Did New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lay the groundwork for violence against police officers by seeming to side with protestors who have been upset over the lack of an indictment in the death of Eric Garner? That appears to be the official position of the NYPD, which is now grieving what it is calling the "assassination" of two police officers reportedly sitting in their patrol car eating lunch yesterday. Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos likely did not see Ismaayil Brinsley walk up beside the passenger side front window and take aim.
Brinsley's deadly actions were intended to be a retaliation for the deaths of Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police officers who were never charged, not even with a misdemeanor. While de Blasio spoke out against the violence condemning the murders, members of the NYPD turned their backs on him when he walked into the room to give an official press conference on yesterday's crime.
It seems the NYPD feels that the mayor has been unsupportive and not aligned himself with them while the city has been in a state of upheaval and racial tensions are intensifying. The police feel so much like City Hall has abandoned them that officers actually have been signing a petition that would ban de Blasio from attending their funerals should they die in the line of duty.
Those close to law enforcement are not the least bit surprised that some of their own have been killed in the line of duty just because of the uniform they were wearing. A police union negotiator claims that when de Blasio was empathetic toward protestors, it was seen as an outward sign of dissension and that ultimately will often lead to violence.
Do you think the mayor of New York City actually added to the hostility, or were these battle lines drawn long before he opted not to take a hard line with peaceful protestors? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
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