As the president of the New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association, I understand and respect the concepts of free speech and assembly. Contrary to what many people believe, the Occupy Wall Street protesters have been given a wide berth over the last few weeks, which has enabled them to take their movement on the road to other cities throughout America.
What has gone mostly unreported is the number of uniformed NYPD members who have been injured while trying to maintain order at these demonstrations. To date, at least 20 officers have been hurt during flare-ups with protesters whose actions are becoming increasingly hostile and aggressive.
Well-publicized confrontations between police officers in Oakland and elsewhere seem to have emboldened their New York brethren in recent days, resulting in the SBA publicly declaring its intention to personally sue any protesters who injure NYPD sergeants. Because police officers took an oath to ensure the safety of the public regardless of the circumstances, they find themselves in the unenviable position of being unwitting pawns between the protesters and the politicians.
What started out as a protest against corporate greed has turned into police bashing of the highest order, which is being done both literally and figuratively. NYPD officers have been working around the clock to maintain peace. The last thing any of us want is to be in the line of fire, but we take seriously our oath to uphold the law.
We are trained to be tolerant of verbal assaults, but we are not expected to engage in street fights with professional agitators or stand idly by as we are pelted with bottles, rocks or other debris. For that reason, I ordered our attorneys to prepare to personally sue any protester responsible for injuring an NYPD sergeant.
I fully appreciate the rights of Americans to protest what they perceive to be inequities in the system, but they have no right to disrupt the lives of the residents, workers and business people in lower Manhattan.
The brunt of the scorn they feel for corporate America is instead being felt by ordinary people who want to go about their lives in relative peace. These include the police officers who find themselves in the cross hairs.
Many protesters view the police as symbols of oppression and are spoiling for a fight. The city’s economy is already reeling, and the protests are only making things worse. While much of the press chronicles images of police officers taking aggressive action, we rarely see images of assaults being perpetrated upon us. I assure anyone who dares to attack an NYPD sergeant that the long arm of the law will extend far beyond the criminal-justice system, as we will do whatever it takes in seeking civil redress.
Ed Mullins, a lifelong New Yorker, is president of the 12,000- member NYC Sergeants Benevolent Association.