Fiorello La Guardia

One way in which the new episodes were different than the old episodes is just to say a kind of obvious thing.

We couldn't interview DeWitt Clinton or Fiorello LaGuardia.

We could only work from secondary sources and archival materials and so forth.

We had the opportunity in these two episodes to get into the belly of the beast, to actually interview, whether it was the Mayor Bloomberg or an Amanda Burden or a Dan Doctoroff or a Bill de Blasio.

And so the capitalist logic brings about remarkable accomplishments but also creates problems that have to be addressed in let's call them non-capitalist ways through democratic decisions about what kind of ways we are going to expand not just the embrace of the city but what kind of city is doing the embracing.

I think that the things that have happened over the last 20 years, 25 years, you know, I really feel that with Bloomberg that there is not going to be much of a change in the understanding of the Bloomberg administration.

You got two great mayors of New York over 400 years, Fiorella LaGuardia.

Let's call him a mayor who had to do with the alternatives to capitalism.

Even though they have such presence during the rally, the larger community around them, mostly World War I veterans and the Jewish community in New York, march down to Madison Square Garden to protest.

And it's this really chaotic scene, an unfortunately violent scene, but the damage that is done helps to get the mayor of new york uh mayor um fiorello laguardia to launch an investigation into the bund and they're able to uh uncover an embezzlement scheme by its leader which is ultimately what brings about the the end of the bund but um you know without these individuals willing to risk their safety um or, you know, the fact that the counter-protest of this is unlawful, these individuals are the reason that the Bund is eventually put down because otherwise it had been functioning for over three years very actively and very openly.

Mm-hmm.

What was the ramifications thereafter? Let's talk about, let's jump now to say...

Quote, they cast this incredibly skinny guy to be Steve Rogers, then decided to make him his

Timely had a police guard in the halls before Mayor LaGuardia called.

This is crazy, but so real about the way it was when Captain America came out.

Captain America comics number one went on sale around December 20, 1940, cover dated March 1941, 352 days before Pearl Harbor, with a cover showing Steve Rogers punching Adolf Hitler.

Joe Simon's account, in order, a torrent, of raging hate mail and Bishop's obscene telephone calls, groups of men outside the office on 42nd Street, staff afraid to leave for lunch.

The company reported the threats to the police who posted a guard on haul and shifts.

Then the switchboard operator announced Mayor LaGuardia on the line.

LaGuardia told them they were doing a good job and that the city of New York will see no harm come to you.

And, you know, and New York City had, you know, very progressive – left government right through that period, no matter what religion of the mayor or what have you.

But what Mondani is in favor of now in New York was embraced certainly overwhelmingly by the Jewish population of New York, whether it came from LaGuardia or anybody else.

But what I want to get at I agree with you.

Anti-Semitism has always been, not just obviously with the Holocaust, was always a terrible threat.

We haven't discussed it.

As New York Mets fans treat Pete Alonzo like he was Fiorello LaGuardia coming back from the dead to lead New York City into the next millennium.

All right, you say so.

I

Um, some parts of New York City, uh, are devoid of big green parks, and Central Brooklyn is certainly one of those.

Um, and that's because over historically, New York City did not have a plan for developing parks, uh, until really until Mayor Bloomberg, and I'd say s- a certain amount under, um, Robert Moses and Mayor La Guardia, and developers just took over.

You know, it's a, it's a fun fact that if you're looking for a neighborhood that has no parks, look for a neighborhood with the name park in it, for the most part.

Huh.