Curtis Sliwa, in Guardian Angels beret, defies no-swim order

NEW YORK (AP) — Curtis Sliwa donned a wetsuit and his trademark Guardian Angels red beret and strode into the water at Coney Island Sunday in defiance of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s no-swimming order.

A crowd cheered Sliwa on as several city Parks Department officers tried to order the Guardian Angels founder and New York mayoral candidate out of the surf. Sliwa ignored the orders and swam around for about an hour.

Before he dove in, Sliwa stuck a cardboard cutout of de Blasio’s face on the beach and kicked sand on it. “The whole concept is, this is our beach, not de Blasio’s,” Sliwa told the New York Post. “Everybody else gets to swim in Long Island, Jersey Shore, Mediterranean. Not us? No, no, no.”

De Blasio last week threatened summonses for violators of his no-swim order aimed at keeping the coronavirus under control. City Hall spokeswoman Jane Meyer said Sliwa “should be ashamed of himself.”

“We all must work together to keep each other safe during this pandemic — not make things worse,” Meyer said.