NY bill that would make throwing water on police a felony receives some Democratic pushback

Republican Assemblyman Mike LiPetri, who drafted the legislation, told Fox News that there appeared to be some signs of bipartisan support in the state Senate, but also noted there are some early signs of pushback from Democrats in the State Assembly.

“I think anything in Albany is always a tough fight, it’s just a matter of persistence and working together to unite not divide both Houses in making sure this effort is passed,” the 29-year-old legislator said.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who decides if the bill gets brought up for a vote, expressed concerns with the bill and said there should be more of a focus on unifying police and communities instead of imposing harsher punishments for crimes.

“I don’t know if always proposing new penalties and laws [is the answer],” Heastie said. “I think on the positive end, we should continue to try and establish more of a community and police response.”

“I think that’s more beneficial instead of always saying ‘we are going to lock people up,’” he added.

“It’s a real shame that the speaker feels that way, but I’d hope the conference feels otherwise,” LiPetri said. “Especially if they’re going to support law enforcement and also we want to keep our communities safe and maintain civility within the neighborhoods.”

Videos from the incidents across New York City shocked many and spurred calls for action. Since then, NYPD has made a number of arrests related to the videos. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the videos “completely unacceptable,” and President Trump called them “a total disgrace.”