By Joe Carbonari
At the funeral for the first of the two NYPD officers assassinated while they sat in their car, their fellow officers turned their backs when New York’s mayor began to speak. A few days later several officers did the same at the second officer’s funeral, where the mayor spoke again.
Apparently many police in New York, and reportedly elsewhere, feel that they are insufficiently appreciated, that their dangers and stresses are unrecognized, and that they are not sufficiently supported by their elected officials. To some extent that is likely so. Few civilians have walked a mile in their shoes.
The man who shot, unprovoked and point blank, the NYPD officers was black and reportedly felt that the “system” was stacked against him, racially and economically. He wanted to make a statement – to bring attention to his perceived injustices. His actions were wrong, unacceptable.
The officers who turned their backs were also wrong, but they should be heard. Their actions suggest a very deep divide that badly needs bridging. They exacerbated an already sensitive situation and strengthened a we-versus-them mentality. It did not foster understanding.
Order cannot be maintained, over time, at the point of a gun. It must be bought into, voluntarily. Mutual respect is necessary. It is a way of thinking. It cannot be ordered, but it can be fostered. Informal contact helps. Get to know your local police.
By Tim Baldwin
In protest, many NYPD officers turned their backs on New York City’s mayor as he gave a eulogy at an officer’s funeral last Sunday. A retired NY detective justified their protest, declaring, “This mayor has no respect for us. Why should we have respect for him?” Interestingly, perceiving “no respect” from government authority is the same reason citizens protest police.
When police show no respect for citizens, citizens demonstrate their protest by, e.g., not complying with what strikes them as unlawful or abusive orders. Invariably, police arrest and prosecutors prosecute these people with criminal action. The difference between police and average citizens is that the citizen has little or no power to rebuff government power – in the street or court.
When the matter goes to court, judges and juries typically believe officers over the citizen. Evidence becomes meaningless for justice. When citizens try to demonstrate the unlawfulness of the arrest, search or abuse of the police, the judge excludes it from the jury or the citizen has no resources to present the defense. Thus, citizens are unable to derail the abusive train. Unfortunately, many politicians are uninterested in legislation to remedy systemic misconduct.
A logical question follows: if police see the justice in publically opposing their mayor because he “disrespected” them, how much more are citizens justified in opposing a police system that threatens their liberty?