The citys and the countrys consciousness of that funeral has focused on an act of disrespect, wrote Bratton. It was not all the officers, and it was not disrespect directed at Detective Ramos. But all officers were painted by it, and it stole the valor, honor, and attention that rightfully belonged to the memory of Detective Rafael Ramos. Im not a fan of Bratton (or De Blasio for that matter), but hes right (as De Blasio was right for the conversation that got him into this situation with the NYPD There is quite a bit of sad irony in all of this. All police would feel slighted or disrespected if someone put their hands up in the style of protest people have employed against the grand jury verdicts. They do so not to a person (though a person receives it) but towards an institution. The police they could be slighting could quite possible be one of the quote unquote -good cops. (Rafael Ramos was one of those good cops...no, one of those good MEN. He felt he was doing Gods work...protecting and serving his community and was a man who was active in the church and his community when he was outside of his uniform.) But those protests in which people put their hands up have been collectively shrugged off by the institution, only to produce a non-verbal protest of their own after the senseless murder of two innocent men simply due to their color (of their uniform - yet more irony). Now they walk in those communities fearing being targeted due to their appearance rather than any action of their own as an individual. But, the numbers dont lie. Black men are more likely to be stopped and frisked, to be thought of as criminal, and to be treated as such not only by the institution but by their peers as well. Without going into the whys and hows of it all, the fact is that our white mayor is the father of a black teenager. Should anyone be surprised that as the parent of a black teenager he would speak to his son about the dangers he may face? Having that conversation with your son and being able to say so publicly so is not turning your back on the NYPD. There are people who have worked for, and continue to work for the NYPD that have been victims of profiling BY the NYPD when they are not in uniform. These people may still be able to perform their job at the highest level of professionalism. Turning your back on the mayor thinking he doesnt support the NYPD because hes publicly stated that hes spoken to his son cautioning him about interactions with the police is asking a man to split himself in half. The NYPD and its members would want their police to be viewed as people, as humans, not just the color of their uniform or pigs. Ironically all people on the other side of the debate are asking for is the same treatment, to not be judged by their skin or reduced to a slur as well.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 21:46:18 +0000
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