The 7 Things That Forced Mayor Bloomberg To Cancel The New York City Marathon

How the New York Marathon was stopped by a still-bleeding city.

1. Staten Island Borough President Jim Molinaro delivered an impassioned rant against the marathon and its use of city resources in this time of need.

Source: nyopoliticker.files.wordpress.com

I just assumed it was canceled. My God. What we have here is terrible, a disaster. If they want to race, let them race with themselves. This is no time for a parade. A marathon is a parade. Now is the time to put your shoulder to the wheel. If they want to prepare for something, let them prepare for the election, not a marathon. Do you realize how many police officers you need for a marathon? There are people looting stores on Midland Avenue. There is looting taking place in the homes on the South Shore that were destroyed. That is where we need the police…

What I have seen is terrible, a disaster,” said Molinaro, his voice breaking with emotion. “Everything we have done over the last 10 years is gone. The damage to South Beach is immense. John D’Amato Field doesn’t exist anymore. It was blown away. The asphalt tiles in Midland Beach? Ripped up and gone. We have 2 feet of mud where you used to be able to walk. We have boats in the middle of streets. Cedar Grove? The houses there are flattened. And we have lost lives. And they want to hold a parade?

Source: silive.com

2. Petitions like this one went viral and gained thousands and thousands of signatures.

Source: change.org

3. More controversy arose from the sight of giant generators in Central Park for the marathon, while many of New Yorkers remained powerless.

4. Many began proposing that not only could the city’s resources be better spent, but also the marathoners themselves.

5. Major New York media personalities like Mike Francesa began to speak out passionately against the marathon.

6. Photos like this one…

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And this one began to gain traction on social media.

7. Along with photos just showing the state of Staten Island where the race was set to start.

See more photos from Staten Island here.

Source: gramfeed.com

Source: gramfeed.com

Eventually the din of the controversy simply became too loud to ignore.

And the marathon was cancelled.

Now let’s get back to work fixing the city.

Image by Shannon Stapleton / Reuters