Wednesday, December 31, 2014

On the Patrick Lynch Danger #2: NYPD Officers & Supporters Must Resist and Reject Racist Rhetoric; Bratton Must Investigate

The statements of Patrick Lynch, Police Benevolent Association (PBA) president of the patrol officers of the New York Police Department are noxious enough.

Additionally noxious are the racist discussions on police message boards, as exposed in Max Blumenthal's Alternet article here: "Emails and Racist Chats Show How Cops and the GOP are Teeming Up to Undermine DeBlasio."

Support the New York Times' Call for the Police Commissioner Bill Bratton to take action against police rebellion actions. 
The Economic Uprising site ["Has the Blue Coup Started? How Can It Be Opposed?"] reports that the New York Post has claimed that rank and file police have followed through on a [Patrick Lynch-instigated slowdown], and that the Post has published figures it alleges back up the claim that they have resisted certain duties. The New York Times has concurred with the figures, and in an editorial yesterday, it called for the police to take action. 
On principle of the authority of the police coming from the mayor, to the commissioner, to the police, not from PBA president Lynch, the Police Commissioner should investigate the actions of the police.

De Blasio - Doesn't Apologize - But did he need to?
As Kareem AbdulJ-abbar wrote in "The Police Aren't Under Attack. Institutionalized Racism Is," one does not necessarily oppose the police when one protests and supports protestors. People have free speech rights. Shame on some police union leaders for goading de Blasio to refrain from supporting people's right to protest,



Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Patrick Lynch Danger #1: PBA Head is Arguing that the Police Should Consider NYC Civilian Government Illegimate

The New York Police Department (NYPD) head Patrick Lynch is undermining the civilian authority of democratically elected mayor Bill de Blasio.

These words, alone, demonstrate that Lynch is working to undermine the legitimacy of the civilian government. (From the New York Post, last Friday, December 19, 2014)

Mayor Bill de Blasio acts more like the leader of “a f- -king revolution” than a city, police union president Pat Lynch said at a recent delegate meeting.
“He is not running the City of New York. He thinks he’s running a f- -king revolution,” said Lynch, head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, during the private gathering in Queens last Friday.
Lynch, who was secretly recorded, also all but ordered a rule-book slowdown, according to the seven-minute tape obtained by Capital New York.
“If we won’t get support when we do our jobs . . . then we’re going to do it the way they want it,” Lynch said. “Let me be perfectly clear: We will use extreme discretion in every encounter.”
Lynch, when referring to de Blasio, encouraged members to be wary of what he called “enemies.” “Our friends, we’re courteous to them. Our enemies, extreme discretion,” he said. “The rules are made by them to hurt you. Well, now we’ll use those rules to protect us.”

Those words plus the fact that many in the New York Police Department see a conflict between First Amendment Free Speech rights and police power should be very chilling to New Yorkers.

See also Jacobin magazine, posted, December 23, 2014:

New York’s Cop Coup