De Blasio rips cops for not wearing masks to George Floyd protests
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Sunday ripped cops for not wearing face masks while controlling the tens of thousands at George Floyd protests amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“We’ve seen too many officers who just have [masks] off, and it’s painful to people because it feels like they’re flouting the rules,” he said during a press conference Sunday, calling it a “human decency thing” amid the ongoing threat from the contagion.
“It frustrates me to no end. We have to do better in the NYPD,” de Blasio complained, saying he had confronted NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea to insist his officers start adhering to the safety rules.
“I would say to all the officers out there, I know you have a hard job, but do unto others,” Hizzoner said at a virtual press briefing.
“If we’re asking everyone else to follow the rules — social distancing, wear a face covering — you should do it too,” he said.
Police previously ought with the de Blasio administration over the availability of masks — with health commissioner Oxiris Barbot reportedly telling NYPD chief Terrence Monahan that she didn’t give “two rats’ asses” about NYPD cops’ need for masks.
She eventually apologized and hundreds of thousands of surgical masks were provided to the NYPD — though photos and witness reports indicate they rarely wore them during protest activity, including Monahan himself.
Hizzoner conceded that there may at times be a “legitimate, tactical reason” for officers having to temporarily remove their masks — ones the department had to fight to get in the first place.
“That’s not the only thing we’ve seen,” he stressed, noting that many were simply shrugging off safety because it was hot and the masks can be uncomfortable for long stretches of time.
“Too often it looks like it’s being ignored and that’s not acceptable,” he said.
“I’ve had this conversation with the commissioner — I expect to see improvement in this area.”