Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Speaks with Reporters at Circola Antico Tiro a Volo

July 21, 2014

Question: ...European vacation, hopping around all these different cities instead of staying in one place, and people say you're just rushing through, you're not really experiencing one – you know – location. So if you could address both of those issues.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well on that point, they have a point. And my wife would agree with that point. Look, there's a great virtue in staying in one place and really getting to know it. And for me, I'm blessed because I've spent a lot of time in Rome over the years with my family. But I think for this moment it was very important to us, of course to come into Rome, but also to go to the two hometowns of our family. For the kids it was very important to go to Venice, because they are quite concerned about the future of Venice, and they [inaudible] when they'd have another chance to see it. It was important to see it now. And Capri is the most beautiful place on Earth, so that was easy. So yes, there's definitely another way of doing things, but for this moment, this was the right way for us. In terms of this morning, it was a really important and powerful meeting. Cardinal Parolin is a very, very important – in terms of [inaudible] number two official in the Vatican, and someone who has been really the person implementing so much [inaudible]. [inaudible] great respect for this Pope and what he's achieving, both within the church and around the world. So it was an honor to meet his right hand man, and especially to emphasize that it would be so important to the people of New York City to have the Pope visit, to talk about the fight against inequality – which has been such a powerful theme of the Pope's – but also as the spiritual leader of so many Catholics in our city and in the metropolitan area, it would really be a very important moment for New York. And that I personally believe his message about fighting economic inequality and his message of social inclusion, and of support for people regardless of immigration status, is something that this country – our country, America – needs to hear. And it would be our honor to host him in New York so he could have that platform. And we're hopeful, we haven't gotten a formal answer, but we're hopeful.

Question: Do you think you're going to head back to becoming a little bit more religious or [inaudible]?

Mayor: Look, I think my situation is pretty stable. I was – some newspapers have said I was baptized, I was not baptized. I wasn't brought up in the church. My grandfather's brother Alberto [inaudible] was one of the priests in town. A lot of people – when we go down there in a few days – a lot of people will – who are there who remember him as one of the town priests. And my grandfather was much less religious, even though he was a priest's brother. And my mother was brought up in the church, but she had her disagreements with the doctrine of the church, and so you know, she no longer continued attending church. And so I was not brought up in the church. But I have, like so many people of Catholic origin, a very strong cultural, emotional tie to the church and a deep appreciation for what's good about the church, and particularly what's good about this Pope. So it's philosophically very important to me, it's not something where I'm going to become a practicing Catholic, but it's something that means a lot to me personally. And I think this Pope is one of the most significant leaders on Earth in terms of messages that I've [inaudible].

Question: Would you call yourself an atheist or agnostic?

Mayor: I don't get too deep into the labels. I think I'm spiritual but in my own way. Yes? 

Question: So this is off topic, Eric Garner, have you had an update? And also, how has it been – I know you talk about talking to your top staff in New York – what have you been doing? Are you Skyping, are you emailing, phone calls? Is the time difference –

Mayor: We've got a new device called the cellular telephone, we've been using that. I've been trying to reach Phil Walzak, he's been impossible to get. No, we've been – I've been talking of course to Tony Shorris and other staff back in New York on a regular basis. And you know, it is similar to any time I've been even in another American city, just constantly checking in. obviously Phil, Monica, Laura are here feeding me information as needed.

Question: Are you getting woken up in the middle of the night very –

Mayor: We have not yet, and you know, we'll be ready of course but hopefully that won't be necessary for a lot of reasons, most importantly because we wouldn't want anything that is a problem that would require it for anyone's sake. But I think it's really a different world now. You know, you can really stay in touch very easily and we sat down at 7 this morning and had breakfast, and went over what's happening in the last reports from last night in New York, and you know, we'll be talking about it again after this. And it's just very natural to stay in touch and give direction as necessary.

Question: Did you get an Eric Garner update? Anything you can share with us? Do you want the police officers to lose their job?

Mayor: Well again, there's an internal process and I respect that process. I think the fact is that Commissioner Bratton acted having looked at the fact. And it's quite clear that the chokehold has been prohibited for decades, but I leave the specific actions within the police department to Commissioner Bratton. I have absolute faith in his judgment. And I think the actions that have been taken show that there is a serious commitment to a full investigation and appropriate follow through.

Question: Do you think there was a chokehold after looking at the video?

Mayor: As an individual who is not expert in law enforcement, it looked like a chokehold to me. But you know, I also emphasize that you have a full investigation because all sides need to be heard and all evidence has to be looked at.

Phil Walzak: Let's do one or two more, on Italy please.

Question: After meeting all these public elected officials, and after having called yourself a European style social democrat, do you feel at home also politically here?

Mayor: Of course. Of course. If you remember, I didn't say that I'm one thing, I think we're all complex people and the European social democracy has been an important influence for me, as have [inaudible]. You remember – the quote you're borrowing from I also talked about Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal being a very important influence, and liberation theology being an important influence. So of course I feel at home. I mean there's a – in my family, there was a such a strong reference point to Italy, and particularly to the hometowns of our family, that when I'm here I feel a very strong connection. I wish my mother were still here, but when I'm here I feel a certain closeness to her because she always talked about her love of Italy and her hometown – her father's hometown. And my grandfather was a very important figure in my life [inaudible]. So I feel a closeness to family here, and that's very powerful. And in terms of the political thought pattern, I feel like someone like Mogherini is someone I feel very kindred with. Certainly Marino, there's an instant connection that I feel because we share a philosophical core. But I also think they're extraordinary individuals, and leaders I admire for their ability.

Question: I remember reading that you might have had a photograph of him visiting Capri in the 1950s.

Mayor: I do.

Question: I'm wondering, on the island, are you planning to retrace any of his steps. And are there any general attractions there you're intrigued by? I don't know if you're a beach person or not.

Mayor: I've been known to go to the beach, alla spiaggia. Capri, from what I've seen of the world, is arguably the most [inaudible]. And anything in Capri is [inaudible]. I just love to walk around it. I am a particular fan of the – it sound strange, but there's a chairlift that goes up to the highest point –

Question: Funicular.    

Mayor: No, no, there's a funicular from the port up to the main square, but then there's a chairlift, you go up. There's a chairlift that goes up to the highest point. It is mystical. You look out, you see the Mediterranean out around you and it's incredibly peaceful and beautiful. And as a family, we also walked down, I think it's 880 steps that go from one of the highest points down to the port. You can walk the whole way down, and we did that as a family last time. I'm not sure we'll do it this time, but we did it last time. It was wonderful. So it's an incredible place, and just anything there is wonderful. But I think I'll just be – you know, walk around, and just get the feeling of the place.

Question: [inaudible]

Mayor: Yeah I don't know from the photo exactly where my grandfather was, and I haven't been able to ascertain it. But that was probably 1953, 1955. And it certainly, for people who come from Naples and the surrounding areas, it's like going to Montauk. Or if you live in Boston, going to Cape Cod. You know, Capri is like an island really nearby and it used to not be as well know. At the point where that photo, it's a bunch of family members around a table at some trattoria in Capri, and it used to just be a place you went on a weekend or in summer. But it's a wonderful sense of just going to a place that my family grew [inaudible].