, to critique negatively, a mayor or governor, or president, for that matter. And having been in his shoes once, I don’t wish to critique him.”
Nevertheless, Dinkins does hear the complaints emanating from Zuccotti Park (even if he doesn’t hear the bongo drums — he hasn’t visited the protest and doesn’t plan to). “What’s necessary is for government to be mindful of some of the problems we face — joblessness homelessness, the wide gap between the haves and have-nots. And we’ve got to find a way to address them,” he said.
