NYPD Union Boss Says Criticizing The Arrest of James Blake is ‘Un-American’
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 2000: Police Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch speaks at rally of thousands of police officers outside City Hall demanding a pay raise from the city. (Photo by Mike Albans/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
Few things say more about the New York Police Department than the awful reality that officers voted for Patrick Lynch to be their spokesperson. They voluntarily pay his salary. Even though Mayor Bill De Blasio and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton have both apologized for the wrongful assault and arrest of tennis star James Blake outside of his Manhattan hotel, the man who actually speaks for the police called those who question the arrest “un-American.”
Seriously, though? Un-American?
You could create a nefarious fictional character who said outrageously despicable shit on a regular basis, even when it was completely and totally uncalled for. But if that character looked and sounded like Patrick Lynch, it would be called overkill. Yet this man is real—and makes it his job to say the worst thing at the worst time.
Complete silence would’ve been better than his latest statement, which you can read below.
It is mystifying to all police officers to see pundits and editorial writers whose only expertise is writing fast-breaking, personal opinion, and who have never faced the dangers that police officers routinely do, come to instant conclusions that an officer’s actions were wrong based upon nothing but a silent video. That is irresponsible, unjust and un-American. Worse than that, your uninformed rhetoric is inflammatory and only serves to worsen police/community relations.
So, in other words, Lynch is suggesting that because the video of James Blake being bum rushed, mounted, and handcuffed doesn’t have sound, we’re un-American for being critical of it.Nah.
It doesn’t work like that. Between what we saw and what James Blake experienced and spoke out about, all of us—not just editorial writers—can reasonably conclude that what happened to James Blake was unjust.
By Shaun King for dailykos.com
