Just over two weeks ago, as NYC was turmoiling in protests following the Eric Garner chokehold death and the subsequent acquittal of the police officer involved, none other than NYC's mayor Bill de Blasio - a person whose job is to seek to impartially preserve the peace at all costs - tried to score populist points by disparaging none other than the NY Police Department.
This is how the NY Post summarized things, [5]granted with a dose of hyperbole:
Determined not to let a crisis go to waste, the mayor has spent the last two days cranking up the volume and the vitriol of his anti-cop agenda. Predictably, he trots out his son, Dante, to put a personal spin on police-black relations, saying he is fearful the biracial teen will end up in a confrontation with a cop.
Imagine that. The city is in turmoil over the Staten Island case and the mayor throws gasoline on the fire by painting the entire police force as a bunch of white racist brutes. Has he no shame?
...
“We need a mayor to stand up with and for us,” police union head Pat Lynch said yesterday. He said his members feel as if de Blasio is “throwing them under the bus.”
It got worse. Demonstrating just how frayed the relationship between the NYC mayor's office is and the city's law enforcement had gotten, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Associ [6]ation issued a statement for the use of police officers requesting that Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito not attend their funerals. Here is the text of PBA's request, courtesy of Truthrevolt [7]:
I, as a New York City police officer, request that Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito refrain from attending my funeral services in the event that I am killed in the line of duty.
Due to Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito’s consistent refusal to show police officers the support and respect they deserve, I believe that their attendance at the funeral of a fallen New York City police officer is an insult to that officer’s memory and sacrifice.
Which leads us to today, and the latest nonsenical murder, in which a lone crazed gunman, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, executed in cold blood and in broad daylight two NYPD officers as "revenge [8]" for Eric Garner and Michael Brown. In other words, vigilante justice which, according to some, was encouraged by the mayor himself. One such person was former New York Governor George Pataki who in a tweet moments ago, blamed the murder of officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos on the "divisive anti-cop rhetoric" of mayor de Blasio and outgoing attorney general Eric Holder.
Sickened by these barbaric acts, which sadly are a predictable outcome of divisive anti-cop rhetoric of #ericholder [9] & #mayordeblasio [10]. #NYPD [11]
— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) December 21, 2014 [12]
So just more politics and attempts to score political talking points on the back of yet another human tragedy? Yes, but nothing compared to the reception that de Blasio got earlier today when on his way to the press conference to address the execution-style shooting of two NYPD officers, all the present police officers very visibly and demonstratively turned their back on him.
Dear mayor Bill, a piece of advice: if you can hire the guy who is building the moat around the White House, you probably should for a comparably treatment around city hall (and/or your personal residence). Because if you ever need to dial 911, don't be surprised when it goes straight to voicemail.
