Backlash offs Ghetto Tour of the Bronx
A New York company offering tours of the Bronx has shut down after a misguided attempt to publicize bus trips of the borough by calling them "Ghetto Tours."
The company’s website is gone from the Internet, but its Google listing still says, "When we think about the Bronx we see images of the 70s and 80s, when this borough was notorious for drugs, gangs, crime and murders."
Bronx residents and officials, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., were not amused by Real Bronx Tours’ promise to give tourists "a ride through a real New York City ghetto at a safe distance."
And who knows what death threats the company officials received from local gangs. (Just joking. Really.)
An open letter on Monday from Diaz and New York City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito addressed to Real Bronx Tours owner Michael Myers urged the company to stop painting the borough "as a haven for poverty and crime, while mocking everything from our landmarks to the less fortunate members of our community who are availing themselves of food assistance programs."
"Using the Bronx to sell a so-called ‘ghetto’ experience to tourists is completely unacceptable and the highest insult to the communities we represent," the letter said.
Diaz on Tuesday announced the tour company was ending its "inaccurate and disrespectful tours."
NYC & Company, the official promotion agency of New York, also condemned the tours. Its Neighborhood x Neighborhood recently showcased the South Bronx and its most famous attractions, including Yankee Stadium and the Grand Concourse.
By Cheryl Rosen
Cheryl
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