Rudy Giuliani attacks Mayor de Blasio over Eric Garner response BY Erin Durkin NEW YORK DAILY NEWSThursday, December 4, 2014, 12:40 PM WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013 FILE PHOTO Rudy Giuliani (above) has accused Mayor de Blasio of undermining respect for the justice system. Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani lashed out at Mayor de Blasio over his response to the Eric Garner decision, accusing him of undermining respect for the justice system and characterizing his response as “racist.” In an appearance on Fox News Thursday morning, Giuliani defended the grand jury that declined to indict officer Daniel Pantaleo and revived his controversial claim that black-on-black crime should be a bigger concern that police killing of African Americans. “One of the things the mayor and Sharpton and the others are doing, they are tearing down respect for a criminal justice system that goes back to England in the 11th century,” he said. In an emotional speech Wednesday night after the decision came down, Mayor de Blasio said he fears for his son biracial son Dante’s safety in interactions with police just like parents of other black kids around the city, and invoked centuries of racism in explaining why the Garner case turned out the way it did. After watching a clip of those remarks, Giuliani went on the attack. “This helps to create this atmosphere of protest and sometimes even violence. First of all, there was no racism in this case,” he said. “If this man were a white man resisting arrest at the same size, the same thing would happen. If I recall correctly there was an African American sergeant on the scene observing, in charge of the entire situation, never did anything to stop it.” De Blasio said he and wife Chirlane, who is black, have had to “train” 17-year-old Dante on how to be extra careful in interactions with police out of fear he’ll be mistreated, comments that also drew contempt from Giuliani. “If he wants to train young black men in how to avoid being killed in this city, he can talk about police. Police should never kill anybody unjustifiably,” he said. “But you should spend 90% of your time talking about the way they’re actually probably going to get killed, which is by another black. To avoid that fact, I think is racist.” “The mayor should be talking about patience, calm,” Giuliani said. In fact, de Blasio did spend several minutes urging New Yorkers to keep their protests people during his remarks Wednesday. “And then the mayor should be spending 96% of his time on the way people in that community are actually victimized, if he really cares about them.” Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton review police guidelines on Thursday, one day after the grand jury’s controversial decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Eric Garner’s death. Mayor de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton review police guidelines on Thursday, one day after the grand jury’s controversial decision not to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in Eric Garner’s death. Giuliani defended Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan and said the grand jury “probably” made the right decision not to indict. “I have always found [grand juries] to be extraordinarily conscientious citizens. They take an oath and they take it very seriously. And all these attacks on them, I find to be really horrible,” he said. “I probably believe it’s the correct decision because I know grand juries and I know the district attorney so well, and he’s such a professional. But to be fair, you’d have to read the transcript. The part of this that is completely outrageous are these statements that make this a racial incident.” He also laced into Garner himself, labeling him a “criminal” and saying he was responsible for his own death. Video shows the father of six being approached by cops who wanted to arrest him on suspicion of selling loose cigarettes, and then being taken down and held in a chokehold after he argued and threw his hands in the air. “In this case, the police officer was dealing with a criminal who was resisting arrest. Maybe if Mr. [Michael] Brown hadn’t committed his crime, and this gentleman hadn’t resisted arrest, they wouldn’t be dead today,” Giuliani said. Update: De Blasio, who was also criticized by Police Benevolent Association president Pat Lynch, stood by his approach Thursday. “I said there is a history, and there is a reality - a lot of people feel fear. It’s not that they should, it’s that they do,” he said. “I don’t think denying that reality is going to move us forward.” People of this city saw a man die who shouldnt have died. Its as simple as that. I think its important to speak to that reality.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 18:07:19 +0000
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