The largest union representing New York Police Department officers on Aug. 14 endorsed President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.
“I have 36 years in this job, 21 as a president of this fine organization. I cannot remember when we’ve ever endorsed for the office of president of the United States until now. That’s how important this is,” said Patrick Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA).
“Mr. President, we are fighting for our lives out there. We don’t want this to spread to the rest of this country,” Lynch added. “Now, many times people say that a union like ours, law enforcement group, gives endorsements. Not in the New York City PBA, sir. In the New York City PBA, Mr. President, you earn the endorsement and you’ve earned this endorsement. I’m proud to give it.”
Watch:
The New York Police Benevolent Association (@NYCPBA) endorses Trump, a first for the union which represents over 50,000 active and retired New York City police officers pic.twitter.com/LBH6MqfzYg
— Bloomberg QuickTake (@QuickTake) August 14, 2020
The PBA represents at least 24,000 of the NYPD’s 36,000 officers.
The endorsement came as far-left groups around the country have ramped up efforts to defund police departments and demonize law enforcement.
ANTI-POLICE NEW YORK
In New York City, communist Mayor Bill de Blasio cut police funding by $282 million for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. He plans to defund another 700 billion-plus but his term is running out.
The mayor signed a law in July criminalizing several safe, nonviolent martial arts techniques used by police around the country. Police will have to resort to tactics that are often more violent and put both the officers and the people they attempt to arrest in greater danger, some experts say.
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That puts police in danger of arrest for police brutality.
“We’re going to give you back your status,” Trump said at the endorsement event in New York City. “I hate to say it but it’s been taken away.”
“We’re gonna give New York a real shot,” Trump said. “I think we have a real chance of winning New York.”
The demonization of police nationwide is driven by the Black Lives Matter movement and other extremist fringe groups including antifa.
This is the result of George Floyd’s death. Mr. Floyd died under tragic circumstances but the whole story was kept from the public. In any case, it led to well-organized, and in some cases, well-planned ‘protests.’
“You’re going to have a bad apple, but it may be just a bad apple,” Trump said on Friday. “But that doesn’t mean we’re going to close up our police departments.”
The PBA has previously endorsed Democrat candidates in races for local races.
So far, Joe Biden, who appears to now be anti-police. He has a lot of endorsements but none from major law enforcement groups. The National Association of Police Organizations endorsed Trump in July after endorsing the Obama-Biden ticket in 2008 and 2012.
That doesn’t mean police will vote for Trump. The police and firefighters don’t walk in lockstep with the union as other union members do.
