A police union in New York City is so incensed with Mayor de Blasio’s statements following the grand jury decision in the Eric Garner case that they are asking their members to sign a waiver requesting that the mayor refrain from attending their funerals if they are killed in the line of duty.
The union is also asking members to disinvite Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.
The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association sent out a flyer headlined “Don’t Let Them Insult Your Sacrifice,” urging members to download and sign the waiver from their website.
“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,” the waiver states.
“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.”
Officers can download the form on the PBA’s Web site and drop off a signed copy to their PBA delegates.
The mayor traditionally attends funerals for fallen officers.
“This is deeply disappointing,” the mayor and the council speaker said in a joint statement.
“Incendiary rhetoric like this serves only to divide the city, and New Yorkers reject these tactics.“The mayor and the speaker both know better than to think this inappropriate stunt represents the views of the majority of police officers and their families.
Hizoner is being deeply disingenuous. The mayor told a group of protestors that he had warned his mixed race son to be careful around the police:
“We’ve had to literally train him, as families have all over this city for decades, in how to take special care in any encounter he has with the police officers who are there to protect him,” the mayor said.
PBA President Patrick Lynch reacted to that by accusing the mayor of throwing cops “under the bus.”
The Post reported that amid protests on the Garner verdict, a “Pro-Cop Rally” at City Hall is being planned for next Friday.
Ordinarily, the advice given by de Blasio to his son is sound, although then was not the time to say it and the way he said it implied he was in danger. Most of these recent police shootings are the direct result of people not doing what the police are telling them to do. Trying to be a hard ass and resist the police is extraordinarily dangerous. When encountering the cops, no matter what the circumstances and even if you think the police are in the wrong, cooperation with their wishes is not only smart, it’s the law.
That’s the message that black parents should be giving their children. When stopped by an officer, do as you’re told, don’t mouth off or talk back, and if taken into custody, don’t resist. If you know it’s a mistake, keep your mouth shut until you get legal representation. These simple rules are a no brainer when dealing with the police and are virtually guaranteed to prevent the kinds of tragedies that have occurred in recent weeks.
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