The mayor himself was paradoxical: punctilious and demanding of subordinates, yet reluctant to make decisions until he absolutely had to.
The mayor found himself under pressure to respond, but said he was waiting for Commissioner Brown’s report on overhauling his department.
Finally, in October, a shaken Mr. Dinkins offered a barrage of anti-crime proposals, including a record expansion of the police and a plan to return officers to neighborhood beats.
A Black crowd defended her, and the confrontation widened into a boycott that went on for months, with protests, rallies and threats.
But the mayor, who had gone on television to appeal for racial tolerance, fared badly, so reluctant to offend either side that he had alienated both.
Persons:
“, Dinkins, women’s, Brown’s, ”, Mr
Organizations:
Washington Post, Mr
Locations:
Nice, New York, Brooklyn, Utah, Haitian