Special to the AmNews
Caught between contending forces, Mayor Bill de Blasio is struggling to find a comfort zone, and the only bridge over this heated political chasm is Police Commissioner Bill Bratton. The two Bills stood as one Monday as they took turns recounting the recent shooting deaths of two NYPD officers, detailing the itinerary of the killer and determining how to best move toward healing a city in mourning and disarray.
At the press conference, the mayor began by explaining the painful events and his visit to the families of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. “Officer Ramos was extraordinarily proud to be a member of the NYPD,” de Blasio said, his words sad and halting, “and all of that is giving the Ramos family some ability to find strength in the middle of this pain.” Ramos, 40, leaves two teenage sons, and the mayor empathizes with them, having lost his father when he was 18. “But the NYPD family will be there for you,” he promised.
Similar words of condolence were delivered for Liu, 32, who had been married only two months. They were just beginning a whole new life, the mayor lamented, and were “looking forward to building a family, and now, her husband was gone in an instant.”
The two officers were sitting in their patrol car in Brooklyn last Saturday afternoon when Ismaaiyl Brinsley approached the car, after telling some bystanders to watch what he would do next. He fired four shots through the passenger side of the vehicle, hitting both officers in the head. Brinsley fled from the scene into the G train subway station, where he put the gun to his head and shot himself. Nothing has been said about how Brinsley, given his mental instability, was able to acquire a gun in the first place.
Much of Brinsley’s trek from Baltimore to New York was left to Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce to relate, and it was very telling to learn that before Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend (who remains in the hospital in stable condition), he apparently placed the gun to his head, but she talked him out of shooting himself. It was also disclosed that he had attempted suicide once before. He was a troubled individual and a career criminal, it was noted.
During an extensive question and- answer session, the mayor and police commissioner dealt with several concerns that have arisen as a result of the recent tragedy and the ongoing protests for police reform. It’s between these two polarities that the mayor is squirming, hoping to tamp down the charges that he’s antipolice, accusations coming most vociferously from Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, who charged that “blood is on the hands” of the mayor.
One question really incensed the mayor, when he was asked about the protesters who chanted and compared the NYPD to the Ku Klux Klan. “What you manage to do is pull up the few who do not represent the majority, who are saying unacceptable things, who shouldn’t be saying those things … some who actually physically attack police officers, which I’ve said is absolutely unacceptable,” the mayor said, referring to the media and to the recent attack on two police lieutenants by a group of protesters. In his closing remarks, de Blasio said he would be attending the funerals of the officers, despite feelings among some officers that he should not be welcomed.
“We have to move forward,” the mayor said. “There is no other choice. These divisions are very old. Some of them, we’ve talked about, you know, in recent days—they go back not just decades, they go back centuries in their origins. They’re deep. They have to be overcome for us to be a strong society. And I believe we will. What I’ve seen in the last year is a kind of a progress I find very heartening, even with these very painful and difficult moments along the way. I still see so many leaders in this department, and so many average, everyday NYPD officers, who are trying to make things better, who are trying to bring police and community together.”
The mayor requested that the protesters suspend their activities until the officers have been buried and the families given time to grieve.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is work-ing to bring about healing and understanding on another front, with the parents of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, who are insisting that their sons not be connected with Brinsley’s apparent motive or justification for his actions.
At a news conference last Sunday at the National Action Network, Sharpton and members of the Garner family took exception to Garner’s name being associated with the shooting deaths of the two officers.
“It is not only morally wrong to use the names of these families,” Sharpton said, referring to the message left by the killer, “but it’s hurting the cause these families are fighting for.” He said what they want to see is a “system that is fair for everyone.”
Gwen Carr, the mother of Garner, who was killed in a chokehold by officer Daniel Pantaleo in July, underscored Sharpton’s comments, stating, “I don’t want my son’s name connected with violence. We are about peaceful nonviolence.”
Garner’s widow, Esaw Garner, expressed her heartfelt condolences before relinquishing the microphone to Sharpton, who played one of the threatening messages he has received recently. It wasn’t audible but he repeated the message, which said “Stop killing innocent people … we will get you.” He said he had turned the messages over to the FBI. The press conference ended without anyone taking questions.
Later, after the Sunday press conference, attorney Jonathan Moore, who represents the Garner family, said in an interview that he and the family are waiting until the federal authorities complete their investigation before they go forward with their lawsuit.
Moore also represents the family of Akai Gurley, who was killed by a police officer in November. He said he is awaiting the outcome of the investigation there as well, which will be handled by Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson. Moore said Thompson appears to be sensitive to the situation, and “we will have to give him the benefit of the doubt,” as hemoves to impanel a grand jury.
