NEW YORK – Some people simply invite trouble as they fail to consider their actions due to a disconnect from reality. That appears to be the case with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. His social distancing tip line is off to a turbulent start this week as users have been flooding the service with obscene pictures and prank messages, according to reports.
The mayor was sharply criticized Saturday when he announced the tip line, asking citizens to notify city government via text if they spotted people ignoring coronavirus prevention rules.
“When you see a crowd, when you see a line that’s not distanced, when you see a supermarket that’s too crowded — anything — you can report it right away so we can get help there to fix the problem,” de Blasio said in a video message. “All you’ve got to do is take the photo and put the location with it, and, bang, send a photo like this and we will make sure that enforcement comes right away.”
— The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) April 18, 2020
Except instead of submitting photos of people allegedly violating social distancing guidelines to the number, people have been sending in news articles about de Blasio hitting the gym during the pandemic, images of male genitalia and Hitler memes, reported the New York Post.
“We will fight this tyrannical overreach!” one person apparently texted the number, only to receive an automated reply back thanking them for the tip and informing them that “a representative will be with you soon.”
Start flooding their reporting text number with these pics! pic.twitter.com/Sek203VVba
— Morgan L Schmidt (@MorganLSchmidt1) April 18, 2020
Moreover, the number of prank messages forced the city to temporarily shut down the tip line so operators could sift through the large volume of information, reported the Post.
The NYPD source told the newspaper that the city is “vetting everything before dispersing the information to precincts.”
The mayor announced at the end of March that people violating the rules could face fines of up to $500.
