Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for policies to spur entrepreneurship and more control for local government in a speech in Low Library Thursday morning, which drew a full audience and a crowd of protestors.
Bloomberg and Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, discussed how cities could best promote businesses to address problems like unemployment, energy use, and health care costs.
“Cities need to reform or eliminate policies that discourage innovation and entrepreneurship,” Bloomberg said, citing the tax breaks for self-employed New Yorkers and the speeding up of licensing new restaurants that he has overseen in New York.
His remarks were relevant in the wake of the competition to create a new engineering and applied science campus in New York City with a focus on entrepreneurship, which Bloomberg has spearheaded and Columbia has entered.
On Thursday, Bloomberg argued that limiting federal involvement, not eliminating it, is the way to allow businesses to move forward.
“We want the federal government to provide services that are appropriate. When it comes to business, when it comes to commerce, it is much more a local issue,” Bloomberg said. “If the federal government wants to help, they can do things with consistency and deal with the single greatest inhibitor to the growth of this country, and that is our crazy immigration policy, which is trying to drive businesses overseas.”
Bloomberg’s comments on outsourcing drew cheers and applause from the audience—but protestors outside of Low Library were unimpressed with his ideas. Police officers and vehicles lined the Amsterdam Avenue gate as about 15 people marched from Morningside Park to College Walk, drumming and chanting.
“We are protesting Bloomberg because his policies and actions have deepened the ravine between the 1 percent and the 99 percent,” Yoni Golijov, CC ’12, said.
Protestors said they were unhappy about a myriad of issues, including social inequality, the federal government’s bank bailouts, cuts to spending and jobs in New York, and neighborhood gentrification. They held up signs that read “Bloomberg is the 0.000004%” and “NYC metro area has highest inequality in the U.S.”
The demonstration was planned by the Columbia University General Assembly, which was started in October on the model of the Occupy Wall Street meetings. During the protest, demonstrators held an open forum, where they spoke about Bloomberg’s policies under the supervision of NYPD officers.
“This is not necessarily attacking the mayor for his wealth, which we don’t want to do. It’s more just examining where that wealth went, and looking at some of the things he’s done in office, and questioning whether that’s good for the city,” protestor Malcolm Culleton, CC ’12, said.
Columbia students were joined by local residents and other students, including Gabriel Johnson, a sophomore at Rutgers University-Newark who came from New Jersey to support the cause.
“When people like Bloomberg come to speak, it’s important that the other side of the story get heard,” Johnson said.
Protestors asked to speak to the mayor, but were blocked by security from walking up Low Steps. Bloomberg failed to emerge during the 9:30 a.m. break in the business summit.
“It’s fine that these people are coming to give these talks. But if they come to campus and we have something to say to them, we would like them to speak with us,” Culleton said.
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