Pete Buttigieg called Mike Bloomberg's stop-and-frisk record 'racist' before admitting he had a 'lot of issues' with policing in South Bend

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Pete Buttigieg called Mike Bloomberg's stop-and-frisk record 'racist' before admitting he had a 'lot of issues' with policing in South Bend
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CBS News

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Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg sparred early on in the South Carolina debate.

  • Pete Buttigieg called Mike Bloomberg's record of stop-and-frisk policing 'racist' before reflecting on his own record as mayor.
  • "We let it get out of control," Bloomberg said
  • The exchange also highlighted the lack of diversity on the debate stage.
  • "I come to this with some humility because I'm conscious of the fact that there are 7 white people on this stage talking about racial justice," Buttigieg said.
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An early impassioned exchange at Tuesday night's South Carolina debate came between the Democratic primary's two former mayors.

When asked by CBS moderator Gayle King whether Mike Bloomberg's implementation of stop-and-frisk policing as mayor of New York City was racist, Pete Buttigieg said, "Yes, in effect, it was, because it was about profiling people based on their race."

Buttigieg took the occasion to reflect on his own shortcomings with policing while mayor of South Bend, Ind., and addressed the lack of diversity on the debate stage.

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"I'm not here to score points," Buttigieg said. "I come at this with a great deal of humility because we have had a lot of issues, especially when it comes to racial justice and policing in my own community.

"And I come to this with some humility because I'm conscious of the fact that there are 7 white people on this stage talking about racial justice," he added.

Bloomberg, for his part, apologized again for implementing the practice after defending it for years.

Only shortly before his run did Bloomberg apologize and acknowledge the program relied upon racial profiling.

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