I thought I was seeing things–I’m still not quite convinced it was real: there, on the side of the bus, was an advertisement from the Human Resources Administration about the food stamps program. Racial stereotyping was shrewdly averted: the poster face was white. I do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I saw a similar or identical ad in a subway car.
What a world of difference from the prior mayoralty: under Bloomberg, agencies like the HRA that actually address the needs of more than the one percent were sandbagged, As poverty in NYC soared, the needy were generally treated as potential or actual criminals by the municipal administration.