Is New York City falling?
Ed Mullins, President of the Sergeants Benevolent Association in New York City, released a letter on Tuesday to New York police officers in the wake of Mayor Bill de Blasio refusing to call in the National Guard to help the police quell the violent riots that have taken over the city. He had harsh words for politicians leaving police out on their own to be hurt and killed.
“I know we are losing the city,” he wrote. “We have no leadership, no direction, and no plan.” He encouraged the officers to hold the line and not give up and promised that help was on the way. “I know you are being held back and used as pawns,” he wrote. He highlighted the messages he is receiving from officers including one that said, “Our officers and supervisors are getting hurt every night DOING THEIR JOBS without any support from our PC or mayor.”
Police are reporting that they are not allowed to use crowd control tools that they have at their disposal. And after the uproar from the media after the Washington, D.C., police dispersed the protesters there with smoke, it’s not hard to see why. Police are damned if they do, and possibly put into the ICU or the morgue if they don’t. Right now, the city seems to be choosing to sacrifice its cops to appease the mob.
I Hear You. Never Give Up. pic.twitter.com/1AuXW4DlIi
— SBA (@SBANYPD) June 2, 2020
Mullins also sent a letter to NYPD Police Commissioner Shea asking for help.
It is with tremendous frustration and disappointment that I write on behalf of the struggling officers of the New York City Police Department who are under sustained and unprovoked attack from violent protesters in the streets; from armed and uncontrollable rioters; from the Governor’s office, whose statements against police officers statewide emboldens further rioting; from the lack of City leadership, which has failed to demand much needed reinforcement to restore order and take back the City; and from the lack of clear and direct instruction from the NYPD hierarchy on how police officers are expected to restore calm.
Mullins says the NYPD is struggling to keep up and are losing the battle.
We run from disturbance to disturbance, fire to fire, looting to looting, exposing our own lives and limbs to maiming and permanent injury, only to be told that we have failed to protect the City. We arrest those that we can, move those who are willing, and try to prevent further chaos everywhere. It is not a sustainable endeavor. We are, simply put, outnumbered.
The curfew is a ridiculous exercise in futility that police have no power to enforce.
The City’s curfew is, simply put, unenforceable. We obviously cannot engage and arrest every citizen we see on the street after 8:00 PM. If we cannot enforce it, we should not impose it: such a practice makes police officers look weak and ineffective, which emboldens criminal behavior and, as we have seen repeatedly, the targeting of police officers. Indeed, as we learned last night when one of my members was intentionally run over and suffered two broken legs, a broken shoulder and a fractured elbow when responding to an ambush 911 call, even answering a radio run has become a life-threatening challenge for the NYPD.
What is the top brass waiting for?
We must take immediate decisive, concerted and coordinated steps to rid the City of this violence and restore peace. If additional outside assistance is needed, call for it. If more officers should be deployed, deploy them. If more equipment is necessary, provide it. If greater force against looters, vandals and rioters is warranted, authorize it. What are you waiting for?
What this Department cannot do is stay the course: our efforts to take back the city from the lawless have thus far failed miserably. Now, decisive and resolute measures must be implemented to enable us to restore order immediately, without further destruction or injury.
Below please find a letter I sent to Commissioner Shea demanding leadership and direction to address the ongoing riots, which have crippled the City. You have spoken and we have heard. We will continue to fight for you as you fight for the life of this City. pic.twitter.com/1S1FQ94Cu8
— SBA (@SBANYPD) June 2, 2020
Mullins appeared on the Laura Ingraham show and begged President Trump to send the troops to help the NYPD.
NYC needs someone to lead & give direction. The NYPD has been on stand down for days. Cops are getting seriously hurt and we are losing the city. If the Governor won’t take charge send Federal personnel. @realDonaldTrump @POTUS @NYCMayor @FoxNews @NYPDnews https://t.co/AZGGC6N4If
— SBA (@SBANYPD) June 3, 2020
But if New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has anything to say about it, the NYPD will get no outside help
We do not need the National Guard to come into New York City. When outside armed forces come into communities, especially these intense situations they have not been trained for, that’s a dangerous scenario. We have 36,000 police officers who will keep this city safe. pic.twitter.com/ZSYCxRQ5jv
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) June 2, 2020
Governor Cuomo was forced to apologize to NYPD for saying they haven’t done their jobs.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo: "The actual police officers are the best." pic.twitter.com/adtY9WL0as
— The Hill (@thehill) June 3, 2020
EARLIER: Cuomo says de Blasio can be "displaced" and that he can "take over the Mayor's job."
Cuomo: "The NYPD and the Mayor did not do their job last night…It was a disgrace." https://t.co/bDqXR7aUBg pic.twitter.com/4p8E959c1K
— The Hill (@thehill) June 3, 2020
Like most Americans, the police in New York City know they’re on their own against lawlessness and violence. Our leaders are too busy dithering and strategizing how to make the riots hurt their political opponents instead of figuring out how to protect their citizens. Democrat leaders are playing a dangerous game by allowing people to die and cities to burn in order to force Trump to send in the military so they can scream about martial law and what a terrible, no good, awful dictator the president is. It’s a disgusting transparent political scam. The question is, how many have to die or be injured for them to get their next talking point?
Megan Fox is the author of “Believe Evidence; The Death of Due Process from Salome to #MeToo,” and host of The Fringe podcast. Follow on Twitter @MeganFoxWriter
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