Boston Mayor Invokes Slavery, Birtherism to Decry Idea of Vaccine Mandates Like NYC’s
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Boston Mayor Kim Janey invoked slavery and birtherism to decry the idea of vaccine mandates like the one planned for New York City.
Bill de Blasio announced indoor vaccine requirements for NYC starting this month, saying, “If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.”
WCVB reporter Sharman Sacchetti asked Janey about similar potential vaccine mandates for Boston on Tuesday.
Janey responded by saying, “There’s a long history in this country of people needing to show their papers.”
“During slavery, post-slavery, as recent as what immigrant population has to go through here — we heard Trump with the birth certificate nonsense. Here we want to make sure that we are not doing anything that would further create a barrier for residents of Boston or disproportionally impact BIPOC communities,” she continued.
Janey became acting mayor after former mayor Marty Walsh left to become Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration. She announced in April she’s running for a full term.
Other mayoral candidates criticized Janey for her comments, and the mayor put out a statement Tuesday saying, “Earlier today, I pointed out several hurdles facing communities of color with lower vaccination rates. These hurdles should not be excuses, but we must consider our shared history as we work to ensure an equitable public health and economic recovery.”
While there are no current plans for business sector vaccination mandates, we are using data to inform targeted public health strategies. This includes meeting with restaurants and bars to discuss overlaps between their clientele and new COVID-19 case trends.
— Kim Janey (@MayorKimJaney) August 3, 2021
COVID-19 cases have increased in Boston with the emergence of the Delta variant, but we are still well below threshold levels that have guided policy decisions throughout the pandemic. Work with our business community will continue, as we learn to live with COVID-19.
— Kim Janey (@MayorKimJaney) August 3, 2021
