So, maybe you've noticed that we're big NY1 fans over here? The all-New York City news network makes this city feel like a small town, and loving it and watching NY1 is the kind of weird thing New Yorkers (and only New Yorkers) can get weirdly passionate about.
Well, last night—to put it bluntly—occured some of the craziest shit we've ever seen on NY1.
On NY1's nightly 10PM show, The Call, host John Schiumo takes listener calls and emails about whatever's happening in New York City at any given moment. And—you might've heard about it—but there's a mayorial election heating up here. It has plenty of crazy characters. And last night, we met a new one: Joan from the Upper West Side.
The theme of last night's show was about Democratic mayorial candidate (and newly-minted front-runner) Bill De Blasio. And Joan, who had apparently met Mr. De Blasio, had some words for him, as well as a bunch of shocked New Yorkers along with Schiumo, who were listening with their jaws dropped:
JOAN: No, I was at first because of this stop-and-frisk—which I'm totally against—but when I saw him on the street with his entourage, I had gone up to him and introduced myself and told him how active I was in liberal politics, and I said to him, 'You're not going to end stop-and-frisk in Manhattan, right? Just in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens (and I'm still up in the air about The Bronx). And he said 'Why should I not have it in Manhattan?' And I said, 'Ugh, you can't expect us to live by the same rules we dictate to other people for heaven's sake! Just because people like me are against stop-and-frisk in places like Brooklyn and Queens and Staten Island doesn't mean we don't want it to continue in Manhattan! I mean: Manhattan is special. We are New York! Brooklyn and Queens and Staten Island, I....I don't even like talking about those kinds of places!
JOHN SCHIUMO: I'm assuming you were sarcastic an—
JOAN: No! No! I'm being sincere!
JOHN SCHIUMO: Oh, you—[laughs in disbelief] you were being sincere?
JOAN: I don't know why that's funny!
JOHN SCHIUMO: Why is that funny? That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard in eight years of this program.
JOAN: Well, in all due respect, think about it this way: Affordable housing—I mean, New Yorkers accept that kind of thing in the boroughs, but you don't want those people living around you! Of course, I would be the first to say anyone in Brooklyn and Queens and Staten Island would be prejudiced for that, but I mean, ugh, I'm not a hypocrite!
She then went on to endorse Christine Quinn for mayor, right before Schiumo hung up on her. But that wasn't the best part of the program—that was the succession of New Yorkers who called in Joan's wake, to tell John what a terrible person Joan is.
But the above footage goes to demonstrate that, yes, stop-and-frisk backers are generally on some seriously racist, classist, fucked up shit.
And also, that John Schiumo is the man, and NY1 is amazing and the best local news station ever.