Mayor Bloomberg Blasts Perp Walks Weeks After Defending Them

MANHATTAN -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg flip-flopped on perp walks Tuesday, blasting the practice as "outrageous" two months after saying he had no problem with them.

Bloomberg's sudden change came to light as he was discussing the crumbling case against former IMF Chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, where the French politician was subjected to a humiliating gantlet of press photographers who snapped pictures of him in handcuffs.

"I've always thought that the perp walks were outrageous," the mayor told reporters in Brooklyn Tuesday, marking a drastic reversal in his position on the NYPD's long-standing tradition of walking high-profile suspects in handcuffs in front of reporters and cameras.

"They're not guilty until they're convicted and yet we villify them for the benefit of theater, for the circus," the mayor said.

"You know they did it in Roman times, too. It's nothing new," he added.

The stance marks a reversal from the mayor's position in May, when he defended the practice during a trip to Albany amidst steep criticism in the French media following Strauss-Kahn's arrest.

"I think it is humiliating, but if you don't want to do the perp walk, don't do the crime," he said then, according to the New York Post. "I don't have a lot of sympathy for that."

He went on to say, "our judicial system works when the public can see the alleged perpetrators."

But Bloomberg also said that it would be a "really sad thing" if someone who's perp-walked turned out not to be guilty. He said in that case, according to the Post, "society really should look in the mirror and say, 'You know, we'd better be more careful next time.'"

The Post reported Tuesday that prosecutors are expected to drop charges against Strauss-Kahn on or before his next court date.

Strauss-Kahn was released without bail Friday as questions emerged about the credibility of the Midtown hotel maid who accused Strauss-Kahn of sexually assaulted her.

Bloomberg also railed against the press Tuesday for rushing to judgment about Strauss-Kahn.

"In all fairness, it is the press that in this case created the DSK phenomenon," the mayor told reporters.

"This is another one of those examples of the press making a big deal," said Bloomberg, who said that sometime reporters "rush to judgment in the 24-hour news cycle."

"Sometimes mistakes will be made. And it's very hard to put somebody's reputation back in the box," he said.

Still, Bloomberg defended Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, who has come under fire in recent weeks for losing a string of high-profile cases.

Bloomberg said Vance had limited options in light of the fact that Strauss-Kahn's accuser came forward as he was headed to catch a flight.

"He didn't have much choice but to rush to do something," said the mayor, who added that Vance is "turning out to be a very good district attorney."

READ MORE AT DNAINFO.COM

Comments

[UnknownSolider]

03:03 PM on 07/07/2011

The NYPD is one of the most powerful groups in New York City, politicians tend to tread very lightly when dealing with the NYPD and their traditions......... Now think about it........ who is so powerful that they could make a sitting mayor publicly come out against the NYPD......... If people are so blinded by what's going on here, when it's so obvious, then we get the society we deserve

[rigslip]

01:30 PM on 07/07/2011

Takes courage to change your thinking when you've been proven wrong, a lot of other politicians could learn a lesson from this.

[Absolute]

10:01 AM on 07/07/2011

Yes, now that someone rich and powerful has had to endure a perp walk he is against them. This mayor has made very disturbing comments on those who are accused of crimes. It is only now that he has decided to change his mind.

[UnknownSolider]

03:07 PM on 07/07/2011

and the keyword is "Powerful"......... I've never seen anything like this in my life, I was the sort of person who tended to scoff at those who would put on their tinfoil hats about the secret groups made up of bankers......... but now I'm having second thoughts........ there is more forsenic evidence in this case against DSK than in the Casey Anthony and OJ Simpson cases COMBINED, and this guy is going to walk, and just about every major mainstream media outlet is co-signing it

[democles]

10:28 PM on 07/06/2011

BLoomy should do the perp walk

[MIKEinNYC]

05:59 PM on 07/06/2011

I don't care what he said in the past. What he's saying now is right on the mark.

" 'They're not guilty until they're convicted and yet we villify them for the benefit of theater, for the circus,' the mayor said."

People are allowed to change their minds. In fact, in many cases, we are grateful when they have the wisdom and courage to do so.

[len501]

06:41 PM on 07/06/2011

Mayor Bloomberg may have initially had an emotional reaction to the question because of all the attention the DSK case attracted and the need to seem as though he was being supportive of a system that treated all accused the same way. However, his more reflective position is the correct one. Perp walks only serve to insinuate guilt at a time when the person is only accused.......not guilty. The practice may provide some with a degree of satisfaction, but one has to wonder if there isn't something legally wrong about them. In a system where we depend on our peers to determine our guilt or innocence, the emotional circus which surrounds the perp walk practice can serve to so inflame public passions as to taint the potential jury pool. Maybe it's time to get rid of this practice.

[MIKEinNYC]

09:55 PM on 07/06/2011

You're 100% right. I know that building. He could have been driven in through the back and there would have been no spectacle. The fact is, the spectacle, the perp-walk, is a form of punishment that is administered before any guilt is found. Not fair, if not unconstitutional.

[JacksonHts]

09:33 AM on 07/07/2011

Yes, but it WOULD be nice if he acknowledged that not too long ago, he himself was piling on in the rush to judge and had expressed his own opinion in support of what he has now, upon more sober reflection, decided is unfair.

[bar1ed]

05:59 PM on 07/06/2011

The MoneyMen always stick together!

[Swedenworks]

09:22 PM on 07/06/2011

Exactly. People defending MB here and giving him a pass, as always. No way he would retract his words for working class guy. Imagine if he were a union member, he'd be parading that 'prep' around twice.

[UnknownSolider]

03:09 PM on 07/07/2011

I think MB is scared to tell you the truth, as is the Manhattan DA

[UnknownSolider]

03:09 PM on 07/07/2011

I think they are afraid to tell you the truth

[mivogo]

03:50 PM on 07/06/2011

This is becoming a pattern. He was also for term limits, then circumvented them to get a third term, then was against them again. Who does he think he is, Mitt Romney?

www.newyorkgritty.net

[hemorrhage]

03:20 PM on 07/06/2011

Hmmm... could it be that the CityTime scandal may end up hitting a littler close to home, Mikee?

[UnknownSolider]

02:30 PM on 07/06/2011

the victim was spitting out DSK juice all over the place, the victim had vaginal bruising, ligament damage, and torn panties........ It was hotel security that called the NYPD, and the hotel has electronic evidence of the victims movements right after the attack.......... There is more evidence in this case than there was in the Casey Anthony case........... but Casey Anthony didn't have some of the best lawyers in the world defending her........... Perp walks are wrong, but then so is the police having a public relations division

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

01:31 PM on 07/06/2011

That's nuthin.

His biggest flip-flop was on term limits.

[brooksiebow]

12:22 PM on 07/06/2011

Guess someone has egg on their face, eh? LOL

"Prep walks" simply reinforce the notion that accused = guilty. It's just a slightly more civilized version of the stocks and pillory of old. The idea that a person accused of something should be humiliated simply because they were accused is just primitive, IMHO.

In this particular case, it has created all sorts of unnecessary drama and created bad feelings internationally all for naught.

[SirCoolBreeze]

11:04 PM on 07/06/2011

p-e-r-p. perp. not prep.

[brooksiebow]

11:52 AM on 07/07/2011

Thanks for correcting my obvious typo on a site w/o editing functions. Have anything to say about the rest of what I said or it is the usual spelling/grammar post that never hides the absence of substance on the pedant's part?

[morristhewise]

11:51 AM on 07/06/2011

The hotel maid should have stuck to prostitution,money laundering, and drug dealing. But she went over her pay grade when she tried to shake down one of the worlds most powerful men.

[spoonbill1963]

11:52 AM on 07/06/2011

Well said, morris.

[democles]

10:29 PM on 07/06/2011

I think if she had to do it again, she'd probably do just that.

[spoonbill1963]

11:39 AM on 07/06/2011

You'll rarely catch me agreeing with this guy but this time I do.