Judgment, Timing, and Luck

While luck and timing were never his friends, have they now joined forces to threaten de Blasio’s legacy? The story of a relationship gone awry

The mayor, long proficient at waiting to pick a side and then losing both, did it again.

Images from the streets were frightening. Along with the legal protestors, there was wanton looting and destruction, a forced curfew giving the city the feel of a war zone.

“If you know Bill de Blasio, you know he was haunted by the Crown Heights riots. It was happening all over again,” says one of his close people, “so of course, he initially backed the police. He wanted it shut down. He wouldn’t make the same mistake as Dinkins.”

But the mayor fumbled, defending police officers who appeared to drive their cars into a crowd of protestors. “If those protestors had just gotten out of the way, and not created an attempt to surround that vehicle, we would not be talking about this situation,” he said.