Two NYPD officers were brutally shot dead yesterday in what is thought to be an attempt at retribution for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. The officers were reportedly in their patrol car eating lunch when 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot them both point blank in the head.
This happened a few days after protesters hit the streets of New York City chanting, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!” and after countless protesters nation wide expressed outrage for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. This also happened days after political figures like Al Sharpton, Mayor Bill de Blasio as well as our president and Attorney General Eric Holder applauded the protests in Ferguson and encouraged further racial division, tension, and animosity nationwide.
Will we see the same uproar in response to the assassinations of police officers Wenijan Liu and Rafael Ramos? It’s unlikely, for a few reasons. First, the victims here were not African Americans. Second, they were police officers. These demographics do not align with the exclusive #BlackLivesMatter rhetoric, and clearly as we’ve seen here at Cornell, the idea that all lives matter is unacceptable.
It should be noted that unlike Brown and Garner, these murdered police officers were undeniably innocent. There was no provocation or reason for their death; they were not breaking any laws or inciting any violence, unlike in the cases of Brown and Garner. The officers were profiled for their uniforms, while Brown and Garner were arguably killed for breaking the law.
The tensions are rising between the NYPD and Mayor de Blasio. Police turned their backs to the mayor as he entered the hospital where the officers were taken for treatment, and many are calling for his resignation. Police officers also displayed their support for the slain Liu and Ramos as a group assembled outside the hospital in solidarity.
The question arises as to what we will see on college campuses in response to the execution of the police officers. Will we have the option to postpone our exams next semester, as offered by Columbia to any students “traumatized” by the Garner and Brown decisions? Will be see die-ins and protests, as we’ve seen in and around the area of Cornell, as well as across the US? It’s doubtful.
In fact, the response so far to the officers’ deaths has been quite the opposite of outrage. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have been flooded with support and happiness in response to the cop killings. Well-known rapper The Game recently tweeted “I guess y’all ‘can’t breathe’ either” in response to the headline “2 NYPD cops shot dead ‘execution style’ as ‘revenge’ for Garner.” Other responses include “lmao [laughing my a** off], all i just really dont have sympathy for the cops who were shot. i hate this racist f****** country,” coming from a student leader at Brandeis University, and “Guess NYPD can’t breathe after all.”
The recent actions of protestors of the Brown and Garner decisions display so many layers of hypocrisy. Between blocking roads (possibly killing anyone in need of emergency medical attention) burning businesses and homes in Ferguson, injuring and even killing some involved in protests, the message of true justice is nowhere to be heard.
Before we see a massive increase in police murders or the growing cancer of police hatred, it’s important to remember that the police are here to help us. Imagine living today without law enforcement—imagine the protests, violence, murders—where would it end? Living in anarchy is surely not the answer, and though it is good to speak out against the wrongdoings of any public sector positions, we need to keep in mind the problems that this hostility towards our nation’s finest has created.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of officers Liu and Ramos, as well as the New York Police Department in this time of deep mourning.
