*NYPD union officials have lashed out at the media for treating cops like “animals and thugs” amid protests over police brutality.
During a PBA press conference Tuesday (see clip above), Michael O’Meara, head of New York State’s Police Benevolent Association, slammed the media and legislators for “vilifying” officers and pushing an anti-police agenda.
“We all read in the paper all week that in the black community, mothers are worried about their children getting home from school without being killed by a cop,” O’Meara said. “What world are we living in? That doesn’t happen. It does not happen! Everybody’s trying to shame us. Legislators. The press. Everybody’s trying to shame us into being embarrassed of our profession.”
He also addressed the May 25 killing of Floyd while in the custody of police. Former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin was filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes. Despite his repeated pleas for help, Chauvin killed the man in broad daylight while being filmed by witnesses.
“You know what? This isn’t stained by someone in Minneapolis,” O’Meara said as he held up his badge. “It’s still got a shine on it, and so do theirs,” he noted of the group of officers behind him, per Complex.
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Patrick The Lynch: We’re not Derek Chauvin!
PBT: No, you’re Daniel Pantaleo, Peter Liang, etcMike o Meara: ‘Dis badge isn’t stained by someone in Minneapolis!
PBT: No, it’ stained by you and your fellow thugs with badges in New York! And your alleged “shine” is from blood!— ProfessorBlackTruth (@ProfBlacktruth) June 9, 2020
He continued: “We don’t condone Minneapolis. We roundly reject what he did as disgusting. It’s disgusting!. It’s not what we do. It’s not what police officers do. … He killed someone. We didn’t. We are restrained.”
O’Meara added, “Stop treating us like animals and thugs, and start treating us with some respect!” he said. “That’s what we’re here today to say. We’ve been left out of the conversation. We’ve been vilified. It’s disgusting.”
“They’re asking us to pull back, they’re asking us to walk away from you,” NYC PBA President Patrick Lynch said at the press conference. “They’re asking us to abandon our communities.”
He added, “If we put our hands on the criminal, you’re going to jail, I’m not being dramatic — that’s how bad it is. No one’s read the bills.”
Hey Mike O’Meara-
Where are the black officers?
Did you not invite them or did they not want to come?
I’ve seen that raging face before. It’s always present when you guys are beating the shit out of someone for doing nothing wrong.
Same exact face captured on so many videos. https://t.co/3nlFjFM7sJ
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) June 9, 2020
Twitter users were quick to fire back at the comments, with one writing “NYPD Mike O’Meara out here talking like he’s been oppressed for 400 years.”
Another added, “The NYPD was quite literally caught on video repeatedly treating protestors like boxing dummies/target practice. If you want respect, you’ve got a long way to go. Every single officer who participated or stood by and did nothing is a coward. Kindly go f*ck yourself, Mike O’Meara.”
A third wrote, “NYC Police Benevolent Assn Prez Mike O’Meara raged today, asking media to “Stop treating us like animals and thugs and start treating us with some respect.” Sir, that’s all Black and Brown people are asking for from YOUR officers.”
“The image of a white cop saying ‘stop treating us like animals and thugs’ during protests on police brutality and [discriminatory] policing….that’s some mediocre white man energy right there,” wrote another commenter.
WATCH:
“Everybody’s trying to shame us.” pic.twitter.com/T1ISTiZpEe
— Rex Chapman?? (@RexChapman) June 9, 2020
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