SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Mayor Bill De Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton condemn the recent funeral protests by members of the NYPD. (Photo: Office of Mayor de Blasio)
NYC Mayor Rebukes Cops Over 'Selfish' Funeral Protests
Mayor Bill de Blasio responds to police who turned backs on him during officer funerals, says he 'can’t understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that'
Jan 06, 2015
The actions of the New York City police officers who turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during two recent police officer funerals disrespected the families and the people of New York, the mayor charged during a press conference on Monday.
De Blasio leveled the criticism--which marked the mayor's first public comment on the recent officer protests-- during a press conference with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton discussing the record low crime rates in the city.
"They were disrespectful to the families involved," de Blasio said Monday. "They were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved ones. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that."
During both the December 27 funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos and the January 4 funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, members of the NYPD turned their backs on de Blasio while he gave his address protesting what the officers perceive is a lack of support from the mayor amid the ongoing uproar over police aggression and targeting of people of color. Both officers were shot by a man who was allegedly retaliating for the recent police killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man.
De Blasio added that the action was "disrespectful to the people of this city who, in fact, honor the work of the NYPD."
Echoing De Blasio, Bratton called the action "selfish." He said: "Don't put on your uniform and go to a funeral and engage in a political action."
Ahead of Liu's funeral, Bratton sent a memo to the entire department saying "a hero's funeral is about grieving not grievance," and encouraging them to not repeat the "act of disrespect" displayed at the service for Ramos.
In addition to the funeral protests, NYPD officers are also reportedly engaging in other acts of defiance including a "work stoppage," which critics of the police department hail as a positive development.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The actions of the New York City police officers who turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during two recent police officer funerals disrespected the families and the people of New York, the mayor charged during a press conference on Monday.
De Blasio leveled the criticism--which marked the mayor's first public comment on the recent officer protests-- during a press conference with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton discussing the record low crime rates in the city.
"They were disrespectful to the families involved," de Blasio said Monday. "They were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved ones. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that."
During both the December 27 funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos and the January 4 funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, members of the NYPD turned their backs on de Blasio while he gave his address protesting what the officers perceive is a lack of support from the mayor amid the ongoing uproar over police aggression and targeting of people of color. Both officers were shot by a man who was allegedly retaliating for the recent police killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man.
De Blasio added that the action was "disrespectful to the people of this city who, in fact, honor the work of the NYPD."
Echoing De Blasio, Bratton called the action "selfish." He said: "Don't put on your uniform and go to a funeral and engage in a political action."
Ahead of Liu's funeral, Bratton sent a memo to the entire department saying "a hero's funeral is about grieving not grievance," and encouraging them to not repeat the "act of disrespect" displayed at the service for Ramos.
In addition to the funeral protests, NYPD officers are also reportedly engaging in other acts of defiance including a "work stoppage," which critics of the police department hail as a positive development.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The actions of the New York City police officers who turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio during two recent police officer funerals disrespected the families and the people of New York, the mayor charged during a press conference on Monday.
De Blasio leveled the criticism--which marked the mayor's first public comment on the recent officer protests-- during a press conference with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton discussing the record low crime rates in the city.
"They were disrespectful to the families involved," de Blasio said Monday. "They were disrespectful to the families who had lost their loved ones. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that."
During both the December 27 funeral for Officer Rafael Ramos and the January 4 funeral for Officer Wenjian Liu, members of the NYPD turned their backs on de Blasio while he gave his address protesting what the officers perceive is a lack of support from the mayor amid the ongoing uproar over police aggression and targeting of people of color. Both officers were shot by a man who was allegedly retaliating for the recent police killing of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man.
De Blasio added that the action was "disrespectful to the people of this city who, in fact, honor the work of the NYPD."
Echoing De Blasio, Bratton called the action "selfish." He said: "Don't put on your uniform and go to a funeral and engage in a political action."
Ahead of Liu's funeral, Bratton sent a memo to the entire department saying "a hero's funeral is about grieving not grievance," and encouraging them to not repeat the "act of disrespect" displayed at the service for Ramos.
In addition to the funeral protests, NYPD officers are also reportedly engaging in other acts of defiance including a "work stoppage," which critics of the police department hail as a positive development.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.