In a morning press conference held today January 15th,? Mayor Bill De Blasio said he would not apologize for his statements demanding police accountability and end to racist police practices. Those Statements put the NYPD police union on the defensive as well as angering many cops and police supporters.? He reasoned,
?The things that I have said that I believe are what I believe, and you can’t apologize for your fundamental beliefs.?
This was in regards to the statements he made in the aftermath of the grand jury decision not to indict the officer involved in the choke hold death of Eric Garner.
Mayor Bill De Blasio’s statements generated quite a bit of heat, so much so that a Patrolman’s Benevolent Association (PBA) meeting turned into a?brawl. According to one source,
“There was shoving and pushing. It got ugly.?
The PBA is the largest police union in New York City. During the meeting one police officer loudly claimed,
?This is what my members want: they want more cars, better vests, more manpower, they don’t want an apology.”
However, the head of the union, Patrick Lynch, and many of the officers were in disagreement, which is why the fight broke out.
In my opinion, Mayor De Blasio should not have to apologize for statements that pointed out a harsh truth about how communities of color are policed. Statistics reflect that racial profiling is a common practice and use of physical, often deadly, force is disproportionally utilized against people of color. If I had a child of color, I would be warning them about interactions with police too.
Furthermore, it is extremely unnerving that many police and their supporters act is if they can do no wrong and look for any way to justify violent acts against citizens. The only way communities of color and those committed to justice will have a better relationship with law enforcement is if the aforementioned stats are no longer a reality. In order for that to happen police officers, police unions, and supporters must drop their denial admit the damage done.
Lastly, police must make every effort to administer the law humanely, safely, and justly while using the least amount of force possible. Their focus must be shifted from penalizing victimless crimes to public safety and conflict resolution. Citizens like myself don’t want an apology from the police. We want accountability.
Thank you, Mr. Mayor for standing by your statements and promoting police accountability.
