The NYPD didn’t suspend vertical patrols when Akai Gurley was murdered, so protesters should ignore the Brooklyn Borough President and keep on marching until all lives matter.
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I can’t describe in words how I’m feeling after watching Mr. Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, stand before the press and request that peaceful anti-police violence protesters give it a break until the two NYPD officers who were assassinated by 28 year-old Mr. Ismaaiyl Brinsley are laid to rest.
In addition to his message being insensitive to those who have been mourning the continuous slayings of unarmed black men – particularly his very own constituents who no doubt are still traumatized by the “accidental shooting” of Mr. Akai Gurley – Mr. Adams unfortunately jumped on the bandwagon of promoting the inaccurate perception of anti-police violence protesters as “anti-cop.”
Mr. Adams’ misinformed stance on the movement implies that the thousands of activists who are taking to the streets in the name of Eric Garner, Mike Brown, Brandon Tate-Brown, Tamir Rice, Dontre Hamilton and others are protesting individual police officers, rather than a broken system of government and racist police policies.
He went on to say that all the borough presidents are united in the message of “all lives matter” and that the children in the neighborhood “will need counseling” to deal with the tragedy.
Mr. Adams’ remarks should have come after Mr. Gurley was killed by rookie police officer Peter Liang in the dark stairwell of the Pink Houses. If anything, the young children of Brooklyn are horrified that another unarmed black man in their community was gunned down by the NYPD – I doubt they’re losing sleep over the deaths of officer Liu and Ramos, though it was an unfortunate incident.
In my opinion, it’s extremely insensitive – and borderline hypocritical – to ask protests to suspend their First Amendment rights so that the NYPD can mourn peacefully. I don’t remember the NYPD suspending their vertical patrols when Mr. Gurley was struck with a bullet from a gun designed NOT to accidentally discharge.
The NYPD didn’t suspend its policing when Mr. Amadou Diallo was shot and killed by four plain clothes NYPD officers who pumped a total of 41 bullets into his black body.
By asking protesters to give a lot when they’ve haven’t gotten anything resembling justice in return – for example, the $263 million spending package for police-worn body cameras requested by President Barack Obama wasn’t included in the recent budget passed by Congress – Mr. Adams shows which side of history he wants to stand on. His statement of “all lives matters” is null and void; his words should fall on deaf ears.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
The problem is Chris, is in many peoples lives only black lives matter. As if michael brown was an innocent. He wasn’t. Something went wrong with garner but the intent certainly wasn’t to kill him. The kid in Cleveland had a gun he didn’t put Dow and it had no markings of a toy gun. Please understand I’m not making excuses. Where are the protests of police being shot, as was the Newark cop assassinated? These two officers have had no support from either the Mayor’s office or the community at all. Civilization is not a one way street. I… Read more »
Besides, Chris, I forgot to mention. In all police departments there is a considerable contingent of non white officers. Didn’t anyone ever think that if there was such a teaching of systemic racism in the academies, and furthered within the departments themselves that someone somewhere would have said, even anonymously, “hey, I have to tell y’all what’s going on in there!” ? Former officers, ones who were let go, etc etc? Not one whistleblower for the injustice systemic in police departments all over the country??? Unless one can merely write off the no voice to that as being all beholden… Read more »