It is being reported that New York City Mayor bill de blasio intends to speak at Police Officer Rafael Ramos\’s funeral today.
I expect that, if he does, Police Commissioner Bratton will instruct the thousands and thousands of officers who will be in attendance that they are not to turn their back on him.
I also expect that, regardless of Commissioner Bratton\’s directive, at least some will – and that a great many of the officers who have come to New York from other cities to attend this funeral will do the same.
This is an ugly situation; one of de blasio\’s own doing. And I don\’t see it getting less ugly any time soon.
==================================================
UPDATE: ABC News, and others, are reporting that “hundreds” of police officers turned their backs on de blasio. I\’m guessing that this was a very sanitized count on his behalf.
On a far different note, I would also like to say that Vice President Biden made a terrific, obviously sincere, heartfelt speech – and got the kind of positive response it deserved.
Sadly, Joe Biden well knows what family tragedy is about. In 1972, just weeks after winning election to the senate, he lost his wife and 1 year old daughter to a horrific car crash. I don\’t know how I could have handled the loss of my wife and a child, but he somehow got through it and went on with his life.
I often criticize Mr. Biden in this blog. But not today.
==================================================
FURTHER UPDATE: According to the New York Post, not hundreds, but “thousands”, of police officers turned their backs on Mayor de blasio. And the accompanying picture, which shows just a small part of the crowd, gives you a good idea of what it looked like:
In a previous blog, I referred to de blasio\’s four month run of making it clear his sympathies were more with the protesters than the police was “Inexcusable and Unfixable”.
Being human, and very finite, I cheerfully concede that sometimes I get things wrong. But what happened today makes me pretty confident that this is not one of those times.
Oh, one other thing: do you think the fact that Mayor de blasio has not announced his decision on whether to reappoint Judge laura johnson – the nitwit who, just this past week, released two thugs with no bail whatsoever after they overtly threatened to kill police – might have reinforced the NYPD\’s feeling about him? johnson\’s term is up as of Wednesday; but, as of now, de blasio is either too tone-deaf, or too sympathetic to thugs who threatened cops, to get rid of her.
You elected him, New York. Enjoy the next three years.
