Monday on MSNBC, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) called for the civil unrest in the name of the death of George Floyd to be used to create progressive reforms on law enforcement, housing, education, and poverty.
Host Nicolle Wallace said, “Governor, I spoke to our mutual friend Chris Christie over the weekend. He said the economic despair that people are feeling in a lot of these cities is contributing to the hopelessness and the rage and the exasperation and the despair with the state all of it, with the inability to protect our citizens from a deadly virus, our inability to protect people’s economic security, their life savings in the case of small business owners and our inability to protect black Americans in particular from police. What do you have to say to people who are feeling hopeless?”
Cuomo said, “Look, it’s right. It’s right. And I said on day one, I stand with the protesters, I believe this is a moment in history, Nicolle, where we can actually galvanize and make change. And there are forces coming together here, let’s be honest. It’s not a coincidence that’s in the middle of a COVID crisis. The poor paid the highest price for this COVID situation. They were essential workers. Their communities had a higher infection rate. They’re living in public housing. You can’t socially distance on an elevator in public housing. They spent all, they were living paycheck to paycheck, and now they’re destitute. They paid the highest price. They always pay the highest price, and it’s just exploded the latent injustice and racism in this nation. My father did the Tale of Two Cities speech in 1984, the Democratic National Convention, it was true then, and it’s true now. Let’s make this moment of progressive reform and focus on a real agenda going forward.”
He continued, “Long term, use this moment. You look in history, Nicolle, when did change come? Change came when the people insisted on change.”
He added, “Change comes when the people demand it. They’re demanding it finally. Let’s have a full agenda. Let’s talk about it, investigation of police abuse, no chokeholds, national standard for undue force. Let’s talk about funding of education and equal funding in education. Let’s talk about affordable housing. Let’s talk about a child poverty agenda. Let’s use the moment constructively.”
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