Shooting at City Hall

July 23, 2003

Earlier today there was a shooting at City Hall in NYC. The man got off several rounds and hit two people. The thought is that he was targeting someone in the chamber balcony.

What I found interesting was the following quote by Mayor Bloomberg, who was in the building but not near the shooting:

An attack on democracy? Isn't it a bit premature to say that? We know absolutely nothing about the shooter - except that he had a gun and was shooting - and we have determined that this not an act of terrorism, but the mayor decided it was safe to assume this was an attack on democracy. I know that politicians are expected to say something after an event like this, but Bloomberg's statement is ludicrous.

Imagine if I owned a mini-mart that had been held up for cash only to say the following, "This is a terrible attack, not just on my cash register, but on mini-marts all across the country." Can't anyone wait until there are actual facts before speaking to the public? I know it's a near impossibility but it is worth saying.

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