Crown Heights City Councilwoman-elect Laurie Cumbo apologized this week for her contention, repeated in several venues, that local complaints against Jewish landlords and home buyers might have been a motive in the knockout cases.
In a statement released Tuesday, Cumbo said, “I especially regret that my comments on the recent violent incidents in Crown Heights were offensive to my constituents. My intent … was to stimulate dialogue on an important issue, but in doing so I emphasized the divisions between people and repeated inappropriate stereotypes instead of bringing them together.” She added, “The “pain that I have caused … was the opposite of my intention.”
Yaacov Behrman, executive director of the Jewish Future Alliance, who criticized her previous comments as “inappropriate,” now commended her “for doing the right thing and apologizing.”
