Hundreds of NYPD cops turn their backs on Mayor De Blasio at second officer's funeral

Hundreds of NYPD cops turn their backs on Mayor De Blasio at second officer's funeral
(Image credit: YouTube/AP)

At the Sunday funeral of New York Police Officer Wenjian Liu, hundreds of police officers spun around to show their backs to a screen carrying Mayor Bill de Blasio's eulogy for the slain officer at a Brooklyn funeral home.

The silent protest against de Blasio came after a Friday memo from New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton specifically asking officers to refrain from turning their backs on the mayor at Liu's funeral, as they had at the funeral of his partner, Officer Rafael Ramos. "A hero's funeral is about grieving, not grievance," Bratton wrote. Urged by their unions, NYPD officers have also sharply reduced their law enforcement duties to protest what they view as de Blasio's lack of support.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.