‘Anti-Cop Lawmakers’ Blamed As Video Emerges of NYPD Officers Doused, Pelted

‘Anti-Cop Lawmakers’ Blamed As Video Emerges of NYPD Officers Doused, Pelted
A policeman looks down a street in midtown Manhattan in New York on June 10, 2019. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)
Simon Veazey
7/23/2019
Updated:
7/23/2019

Videos of New York police being drenched with water and pelted with objects in front of jeering onlookers have met with anger from New York authorities and police representatives.

The officers do not react to being soaked or even having a bucket thrown at them by bystanders in the course of the videos.

The president of the New York Police Benevolent Association blamed the incidents in Harlem on “anti-police rhetoric” which he said had been “streaming out of City Hall” for years.

Police are investigating the separate incidents which were videoed and shared to Twitter on July 21.

In one video, a bystander throws a bucket that hits an officer in the head as he makes an arrest in Harlem.

NYPD Chief Terence Monahan slammed the perpetrators on July 21, writing on Twitter, “The videos of cops being doused with water and having objects hurled at them as they made an arrest in Harlem is reprehensible.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the actions of the individuals “completely unacceptable.”

“The NYPD kept New Yorkers safe through the heatwave and last night’s outages,” wrote the would-be Democratic 2020 presidential hopeful on Twitter. “We won’t tolerate this kind of disrespect.”

Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch, however, took aim at what he called “anti-cop lawmakers” in City Hall.

“Our anti-cop lawmakers have gotten their wish: the NYPD is now frozen,” he said in a statement.

Police officers were not to blame, said Lynch. “It’s the end result of the torrent of bad policies and anti-police rhetoric that has been streaming out of City Hall and Albany for years now.”

He said that the city was “reaching the point of no return.”

“Disorder controls the streets, and our elected leaders refuse to allow us to take them back. As police officers, we need to draw the line.”

“In situations like this,” he added, “we need to take action to protect ourselves and the public.”

The association represents over 50,000 active and retired New York City police officers.

Simon Veazey is a UK-based journalist who has reported for The Epoch Times since 2006 on various beats, from in-depth coverage of British and European politics to web-based writing on breaking news.
twitter
Related Topics