The New York City Police Department
had to bury two of their own who were ambushed and killed while innocently
eating their lunch while seated in their parked patrol car. The perpetrator claimed, in
anti-police rants posted on social media, that he was going to kill police
officers as retribution for recent fatalities of alleged police brutality.
Despite personal sentiments
regarding the lack of convictions in two separate cases (Michael Brown in
Missouri and Eric Garner in New York), public opinion overwhelmingly condemned
the actions of Ismaaiyl Brinsley who committed suicide after ambushing NYPD
Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu on December 20. There has been a growing
memorial at the site of the ambush in memory of the fallen officers both of
whom had exemplary records and no involvement in any police brutality charges. Hundreds
of law enforcement officers from all over the nation came to New York City to
pay respects at the memorial and attend the funerals.
The NYPD had earlier expressed
discontent with the New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio after his remarks about
protests over the Grand Jury decisions on the Brown and Garner cases. Their
claim was that he did not support the police officers and questioned his
apparent friendship with vocal critics of law enforcement. At the hospital on
December 20 NYPD Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch said
"blood on the hands starts on the steps of City Hall." When the mayor
showed up at the hospital the line of police officers turned their backs on him
in protest.
DiBlasio asked New Yorkers to
postpone protests over the court rulings until after the executed officers were
buried in order to focus on the grieving families. Many residents complied;
however several also ignored and added cries of dissent. Ironically some of the
more vocal objections and criticisms about the mayor’s plea for understanding
came from the Reverend Al Sharpton and The Answer Coalition who labeled the
request as an "outrageous attempt to chill free speech. DiBlasio’s assumed
friendship with Sharpton is one of the NYPD gripes about City Hall’s lack of
police department support. Fox News reported one protester as stating "We
will not let recent tragic moments derail this movement. This is the revolution
and we will not be repressed."
On December 27 when Mayor DiBlasio
showed up to honor and pay respect at Officer Ramos’ funeral, hundreds of
uniformed police officers turned their backs to him in a show of disrespect for
his policies. Police Commissioner William Bratton chastised the officers’
action for taking place at the funeral and asked them not to display the same
disrespect for the mayor at Liu’s funeral reminding them that the funerals were
a time for “grieving, not grievance.” On Sunday, January 4, although there were
a few officers who desisted, uniformed officers once again turned their backs
on the mayor citing his perceived lack of respect for the department.
It’s obvious that the various
factions involved in all the acts leading to these multiple deaths need to find
some common ground, they need to find a way to smooth relations and move
forward with mutual respect and positive growth. Yes I have my beliefs about
the incidents and responding events as most people do – but it doesn’t matter
if we agree or not. Continued violence, mass destruction, and the failure to
show compassion and sympathy for mourners is contradictory to the best
interests of communities, civil servants, families and human relations.
I think that funerals should be a time
when parents, spouses, children, siblings and others should be allowed to
grieve without protest. No matter what your opinions might be, and we are all
entitled, anytime someone loses a loved family member the pain is immense and
they are entitled to our compassion and understanding. Any life lost is a blow
to humanity.
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