The media tend to dwell on incidents of racial hatred. But far more often, people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds risk their safety to help one another. A black guy is attacked by white thugs on Staten Island, and Italian guys come out of a pizza place and help fight them off. A white woman is mugged on the subway and a young black and Hispanic guy catch the mugger, bring the woman back her purse, and hold the mugger for the police. A Jewish guy's van catches fire in Brooklyn, and a couple of young black guys go into the van and save the driver's children.

As mayor, you should publicly celebrate these humanitarian acts. They are far more representative of what's really happening than the hysterical ideas about ingrained racial hostility that the media pump out.