I issued this statement after the right-wing mob assault on the Capitol.
Today, January 6, 2021 is a date which will live in infamy. This should have been a day to celebrate American democratic values by consummating a peaceful transfer of power.
This should have been a day to celebrate Georgia, which elected its first Black Senator and secured a Congress that can work for the benefit of the entire country. Instead, seditionists and domestic terrorists have illegally stormed and occupied the Capitol, reminding us that the fight of Reconstruction, of the Civil Rights movement is still being fought.
We live in two societies: one in which peaceful multi-racial BLM protests are met with tanks, teargas, and rubber bullets. And, in the other, armed and unlawful terrorists are met peacefully. An armed occupation of the Capitol is treason, plain and simple.
As a child of Jim Crow Atlanta and as a direct beneficiary of the Civil Rights Movement, I am appalled and distraught that these traitors have stolen a celebration of American potential. It only increases the importance of my mission and my resolve to make New York City better for everyone. I ask everyone to prioritize the safety of yourselves and your immediate community right now and I hope that justice is quickly and peacefully delivered in the days to come.
