In the midst of preparations for a possible presidential nomination, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg admitted mistakes in his term of office. The Democrat apologized in a speech for the tactics of the "stop and frisk" introduced under him and later classified as unconstitutional, in which police officers can arbitrarily control and search people.
"Too many innocent people were stopped," the majority of blacks and Latinos, said the 77-year-old in front of a mainly Afro-American church in New York's Brooklyn neighborhood. It may have affected members of this community, he said.
Bloomberg admitted that these controls had been cut back too late. "I was wrong, and I'm sorry," he said. "I made mistakes." However, he has never met anyone who made no mistake. "The key is whether you can admit it."
Blacks and Latinos are important constituencies
According to a New York Times report, Bloomberg had stubbornly defended the "stop and frisk" over the past few months, sarcastically rejecting demands for an apology. He has always adhered to the police tactics, although in 2013 they had been assessed by a federal court as unconstitutional.
Bloomberg's recent appearance was also interpreted as a strategic reconciliation gesture to blacks and Latinos - they are important constituencies of the Democrats, whose support Bloomberg would need in a presidential candidacy. Officially, he has not yet entered the race of his party. But he has already made concrete preparations for this by, for example, the necessary documents for a possible participation in the primaries in the US state of Alabama submitted.
Significant funding for election campaign
Bloomberg, who once founded the finance and media company named after him, is considered one of the richest men in the world. He could bring significant funding into an election campaign against President Donald Trump, who wants to play for the Republicans again in the 2020 election.
By contrast, Republican Mark Sanford's bid has apparently been suspended, according to CNN and other US media. The former governor of South Carolina had little chance anyway. This also applies to the other Republicans, who want to dispute Trump's candidacy.
