# And now: What about all those cops turning their backs on De Blasio? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 27, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293 "2014-12-27T20:22:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/141 "2014-12-28T16:55:47Z")
The idea that the officers should be fired over this is ridiculous, but their “protest” was also ridiculous. Especially considering the department had asked people to refrain from demonstrating at the funeral “out of respect for the families.” ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/142 "2014-12-28T16:56:57Z")
During the Dinkins administration some cops protesting against him held aloft signs that said “fire the washroom attendant” which was certainly vastly more offensive than anything done at the funeral and AFAIK they didn’t get fired so I think anyone who thinks the Mayor could do anything to these cops is dreaming. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/143 "2014-12-28T17:07:16Z")
Well, they have a strong union. But that’s a _good_ union, not like a teacher’s union, which is a bad union. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/144 "2014-12-28T17:08:49Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Every last one of them needs to be identified, and fired. Yeah, and in that order you need to bring in the state police and the national guard mp battalions, and stand down the entire NYPD. While your thinking a handful is \<100, the entire force is going to react as one. Da Mayor should pick his battles and ignore this one. Not that it really matters, he is a one timer. Declan ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/145 "2014-12-28T17:40:08Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Well, they have a strong union. But that’s a _good_ union, not like a teacher’s union, which is a bad union. Who said re-education camps don’t work! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/146 "2014-12-28T17:41:24Z")
Oh, Merciful Og, this is going to get worse. So very much worse. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/147 "2014-12-28T17:52:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Turning their backs ON A PROJECTED IMAGE OF THE MAYOR fits that description? That’s not at all clear to me. It’s not even clear if these cops were on duty, and keep in mind that many of them weren’t even NYPD-- cops from around the country were attending the funeral. > > Would it be insubordination for a cop to turn his back on TV in the window of a Department Store that showed an image of the mayor? The point is that it was being done in public with the deliberate intent of being _seen_ doing it, and that they did it in uniform, implying that they are acting in their capacity as police rather than as concerned private citizens. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/148 "2014-12-28T17:54:46Z")
> [@Declan](#): > > Yeah, and in that order you need to bring in the state police and the national guard mp battalions, and stand down the entire NYPD. While your thinking a handful is \<100, the entire force is going to react as one. I’m not entirely sure that would be a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/149 "2014-12-28T17:57:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > The point is that it was being done in public with the deliberate intent of being _seen_ doing it, and that they did it in uniform, implying that they are acting in their capacity as police rather than as concerned private citizens. That’s, at best, an interesting opinion. Got any case law to back it up? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/150 "2014-12-28T18:00:19Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > …The only two things that would prevent DeBlasio from firing them all outright tomorrow if he had the inclination to do so would be the lack of replacements and certain conditions for termination almost certainly written into the collective bargaining agreement between the police and the city. Their 1st Amendment rights do not protect them (or you, for that matter) from termination. from the OP - > [@Senegoid](#): > > And now: What about all those cops turning their backs on De Blasio? > > Now we’ve seen several incidents (at the hospital; at the funeral) of NY police _en masse_ turning their backs on De Blasio. _And doing so in uniform._ > > This is nothing less than a mass insubordination on all their parts, bordering even on mass insurrection. > > …Every last one of them needs to be identified, and fired. fyi- De Blasio isn’t the one who is saying that these police officers are insubordinate or that they should be fired. That is the opinion of **Senegoid** , and the usual cop-haters. Even De Blasio isn’t that stupid. The city of New York has a contract with the police union. I doubt that it includes an article that requires officers to look lovingly upon the De Blasio. If De Blasio did attempt to fire hundreds of officers because they refused to look at De Blasio’s digitalized image, or gaze upon the De Blasio magnificence in person, there would be union grievances, law suits, and, possibly, an attempted recall by the public to remove the De Blasio. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/151 "2014-12-28T18:02:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I’m not entirely sure that would be a bad idea. I’m surprised. You object to the police acting in a military fashion but you would not object to the military acting in a military fashion. Martial law is better than no law? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/152 "2014-12-28T18:07:03Z")
> [@Belowjob2.0](#): > > Fascist layabout git. Were you born an asshole or do you suffer from some medical condition that makes you sound like an asshole? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/153 "2014-12-28T18:07:30Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > I’m not sure why, though – “there should be some improvement” doesn’t sound like throwing anyone under the bus. It was his comment about having to train his kid: “we’ve had to literally train him, as families have all over this city for decades, in how to take special care in any encounter he has with the police officers who are there to protect him.” His kid is black and the comment indicates that he thinks NYPD is more likely to do harm to his kid than to help him. It was a shameful, ignorant thing to say and I think he should resign his office immediately if not sooner. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/154 "2014-12-28T18:08:09Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I’m surprised. You object to the police acting in a military fashion but you would not object to the military acting in a military fashion. Martial law is better than no law? This is actually kind of a giant sucking whirlpool for **Smapti** ’s particular issues. Anytime there is the possibility of more authority more absolutely applied, he’ll go for it. So this doesn’t surprise me much, regardless of his other political leanings. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/155 "2014-12-28T18:09:19Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I’m surprised. You object to the police acting in a military fashion but you would not object to the military acting in a military fashion. Martial law is better than no law? I object to civil servants who openly disrespect and show contempt for their legitimate superiors. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/156 "2014-12-28T18:09:29Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Actually, what I find ironic here is how the SDMB is suddenly the model of deference to authority, with calls for mass firings without even understanding if there is a fireable offense involved. > > I’d like to see how many here would be lining up to condemn soldiers who turned their back on Bush had the president at the time attended a funeral for someone killed in Iraq. Bad comparison. Why is the NYPD turning their backs on DeBlasio? Because he called for reform and pointed out that there’s a problem. Why would the soldiers turn their backs on Bush? Maybe because he lied his way into a pointless, unwinnable war? Hmm, yeah, totally the same situation. And it gets even worse when you consider the issue I mentioned back on page two. What’s the fight about, here? Bad apples within the police department, racism, and the fear people have when dealing with the police, compounded by numerous high-profile cases of some highly questionable homicides. By turning their backs on DeBlasio, what are these cops telling the world? What message are they sharing? Certainly not one that inspires confidence in the police, I’ll tell you that much! They are directly contributing to the atmosphere of fear and mistrust, and telling people “We take care of our own; fuck everyone else”. That’s a problem. That’s a big problem. We can’t fire them for this. Free speech is free speech. But this attitude problem is really at the core of everything else. This Us-Vs.-Them mentality held by many in the police force, that means that we cannot trust them to take care of problems within their own ranks. That’s fucked up. > [@Ruken](#): > > I think the idea that the mayor has wronged these cops is ridiculous, but the outrage here make the eyes role. So they maybe dissed the boss. He can get over it. I think the outrage here is entirely justified. These cops did something phenomenally stupid and disgraceful, something that hurts them and everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/157 "2014-12-28T18:10:12Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > His kid is black and the comment indicates that he thinks NYPD is more likely to do harm to his kid than to help him. No, it doesn’t. I was taught as a kid to take special care with scissors; that doesn’t mean people thought that I was more likely to stab myself than cut some paper, it just means they thought there was risk enough that a warning was worth it. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/158 "2014-12-28T18:12:16Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > The [United States District Court for the Southern District of New York](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) found the racism offensive too. According to your linked article - \*Judge Scheindlin’s decision grapples with the legacy of Terry v. Ohio, a 1968 ruling by the Supreme Court, which held that stopping and frisking was constitutionally permissible under certain conditions. But she said that changes to the way the New York Police Department employed the practice were needed to ensure that the street stops were carried out in a manner that “protects the rights and liberties of all New Yorkers, while still providing much needed police protection.” The judge found that the New York police were too quick to deem suspicious behavior that was perfectly innocent, in effect watering down the legal standard required for a stop.\* [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html?pagewanted=all&\_r=1&](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&) However, Scheindlin was subsequentially booted off the case :eek: and the De Blasio administration dropped the stop-and-frisk appeal instead of letting the matter be settled in the court. Which is only one of the reasons that people, including the police, are pissed off at De Blasio. \*August 6, 2014 The de Blasio administration on Wednesday formally dropped the city’s appeal of rulings in lawsuits involving the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics. …Manhattan federal Judge Analisa Torres was assigned to the case in November after the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals booted Judge Shira Scheindlin, who made the initial ruling that the policing tactic was unconstitutional, questioning her impartiality.\* > **[De Blasio administration drops stop-and-frisk appeals](https://nypost.com/2014/08/06/de-blasio-administration-drops-stop-and-frisk-appeals/)** > > The de Blasio administration on Wednesday formally dropped the city’s appeal of rulings in lawsuits involving the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics. The city’s decision is aimed at speeding refo… It seems to me that the De Blasio administration (aka De Blasio) should have allowed to case to proceed thru the courts for a proper decision. ---
**Author:** ![Donald\_Rump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/159 "2014-12-28T18:13:55Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > If De Blasio did attempt to fire hundreds of officers because they refused to look at De Blasio’s digitalized image, or gaze upon the De Blasio magnificence in person, there would be union grievances, law suits, **and, possibly, an attempted recall by the public to remove the De Blasio**. Considering the De Blasio was elected on an explicitly pro-police reform platform by a wide majority of New Yorkers, the need for which has only been demonstrated in spades by recent events, your last scenario seems highly unlikely. It’s equally if not more likely that support for the De Blasio increases as a result of the desperate, hysterical measures taken by the PBA to jockey for advantage in their contract dispute with the De Blasio and disagreement with him on a host of other issues. But your political analysis may be more astute than mine. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293/160 "2014-12-28T18:16:13Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It was his comment about having to train his kid: “we’ve had to literally train him, as families have all over this city for decades, in how to take special care in any encounter he has with the police officers who are there to protect him.” > > His kid is black and the comment indicates that he thinks NYPD is more likely to do harm to his kid than to help him. > > It was a shameful, ignorant thing to say and I think he should resign his office immediately if not sooner. Because telling the fucking truth is SOOO impolite… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-what-about-all-those-cops-turning-their-backs-on-de-blasio/708293.md?page=9)