(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)Bill de Blasio, the Democrat Mayor of New York City, demanded that a police officer, who appeared to pull a gun on a crowd in a viral video, be fired. Then, the full video came out.
On Monday, Democrat New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio demanded that a police officer who appeared to pull a gun on a crowd in a viral video face consequences for his actions. De Blasio called for the officer to have “his gun and badge taken away,” suggesting the cop be canned. Hours after the mayor made the comment, however, additional video footage surfaced.
In the additional footage, it becomes clear that the actions of the officer involved in the incident were in response to his supervisor being violently struck in the back of the head by a rioter. This fact, of course, was missing from the initial clip that went viral when Jake Offenhartz, a reporter with the Gothamist, posted the misleading video on Twitter.
“A source shared this video, which he says he took at around 10 pm near near [sic] 12th and Broadway,” Offenhartz wrote. “It appears to show an NYPD officer pointing a gun at protesters outside the Strand.”
A source shared this video, which he says he took at around 10 pm near near 12th and Broadway. It appears to show an NYPD officer pointing a gun at protesters outside the Strand pic.twitter.com/pCTNIYL7op
— Jake Offenhartz (@jangelooff) June 1, 2020
After the video began to go viral, De Blasio brought up the incident during a Monday press conference, saying that the officer’s actions were “unacceptable” and “dangerous,” Daily Wire reported.
“There’s a video going around of a police officer in the middle of a situation that admittedly looked chaotic but where protesters were in front of that police officer,” de Blasio said. “That police officer drew his gun at some point yesterday. That to me, seeing that video was absolutely unacceptable. Now, I don’t know all the circumstances and we must know all the facts. There will be an immediate full investigation of that incident,” he continued.
“But I can say as a New Yorker, as your Mayor, as someone who understands that the vast majority of protestors are there peacefully, and even those who do have that violent intent are still human beings,” de Blasio added. “We have to always know it is not the place of an officer to pull a gun in the middle of a crowd knowing that there are peaceful protesters in that crowd. That is unacceptable. That is dangerous. I want you to note on that video how a superior officer immediately came over and moved that officer away from that crowd. That officer should have his gun and badge taken away today. There will be an investigation immediately to determine the larger consequences.”
As is often the case, things are not as they initially appear, and it wasn’t long before a full-length version of the video emerged. It appeared to come from the same person who recorded the shorter clip above and was tweeted out by the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York.
“Now we have the full story: this police officer unholstered his weapon only after his supervisor was nearly killed with a brick,” NYC PBA tweeted with the hashtag #FactsMatter. And, it definitely paints a different picture, regarding the chain of events.
Now we have the full story: this police officer unholstered his weapon only after his supervisor was nearly killed with a brick. #FactsMatter pic.twitter.com/6PzqgI991I
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) June 1, 2020
Sadly, it was the incomplete clip that went viral on Twitter. It racked up millions of views and numerous news outlets reported on the incident based on the misleading version of the clip, including NBC News, CNN, ABC News’ “World News Tonight,” and The New York Daily News. Without all the facts, the tweet was also commented on by “People for Bernie,” an organization that supports Bernie Sanders.
.@NYCMayor says to fire him, but watch the video. A white shirt, likely his supervisor, walks over and pats him on the back. He should’ve been removed immediately and gone home. The descalation practice that officers just learned from that is our leadership approves of this. https://t.co/JS0KvsOv0W
— People for Bernie (@People4Bernie) June 1, 2020
“@NYCMayor says to fire him, but watch the video. A white shirt, likely his supervisor, walks over and pats him on the back,” the “People for Bernie” account wrote on Twitter. “He should’ve been removed immediately and gone home. The descalation [sic] practice that officers just learned from that is our leadership approves of this.”
Once again, it’s been proven that we can’t trust the media for fair and honest reporting. It’s hard to believe that the reporter who tweeted out the shorter version hadn’t seen the full clip, which he says he received from an unnamed source.
What’s worse is that a public official then made a bold demand based on the obviously limited information. That’s what’s truly “unacceptable” and “dangerous.” It’s this dishonest reporting and these knee-jerk reactions that cause a further divide among us. The American people need to stop letting them pull our strings. We aren’t their puppets.
