By Gordon T. Davis
The president of the New York Police Department (NYPD) union has opportunistically used the murder of two good NYPD officers to further his political agenda with the Mayor of New York City (NYC). Patrick Lynch has blamed the Mayor of NYC for the deaths of police officers Liu and Ramos.
Not only is Lynch hiding behind two dead cops in making his comments, he is also creating a racially charged climate in NYC by insinuating that the Black community wants to kill cops. We in the Black community want justice and bad cops off the job. The Mayor of New York City has Black children.
Some people have raised the point that there is a connection between the protests against the racist conditions faced by dark skin people and the shooting of police officers. Beside the NYC murders, another police officer was murdered in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The shooting in NYC was done allegedly by a man who also allegedly shot a woman in an act of domestic violence, and he killed himself. In Tarpon Springs, the alleged murderer was trying to avoid a return to prison. There is no direct connection between the protests and the murders; there is an indirect connection through the media.
The irrationality of Patrick Lynch’s rants are seen when he said nothing when two White people indirectly connected to the Neo Nazis ambushed and killed two police officers in Las Vegas earlier in the year. He also said nothing when the “survivalist” Frein ambushed two police officers in Pennsylvania, killing one officer.
Although the union has reportedly agreed to refrain from further rants, the harm is done.
A modern definition of White supremacy and White privilege is Black people having to apologize for our race when one person commits a crime, while the “privileged” such as Patrick Lynch never apologize for the acts of the White neo Nazis or for a White survivalist who kills cops.
Patrick Lynch never even said he was sorry for the victim of domestic violence. She, like the police officers, was also a victim of a mentally ill man.
I recently read a story where some Black police officers in New York City have said they feel threatened by other cops when they change into civilian clothes and are off duty. A fear that is magnified by unarmed Black people who, when confronted by the police, understand the police can shoot and kill us with impunity. Cops can kill us based on their “belief” their lives are in danger. This logic is nonsensical, as the definition of a first responder is that they put their life in danger. The standards for the police using deadly force must be a higher bar.
Many times I agonized over this issue, as I have relatives who are cops. I love them dearly and wish only that they remain safe.
I hope other police departments do not create a more racially charged environment by repeating the shameful, slanderous and racist comments made by Patrick Lynch.
Yet in many ways Patrick Lynch’s comments are an indicator of how effective the protests have become. He has taken notice of them, as has the Mayor of New York … and the rest of America.
