Boston Mayor Marty Fakes Moves at Real Anti-Racism Reform
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was fooling no one yesterday— especially Blacks in the city — when he stepped to the podium at city hall to suggest he was interested in addressing systemic racism.
Implicit in Walsh’s latest policy ploy is the intimation he has long been concerned about the festering presence of systemic racism that has been a fixture in his administration. Yesterday’s faux press conference focused on police department reform that stemmed from a stinging Boston Globe report this week that found the city woefully wanting around the issue of equity within the department’s ranks. At the hastily called press gathering Walsh feigned angst about more widespread reports that Boston is stigmatized by race matters. Making matters worse, Walsh issued a slew of lukewarm recommendations at the event that will prove circular, at best.
What’s clear is that Walsh is a particularly deft politician who is appreciably learned in the dark arts of urban Machiavellianism. He is crafty at diversion and obfuscation. He has burnished a public-facing style that allows him to play opponents off each other while he — Houdini-like — slips free. Walsh, sadly, is committed to a credo fueled by an ego that is singularly focused upon his success. He is truly a myopic politician. Hence, he incessantly maneuvers to manipulate. An along this…
