Pro-NYPD Group Steps Up Air War Against De Blasio
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The Pro-NYPD lobby has reportedly been stepping up its campaign of publicly airing its grievances against Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has been stuck between expressing sympathy for protestors against police brutality and inciting the ire of New York’s Finest for not supporting the NYPD enough. The assassination-style killings of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos sparked the latest, more furious phase of conflict between the police and the mayor they purportedly serve. Tensions are high, particularly after some cops again turned their backs to De Blasio as he was speaking at Liu’s funeral. And now, a thing that will not help any of the peacemaking efforts: A pro-NYPD group called “Retired NYPD for a Safe New York” has reportedly paid for an ongoing air campaign against De Blasio, with planes towing banners that say “DE BLASIO YOU FAILED ALL NYERS. IT’S TIME. RESIGN.”
The planes were scheduled to fly today, but, according to the New York Daily News, they were stymied by high winds. But the group remains undaunted. In the next coming days, expect to see banners unfurl over the Hudson River. One, rescheduled tentatively for Tuesday, will read “DE BLASIO & SHARPTON DUO OF DOOM FOR NYC!” Classy.
Retired NYPD, in a statement, accused De Blasio of being responsible for the deaths of Ramos and Liu “by putting textbook ideology ahead of reality, by hopelessly dividing the city, by compromising the work of the NYPD, by creating false, slanderous impressions of officers, by pandering to the Reverend Al Sharpton and by refusing to adequately condemn the protestors who were violating the law.”
For his part, Sharpton condemned violence against the NYPD but said, “We reserve the right to question police when they are wrong.” Which seems a lot more reasonable than insisting a mayor resign via plane banner but hey, what do I know.
