On Monday, the social media went on fire when the videos of New York Police Department officers being pelted with objects, doused with water in separate incidents went viral. There is also one clip that showed officers getting drenched while they were making an arrest.
These videos have been called by NYPD officials as “reprehensible.”
In one of the video, it was also seen that somebody tossed a bucket that hit an officer in the head as he was making an arrest in Harlem.
Groups of derisive bystanders might be heard responding as people continued to splash the officers with water.
NYPD Chief Terence Monahan said on Monday in a tweet, “The videos of cops being doused with water and having objects hurled at them as they made an arrest in #Harlem is reprehensible,”
The tweet added, “NYC’s cops & communities have made remarkable progress — together — but EVERY New Yorker MUST show respect for our cops. They deserve nothing less.”
Monahan in a later tweet wrote, “To NY’s Finest: the work you do every day is remarkable. We trust you to do what is a very difficult job.”
He also encouraged the officers to use their discretion as well as to make arrests when needed.
“Thank you for what you do day in and day out,” Monahan wrote. “Please stay safe.”
DISRESPECT: This is what #NYPD Officers are faced with today. Petrified to take action. #BlueLivesMatter @NYCMayor @BilldeBlasio @NYPDnews @NYPD73Pct pic.twitter.com/VRpVKBS5Jb
— NYC Scanner (@NYScanner) July 22, 2019
In an additional viral video, you can see uniformed NYPD officers were seen getting drenched as they just walked on a Brooklyn street. In that video, you can see a man approaching towards the officer and poured a bucket of water straight over his head. The officers, on the other hand, didn’t react much and stayed calm trying to ignore the situation.
Completely unacceptable. A video from the 28 Precinct shows people interfering in an arrest by throwing water and objects at officers. The NYPD kept New Yorkers safe through the heatwave and last night's outages. We won't tolerate this kind of disrespect. NYPD is investigating. https://t.co/3Yg7f0eAs8
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 22, 2019
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday also reacted to one of the videos calling it “completely unacceptable.”
The 2020 presidential hopeful, a Democrat, tweeted, “Completely unacceptable. A video from the 28 Precinct shows people interfering in an arrest by throwing water and objects at officers.”
The tweet added, “The NYPD kept New Yorkers safe through the heatwave and last night’s outages. We won’t tolerate this kind of disrespect. NYPD is investigating.”
#BREAKING PBA Statement on “Water Bucket” Attacks on Police Officers pic.twitter.com/i8O2Ke59c5
— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) July 22, 2019
The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) of the City of New York also released a statement regarding the concern on the “’Water Bucket’ Attacks on Police Officers” putting the blame on lawmakers.
PBA president Patrick Lynch said in the statement, “Our anti-cop lawmakers have gotten their wish: the NYPD is now frozen.”
He further added that the “attacks” were “the end result of the torrent of bad policies and anti-police rhetoric that has been streaming out of City Hall and Albany for years now.”
Lynch then added, “We are approaching the point of no return.”
He then said, “disorder controls the streets” and “elected leaders refuse to allow us to take them back.”
He concluded his statement by saying that, “The politicians may not care about the dangerous levels of chaos in our neighborhoods, but police officers and decent New Yorkers should not be forced to suffer.”
