Bratton had asked the brotherhood of police not to turn their backs to the mayor at this funeral; they had already done so twice before – once at the hospital when the two victims were brought in, and at the funeral for Ramos.
New York sees 400,000 arrests per year, Bratton noted, but few mention that statistic. “To the thousands of you lined up in the streets outside… I am so proud of you. We are cops. We hold the line, that thin blue line. We remind the world of how that’s done. There are people who need us. We won’t abandon them,” he added. A much greater percentage of the city honors you, than doesn’t. Remember that.”
The police outrage stems from a remark by DeBlasio following the grand jury decisions in Brown and Garner cases. The mayor told journalists that he worried about how police might treat his own bi-racial son, Dante. In both cases in which unarmed black perpetrators died while resisting arrest, the police officers were white. DeBlasio’s wife is black as well, and their son looks like his mother. DeBlasio made numerous references to his family both during and following his electoral campaign.
Although there is a police detail assigned to protect the mayor and his family, the irony of that very point seemed not to have occurred to the mayor at the time. In response, the groundswell of demonstrators that had already begun to protest in the city, simply roared. They’ve continued ever since, with DeBlasio urging police to enforce their right to protest – but preventing law enforcement from otherwise returning order to the city streets. Bridges, intersections and highways were blocked for days on end, but police could do little other than walk along with protesters.
Two police lieutenants were beaten up by a gang on the Brooklyn Bridge as they tried to prevent a demonstrator from hurling a barrel overboard, on to a group of cops below. The mayor referred to the incident as “alleged” and minimized the injuries in a briefing with media, inflaming already tense relations with police rank and file.
Bratton’s remarks, which followed DeBlasio, somewhat softened the “blue wall.” They turned as one, presenting their backs to the giant speakers and a video screen in the street that showed New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio delivering a eulogy for the fallen police detective. The thousands of cops from across the United States, Canada and several other countries turned their backs as well.
“Brinsley was inspired by demonstrators who were chanting, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? NOW!” It was broadcast repeatedly on national television,” the wife of a local cop pointed out. “The mayor allowed that. He encouraged it by not speaking out against it. He has a lot to answer for.”
“All of our city is heartbroken today,” intoned Mayor Bill DeBlasio when he got to the podium. “We have seen it. People from all walks of life, all of this city is feeling the pain right now.”
“Garbage,” said the police wife in disgust, referencing the demonstrations in defiance of the mayor’s request they desist at least until the detectives were laid to rest.
Still, the mayor made an attempt to appease the thousands of outraged police who now believe their own safety has been seriously compromised by his actions. “We will always remember their sacrifice. Liu walked a path of courage, of sacrifice, a path of kindness,” said the mayor. “We lost a man who embodied the cherished values of the city… [his sacrifice is a] reminder of what is done by good people to keep the city safe for other people.”