It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words.
This one, which I pulled from the New York Post, is worth multiples of that number – as in the thousands of police officers who turned away from New York Mayor bill de blasio when he spoke at yesterday\’s funeral of officer Wenjian Liu- despite the fact that Police Commissioner Bratton exhorted them not to:
Even the New York Times, which lied about last week\’s identical action by NYPD officers when it claimed just “scores” of police turned away from de blasio then, didn\’t bother to try faking it this time.
Here\’s an interesting part of its article on the police action:
EdwardD. Mullins, the president of the sergeants\’ union, said the turnedbacks represented “a real problem that exists between the policeand City Hall.”
Heexpressed surprise at the memo from Mr. Bratton.
“Itwas really taken as an insult, that you almost don\’t have the rightto express yourself,” he said, adding, “It makes the mayor lookweaker than he is.”
Is Mr. Mullins correct? Does the Bratton memorandum make de blasio look weaker?
You bet it does. Because it means that every officer who faced Mayor de blasio was doing so under formal duress – even the ones who would have faced him anyway. What does that say about the “regard” de blasio is held in by the NYPD? Nothing good, that\’s for sure.
And how does Commissioner Bratton come away looking? Not very good either. Not very good at all.
Mr. Bratton, who is nobody\’s fool, must realize that his credibility as Police Commissioner – which, in my opinion, took a hit the second he accepted the job from someone like bill de blasio – is dropping by the wayside. I wonder how much longer he will want to be a part of what is damaging such a long, well-thought-of career.
Personally, I\’d be surprised if he lasts through 2015.
