…And of course, the P.B.A once again, stand by their man, no matter how obvious the officer’s actions were.
On Friday, July 25th, Critical Mass staged another protest. Critical Mass is an organization that stages mass bike rides through major cities to celebrate biking and to assert the cyclists’ right to the road. Take a look at this video.
I say the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association needs to be taken to task. This type of meaningless aggression by the NYPD is why citizens lack trust, and compassion for them. I understand that being a Police Officer is stressful. I wish I could “take down” some people I work with. If I did that I would immediately be fired. For the N.Y.P.D, L.A.P.D, and most Police forces across the Country, it seems as though this type of behavior is acceptable. Although this is considered to be minor, as compared to the 41 shots that killed Amadou Diallo, or the 50 shots that killed Sean Bell, or the outrageous incident in which Abner Louima was sodomized and tortured with a plunger by Officer Justin Volpe. Out of these cases, only Justin Volpe was sentenced to do time.
Take a look at the official press release by the P.B.A, explaining THEIR take on what actually happened. I think the video does a better job.
PBA Press Release 7/30/08
Even if the cyclist was riding erratically, the cop could have “summoned” him to pull over, as I’ve seen other officers do in the past. What this officer did was unquestionably flagrant and uncalled for, no matter what Patrick Lynch thinks. This cop is a rookie. If rookies can get away with these types of actions, imagine what the grumpy old vets are thinking….Open Season?
