“I am happy to hear that ‘Real Bronx Tours’ has decided to end its inaccurate and disrespectful tours of our beautiful borough. The Bronx has come a long way in the past few years, and we will not accept such a despicable and irresponsible depiction of our borough.
“I am relieved that this company has listened to the overwhelming complaints of community members, as well as public officials, who were outraged and sickened by the so-called ‘ride through a real New York City GHETTO’ tour. I am especially grateful to Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito, who co-authored a letter to the tour company with me yesterday, expressing our collective outrage on behalf of our constituents.
“We are more than happy to welcome tours to our community that celebrate the rich culture and history of our neighborhoods, but using the Bronx to sell a so-called ‘ghetto’ experience to tourists is completely unacceptable.
“With that said, although ‘Real Bronx Tours’ has reconsidered and is no longer hosting this tour, I ask the company to communicate an official apology to the 1.4 million residents of this great borough for their terrible portrayal of our communities,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.