When Union delegates gather to seek a way forward meetings sometimes get raucous. As a matter of fact these meetings are where disagreements gets ironed out, as delegates seek consensus on ways forward. So it’s not out of the ordinary that delegates at the New York City’s Police Department Benevolent Association meeting on Tuesday got a little, should I say testy. The New York Daily News reports that at Antun’s in Queens PBA delegates engaged in exchanges of heated shouting and shoving between what they characterized as an insurgent group of delegates opposed to long time Union head Patrick Lynch and Lynch’s supporters.
Lynch has been at the head of the PBA since 1993 and has ran unopposed since then. Over the years however Lynch has been more of an embarrassment than a help to police officers by his utterances and public stances. It appears that finally some members of the rank and file are starting to wake up to those realities.
At Tuesdays meeting one cop — one of about 350 in attendance — took verbal jabs at Lynch, who has called on de Blasio to offer a mea culpa for what he see as a continued lack of support for police.
“They don’t want an apology,” one cop said, as members nearly came to blows. There was pushing, shoving and lots of screaming at Patrick Lynch, president of the 23,000-member union. The in-house battle erupted over the issue of what patrol officers really need — an apology from Mayor de Blasio or better equipment and more officers to back them up on the streets. “This is what my members want!” one cop yelled near the end of the raucous meeting. “They want more cars, better vests, more man-power!” The yelling , pushing and shoving reportedly continued until Lynch stormed out.
By any measure cops deciding to air their disaffection with Lynch’s leadership ‚does themselves a tremendous service by opposing Lynch. Most people who criticize police are not anti-police as Lynch seem to believe. In fact Lynch’s rhetoric makes it impossible to support the NYPD unless one is a lackey , for whom the department can do no wrong. As a firm believer in the rule of law , and an ex-police officer, I cannot in good conscience support the NYPD based on Lynch’s behavior over the years.
In this medium I have repeatedly said that rank and file officers of the NYPD would do well without Patrick Lynch as the head of their Union.
Being a loud mouth confrontational wanna-be tough guy, who has acrimonious relationships with every Mayor and everyone except cops and blind cop-supporters is hardly the way to get cops the best deal possible. In fact it could be argued that Lynch has cost cops support based on many of the shocking statements he has made over the years.
Blaming Eric Garner for his own death, after the rest of the world watched Daniel Pantaleo squeeze the life out of the Staten Island resident, using an illegal choke-hold, was not only offensive it showed Lynch to be a un-caring sub-human cretin.
As the family grieved the loss of their loved one and the city erupted in protest the least Patrick Lynch could have done is keep his mouth shut.
But being a self promoting narcissist for whom cops can do no wrong, Lynch went public in December 2014,saying quote,
“We feel badly that there was a loss of life but unfortunately Mr. Garner made a choice that day to resist arrest.”
This was far from the only outrageous statement coming from Lynch, June 2000,Bruce Springstein released a song in response to the killing of unarmed African Immigrant Amadou Diallo by NYPD cops who fired 41 shots at the young man with multiple shots hitting his body, killing him instantly. Lynch said ‚Singer Bruce Springsteen has begun performing in concert a song called “American Skin” — the title seems to suggest that the shooting of Amadou Diallo was a case of racial profiling — which keeps repeating the phrase, “Forty-one-shots.” I consider it an outrage that he would be trying to fatten his wallet by reopening the wounds of this tragic case at a time when police officers and community members are in a healing period, and I have let his representatives and the press know how I feel about this song.
July2010 Lynch defended a cop who was videotaped shoving a bicyclist from his bike and assaulting him saying, “The anarchists were looking for a confrontation with police and found it in an rookie officer trying to do his job the best way he knew how. The conditional discharge doesn’t mitigate the fact that New York City has one less police officer today who could have served the city well”.
Instances of Lynch’s unintelligent and poorly thought-out diatribes are numerous and well documented. We hope that the rank and file members of the NYPD will wake up and remove this albatross from their necks. Clearly the respect, support and security they seek will not come with Lynch’s bellicose rhetoric and confrontational style. The meeting in Queens Tuesday may not mean that Lynch is on his way out. However it appears that at least a small cadre of officers would like to see a different style of leadership. I agree with them. One is much more likely to attract Ants with honey than Vinegar.
It is time for someone other than old Archie Bunker Patrick Lynch to lead the rank and file. Cops must take responsibility when they make mistakes, not demonize victims further. Lynch’s time has come and gone. We fervently hope rank and file cops will show Lynch the door and that sergeants will send Ed Mullins right along with him.