Thousands of police officers turned their backs to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Saturday as a form of protest during a Saturday funeral for a slain New York Police Department cop.
The protest occurred as de Blasio was preparing to eulogize NYPD officer Rafael Ramos, 40, who was killed Dec. 20 along with his partner 32-year-old Wenjian Liu while in their patrol car in Brooklyn.
NYPD officers have criticized de Blasio for what they consider a lack of support during a tense period between minorities and law enforcement officials across the country. More than 25,000 police officers from across the country attended Ramos’ funeral in Queens, according to media reports.
Demonstrations have erupted in New York City and across the country following the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in Staten Island, N.Y., both of whom were black, unarmed and killed by police.
Grand juries decided not to indict either cop in those deaths, inciting protests over racial inequality.
The man who killed Ramos and Liu cited the deaths of Brown and Garner in a Facebook post before killing the two NYPD officers. He then killed himself.
