Bill de Blasio shows respect without backing down from moral position
The deaths of the two New York City police officers are being used as a hatchet in an attempt to neuter New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Condolences must be given to the families of the police officers who were murdered in New York City last week. No one wants to harm police officers. No one wants to be harmed by police officers. The incident is unrelated to those who are rightfully protesting police brutality.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio must continue to stay strong to his principles and not succumb to the bullying of the police unions or the media. The Mayor must not yield to the thuggish tactics of police unions, specifically to the likes of the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association head Patrick Lynch.
There is blood on many hands tonight. Those that incited violence on the street under the guise of protest, that tried to tear down what New York City police officers did every day. We tried to warn it must not go on, it shouldn’t be tolerated. That blood on the hand starts on the steps of city hall in the office of the mayor. This was a cold blooded assassination like we haven’t seen before. So as I said we will straighten our shoulders. We will stiffen our backs. And we will wipe our tears. But when these funerals are over, we will raise our heads. And those that allowed this to go on, will be held accountable.
The above is a threat. The above is a declaration of a belief of an omnipotent police force. Patrick Lynch speaks as if he is a crime boss. Bill de Blasio summarily dismissed the threat of this police thug without any attempts to paint police with a broad brush at a recent news conference.
The Mayor is the elected leader of the great city of New York. He is the head executive of the city. He was elected to run all departments including the police department.
It is a fact that a segment of his city has been abused by many rogue officers. It is a fact that the Stop and Frisk policies have unjustly targeted innocent minority citizens of New York. It is a fact that police kill minorities at much higher rates than whites. Recent events provide visual empirical evidence.
New York Police unions are upset that Mayor Bill de Blasio had spoken a truth, a truth many prefer not to hear. They are upset that this mayor saw it fit to have the talk with his Black son, the talk most Black and Brown Americans have with their teenage kids.
Having a Bill de Blasio at this time is more important than ever. He is a White man living the reality of having a Black son with incidences every person of color has experienced at some time when confronting a police officer. The Mayor better than anyone else must be that bridge that becomes the empathy generating catalyst. Many who cannot easily see the indignities many are subjected to by the police, may do so more easily through the expressed lived experiences of this Mayor and father.
It was eye opening and impressive to watch Bill de Blasio’s news conference. He refused to cower or backtrack from any of his statements. More importantly he used the opportunity to admonish the press when they attempted to tie the protests to the murders of the policemen.
What you managed to do is pull up the few who do not represent the majority, who are saying unacceptable things, who shouldn’t be saying those things. And some who actually physically attack police officers which I said is absolutely unacceptable. …
The few who want conflicts attempt that and unfortunately so many times you guys enable that. I don’t see reports on the many decent good people. I don’t see reports on the everyday cops who do the exemplary thing and hold the line and show restraint and discipline no matter what invective hurled at them. …
You know what, I am telling you all over again that’s how you want to portray the world but we know a different reality. There are some people who do that. It’s wrong it’s wrong they shouldn’t do that. It’s immoral It’s wrong it’s nasty. It’s negative. They should not do that. But they my friend are not the majority. Stop portraying them as the majority.
Going forward one hopes the Mayor maintains his spine and fortitude. Most importantly the Mayor must continue to assert his command over the police. He must delegitimize spokespeople within the union who think the Mayor and the citizenry can be bullied. The police is not an insular entity. It’s not a government within itself. It works for the people of New York City and not for some police club.