NYPD Turns Back on Mayor and Vice President at Funeral
As Mayor of New York Bill de Blasio and Vice President Joe Biden delivered eulogies for slain officers of the New York Police Department, thousands of officers turned their back on the mayor, suggesting a deep seated contempt for democracy and civilian rule.
Numerous images in the news and on social media showed thousands of police officers turning their backs to Mayor Bill de Blasio as he delivered a eulogy for Rafael Ramos. Ramos, along with Wenjian Liu, was killed by a mentally ill man who also shot his ex-girlfriend before murdering the two police officers. The man claimed the murders were revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.
The act of flagrant disrespect for the man elected to represent New Yorkers, as he tried to pay tribute to officers fallen in the line of duty and restitch together the city of New York, suggests the NYPD is not interested in reconciliation with the community at large. It also seems to be an an insult to ideas of democratic governance, in that the police are subordinate to the civilian government. It also suggests a level of disrespect for the millions of New Yorkers who exercised their constitutional rights to elect leaders who represent their views.
The show of disrespect by thousands who are supposed to protect the democratic order was a reminder of the bad old days when NYPD officers would close the Brooklyn Bridge, drink in the streets, and destroy private property when the civilian administration took measures they did not like. In that case, it was the establishment of civilian oversight.
Images of the disrespectful NYPD officers can be seen below.
PHOTO (@joejackson): Members of the NYPD turned their backs as @BilldeBlasio spoke at the funeral for slain officer pic.twitter.com/3sxwkewkRz
— TheBlazeNOW (@TheBlazeNOW) December 27, 2014
Thousands of officers turn their backs as @BilldeBlasio eulogizes #RafaelRamos @PIX11News https://t.co/DbKJlHXKVV pic.twitter.com/uXlEJld25g — Andrea Cavallier (@AndiCavallier) December 27, 2014
Stop behaving like children. MT @valeriereports: Officers turn backs as @BilldeBlasio speaks at funeral #nypdshooting pic.twitter.com/BEaBTRjg6b
— Rob Rutledge (@RobJRII) December 27, 2014
Shameful. “@jamesfordtv: Thousands cops turn their backs on @deBlasioNYC as he eulogizes #NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos. pic.twitter.com/RXmDwInDwO” — Chris LaBossiere (@ChrisLaBossiere) December 27, 2014
