Nationwide, “hands up” and “I can’t breathe” protesters have been demonstrating against police brutality. But now police are staging demonstrations of their own. protesting the politicians and the citizens who do not appreciate the danger police officers face and who make it worse with their anti-police rhetoric. Cities nationwide are seeing “sea of blue” demonstrations, featuring thousands of police officers in their blue uniforms.
From Wesley Lowery and Kimberly Kindy, 2nd NYPD officer honored at funeral; many again turn backs on de Blasio – The Washington Post:
The frustration and defiance of the nation’s police officers were on display again Sunday in New York City, where tens of thousands of them gathered for the funeral of the second of two officers who were slain at the height of the ongoing protests and scrutiny after several high-profile deaths of unarmed black males.
A large number of the officers who stood under gray skies in their formal blue uniforms to honor Officer Wenjian Liu staged their own protest, turning their backs when Mayor Bill de Blasio rose to speak at the funeral.
Even some out-of-town officers joined NYPD members in the show of disrespect toward de Blasio (D), an outspoken critic of some policing tactics who has come to represent what many in law enforcement see as a lack of support, if not outright hostility, for the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep the streets safe.
As the nation continues to grapple with the thorny issues of race and policing, some officers have been bruised by comments made by some local and national officials and have accused them of showing more support for the protesters, some of whom have violently clashed with police, than for their police departments. Law enforcement officials say morale is flagging among the rank-and-file, who they say feel “betrayed” by President Obama and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in their calls for tough reforms of policing tactics.
“We might be reaching a tipping point with the mind-set of officers, who are beginning to wonder if the risks they take to keep communities safe are even worth it anymore,” Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke said. “In New York and other places, we’re seeing a natural recoil from law enforcement officers who don’t feel like certain people who need to have their backs have their backs.”
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