Councilmembers seek to silence NYPD officials critical of leftist anti-cop agenda



Several Democratic New York City councilmembers have sponsored a bill introduced in September that would significantly restrict what New York Police Department officials can post on social media.

The legislation, "Establishing rules of decorum for posting on official social media accounts," was proposed by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D) and has collected seven co-sponsors, including Democratic councilmembers Gale Brewer, Lincoln Restler, Shahana Hanif, Althea Stevens, Alexa Avilés, Shekar Krishnan, and Christopher Marte.

'The far left is not happy enough tying the hands of our police officers. Now they are trying to silence them too.'

Williams' bill seeks to require the city to "promulgate rules establishing minimum standards relating to decorum that all agencies must follow in posting on official social media accounts."

The posts cannot "insult, intimidate, or harass the public and shall not prohibit the posting of statistical or factual information." The bill's "minimum" standards declare that officials cannot post anything "attributing negative characteristics or traits to particular persons or to groups of persons," "using language that is intended to incite violence," and "using language that is intended to intimidate."

Williams' legislation also mandates that the city establish a complaint-reporting mechanism for potential violations of these standards. Additionally, the city would be required to launch efforts to educate the public about the new standards and its reporting system.

The bill carves out exceptions to official social media accounts of elected officials and accounts associated with an online alias.

Williams wrote to fellow councilmembers in an email, "The need for this legislation has become increasingly evident, most recently highlighted by the actions of NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell."

"This legislation is a proactive step toward ensuring that our social media platforms are used to inform and engage the public, not for personal attacks or politically motivated behavior," she added.

Some NYPD officials, including Chell, have used their social media accounts to push back on leftist politicians' anti-cop agenda.

In May, Chell torched Councilmember Tiffany Cabán (D) for calling the department's response to the Columbia University pro-Hamas protests "a colossal disgrace," "a horrifying affront to democracy in free speech," and "an abject failure of public safety."

Chell responded to Cabán's statement, calling it "garbage" and noting that it "is coming from a person who hates our city and certainly does not represent the great people of NYC."

"Last night's criminal conduct by entitled non accountable students and the support they receive from Councilmember Tiffany Caban is a colossal disgrace," Chell fired back at the councilmember. "A horrifying affront to democracy and proper behavior from people who are not accountable for their behavior. This was an abject failure of how civilized people are expected to behave in society while continually acting like a perpetual victim."

Chell's statement prompted the Department of Investigation to launch a probe at the request of Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D) and the Legal Aid Society.

"These posts can often convey inaccurate or misleading information and could potentially incite threats of violence," Adams claimed. "This conduct is dangerous, unethical, unprofessional because included in the department's mission is to preserve peace, protect the people and reduce fear at the preliminary budget."

In addition to Chell's social media posts, the department came under fire after publishing its first "NYPD: Most Wanted" video in March. The two-minute, action-packed clip showed officers taking down "real-life individuals facing criminal charges."

According to NYPD spokesperson Tarik Sheppard, the department created the video and others like it to "push back on the misinformation that's out there."

"Because if we don't, it could cause damage to the reputation of our cops and the work that we're doing," Sheppard told the Associated Press.

Councilman Robert Holden (D) pushed back against Williams' proposed bill, stating, "The far left is not happy enough tying the hands of our police officers."

"Now they are trying to silence them too. When will this lunacy stop?" Holden asked.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R) said, "When the City Council starts legislating what public agencies can and can't say, that's not governance — that's censorship."

"This isn't just wrong; it's un-American. Forcing agencies to simply toe the party line and follow a script or face legal retribution is authoritarianism, plain and simple, and it flies in the face of everything that our Constitution and the First Amendment stands for," Ariola added.

Last month, NYPD Interim Commissioner Thomas Donlon announced a plan to enact a "one voice" policy within the department, warning officials, "There's only one voice in this department, and that's me."

The NYPD did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Post.

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Blaze News original: When thugs victimize leftist, soft-on-crime, defund-the-police Democrats, cops suddenly aren't so awful



While Democrat U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas voted in favor of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, he also has family in law enforcement and, of course, supports police.

Those opposing forces were at play when three armed thugs carjacked Cuellar in Washington, D.C., last October. The congressman wasn't hurt, and his vehicle was recovered — but soft-on-crime approaches to law enforcement took a beating. Fox News said conservatives reacted to Cuellar's scary encounter with calls to confront rapidly rising crime in D.C.

'This chaos is the result of Democrat-led soft-on-crime policies, no different than their Open Border debacle.'

"Rep. Cuellar was carjacked near my same DC apartment building," GOP U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah posted at the time, according to Fox News. "This chaos is the result of Democrat-led, soft-on-crime policies, no different than their Open Border debacle. It's time for Democrats to start taking the safety of Americans seriously."

What's more, the National Republican Congressional Committee in March 2023 said 173 House Democrats supported reduced sentences for violent crimes.

Cuellar hardly can be called anti-cop, but plenty of Democrats are. Many are soft on crime, have pushed for defunding the police, and are far left in many respects.

What's particularly revealing is what often happens when thugs victimize leftist, soft-on-crime, defund-the-police Democrats. And wouldn't you know it? In those instances, cops suddenly aren't so awful after all. The following are but a handful of examples:

Democrat congresswoman who voted to defund the police gets carjacked, robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight


Democrat U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania was carjacked around 2:45 p.m. December 21, 2021, in Philadelphia. Police said Scanlon was walking to her vehicle after attending a tour with other members of Congress when two armed men demanded the keys to her blue 2017 Acura MDX; they also made off with her personal cell phone, her government cell phone, her purse, and her identification. Fox News said Scanlon cosponsored legislation to make it easier for state and local governments to replace police officers and defund police by instead employing mental health specialists. But she sure was grateful for the quick response from police when she was carjacked.

Progressive member of Seattle City Council who voted to defund the police turns to cops after her home is targeted in rock attack


In December 2020, a progressive Democrat on the Seattle City Council — who had voted to cut the city police budget and supported effectively legalizing certain misdemeanor crimes — turned to cops for help after a rock was thrown at her house. Lisa Herbold reportedly told police "she was on the west side of the living room near the kitchen when she heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot and dove into the kitchen for cover." When city council voted in August 2020 to defund police, only one member voted against the measure, and it wasn't Herbold. She also proposed amending the city code to allow a so-called "poverty defense" when people commit petty crimes like trespassing or shoplifting, KOMO-TV reported. In fact, Herbold told the council's Public Safety Committee just days before her home was attacked that such amendments would result in "giving people an opportunity to tell their stories and giving judges and juries the opportunity to hear those stories and make a decision based on the values of our city." Herbold declined to run for her seat in 2023.

Anti-cop New York City councilmembers want police protection after receiving death threats: Report


Sources told the New York Post last month that anti-cop New York City council members Chi Osse, Yusef Salaam, Shahana Hanif, and Carlina Rivera — all Democrats — want police protection after receiving death threats. All four have been vocal critics of the NYPD and pushed the “How Many Stops Act” that buries police officers in paperwork, the Post said, adding that they've also angered pro-Israel New Yorkers for publicly supporting pro-Palestinian protesters. None of the four council members immediately responded to the paper's requests for comment.

Soft-on-crime, Soros-funded district attorney carjacked at gunpoint — and soon changes his tune about crime and punishment


A pair of armed suspects carjacked New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams last October in the city's Lower Garden District; the Democrat's 78-year-old mother was in the black Lincoln Navigator at the time of the crime. The masked thieves didn't get very far since Williams kept the vehicle’s key fob in his pocket. Police said his SUV was recovered at an undisclosed location, but crooks stole some of his mother’s belongings, including her wallet and phone. George Soros gave a Williams PAC $220,000 leading to his successful election in December 2020 on a criminal justice reform platform. But just a month after the carjacking, Williams told WWL-TV he changed his thinking about crime and punishment, with the station saying he's "even reversed his positions on some of his strongest campaign promises." He recused himself from working on the carjacking case.

Democrat who backed dismantling police left bloody after violent carjacking in front of her children, leading her to call for tougher treatment of criminals


The vice chairwoman of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota — who had previously called for dismantling the police — last September was violently carjacked in front of her children and left bloody. Shivanthi Sathanandan said she suffered a broken leg, deep lacerations on her head, and bruising and cuts all over her body. She also demanded the increase of criminal penalties to deter violent crimes: “We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM,” she wrote on Facebook.

'Anti-police king' congressman called out for hypocrisy after requesting enhanced police patrols at his home


A progressive Democrat congressman who voted to defund Austin police as a city council member in 2020 and then blasted the department in December 2023 for alleged racist practices, even asking the Justice Department to investigate it, actually requested a patrol of his home from the same department, Fox News reported. "It’s come to our attention that Anti police king of the defund movement in Austin [Greg Casar] who only last week called APD an agency with racist practices has requested enhanced patrols around his house for the next week," the Austin Police Retired Officers Association posted on X, according to the cable news network. Casar was arguably the loudest proponent of defunding Austin police in 2020 while he was a city council member, Fox News said, adding that it led to an officer shortage and retirements from which critics said the Texas capital has not recovered. Casar's office added to Fox News Digital it does "not comment on active security matters related to the Congressman."

Left-wing thugs punch, scream at left-wing Portland mayor during his restaurant dinner


The eventful dinner took place in January 2021 and featured far-left militants barging past restaurant staff to confront Wheeler. One of the thugs made physical contact with the Democrat mayor. No arrests were made. Angry residents at the time accused Wheeler of not supporting police enough while militants said the opposite, even though months before the dinner showdown he said he was willing to defund the police but only to an extent. In July 2020 — the hottest month of the George Floyd summer — Portland rioters threw objects at Wheeler and endlessly berated him after he showed up on the streets for what he called a "listening session."

Democrat who once employed anti-cop staffer blasts soft-on-crime policies she says led to physical attack against her


It wouldn't be fair to categorize Democrat U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota as soft-on-crime or anti-cop — but one of her top staffers most definitely was in favor of defunding the police, the Washington Free Beacon reported in February 2022. A year later Craig was violently attacked in the elevator of her Washington, D.C., apartment and soon spoke out against the lack of prosecution of violent crime repeat offenders. "I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning," she told CBS News, adding that "we have to think about how in the world can we make sure we're not just letting criminals out." Just hours after the attack, Craig voted against the new D.C. criminal code that would significantly soften criminal penalties in the nation's capital.


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Democratic NY state Senate candidate held anti-cop sign at BLM protest, claims he wasn't aware it read 'ACAB' — an acronym for 'All Cops Are Bastards'



A Democratic New York state Senate candidate held an anti-cop sign at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, and Christian Amato now claims he wasn't aware the sign read "ACAB" — an acronym for "All Cops Are Bastards," the New York Post reported.

What are the details?

Amato — a Bronx strategist and community organizer — held the sign during the BLM demonstration at the Loreto Playground in Morris Park, the paper said, citing a recently surfaced photo. The BLM protest was a counter-demonstration against a "Back the Blue" rally, the Post added.

St Senate candidate Christian Amato hold up a sign says ( A C A B) in street slang that translate into All Cops Are Bastards....\nThis was an BLM anarchist Anti police protest of Back the Blue rally held in Morris Park..pic.twitter.com/T8LU3vi8hA
— James B. Gisondi, Esq. (@James B. Gisondi, Esq.) 1649431460

Calling Amato a "weasel beyond belief,” Bronx resident Wayne Gurman — who took the photo of Amato at the protest — told the paper "it’s laughable that Amato is running for [state] Senate …"

Gurman — who runs the Facebook group BRONX STRONG — added to the Post that BLM protesters blasted infamous '80s rap song “F*** tha Police” during the hastily organized counter-demonstration.

A demonstrator standing next to Amato carried a sign that read “Blue Lives Don’t Matter," the paper said.

James Gisondi — a lawyer running in the Democratic primary for NY Senate District 36, the Post said — earlier this month tweeted the photo of Amato carrying the sign. On Sunday he tweeted a challenge to "all candidates for NY [state] senate 36th to join with me in demanding ... Christian Amato resign from community planning [board] #11 or be removed by the board or [borough] president."

What did Amato have to say?

Amato admitted to the paper that he held the “ACAB” sign but claimed he wasn't aware of what was on the sign when it was handed to him.

“Someone passed me the sign, and I didn’t know it said, ‘ACAB.’ I had no clue,” he noted to the Post. “I totally grabbed the sign in haste.”

Amato added to the paper that he joined the counter-protest because he believed it was "tone-deaf" to hold a pro-cop rally just days after George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis — a turn of events that ignited a summer of rioting, violence, and property destruction around the country.

“The officers deserve our respect. But we need our officers to be culturally cognitive,” Amato also told the Post. “When there is social unrest, it is not the best moment to hold an event. You have to read the room.”

Amato also told the paper that the "Back the Blue" demonstrators were unruly and angrily confronted and taunted the smaller number of Black Lives Matter protesters.

Here's a campaign video from Amato:

Christian Amato for State Senate youtu.be

The Post said the controversy over the “ACAB” sign follows the paper's recent report about a candidate for Democratic district leader in Brooklyn — rapper Noah Weston — who posted hateful messages on Twitter about police.

Self-proclaimed activist shares video threatening police funerals: 'I'm gonna f*** that s**t up. That'll make news ASAP.'



A self-proclaimed activist has gone viral for threatening to "f*** up" police funerals even as NYPD Detective Jason Rivera was being laid to rest.

Rivera and his partner were killed in an ambush-style attack last week as they responded to a call for a domestic dispute.

Tens of thousands of NYPD officers showed up for Rivera's final send-off, crowding the streets of New York City in order to pay their final respects to their brother in blue.

What are the details?

Activist Terrell Harper is reported to have shared the original video on his Instagram stories, which contained a photograph of the officers lining the streets of New York City.
In the video, a man identified by several news outlets can be heard saying, "That'd have been a wet dream to f*** that funeral up, bro."
"I can't wait," he added. "I'm looking for the next cop funeral. I'm gonna f*** it up, bro. I'm gonna f*** that s**t up. That'll make news ASAP."
Harper continued, "I’m f***ing their next funeral up. You n*****s better not die no time soon because I’m gonna f*** your funeral up … Son, that’s going to be my new threat to them. I can’t wait for one of you all to die so I can f*** your funeral up, n*****.”
Harper was accused of hurling racial slurs at an Asian NYPD officer in 2021, prompting a lawsuit.
According to the suit, Harper was recorded on video calling the officer a "god damn cat eater" and asked if he was goin to "Judo chop" him into submission.
"This was something that I never experienced before,” the officer told the Gothamist at the time. “I’ve never experienced this level of racism and hatred directly at me, directly at the Asian community.”
The New York Post reported that the NYPD is investigating the threats.

Harper's Instagram appears to be set to private at the time of this reporting.

Content warning: rough language

#BLM activist Terrell Harper posted a video threatening to \u201cf\u2014 up\u201d police funerals in New York. \n\nLast year, Harper was filmed making anti-Asian racist statements to Det. Vincent Cheung at a protest for black trans lives near Stonewall.pic.twitter.com/TG5blOLM7i
— Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1643717288

'Coffee, Corruption, Donuts': Cake celebrating cop's years of service uses decoration mocking police. Bakery says it was unintentional.



Tina Jones wanted to give her friend — a Philadelphia police officer — a cake to help him celebrate 25 years of service to the department, so she decided to have a local bakery decorate it for the occasion, WPVI-TV reported.

It was a pretty simple design: "Happy 25th Anniversary" written to the officer in blue atop white frosting, his badge number — and a Philadelphia police badge with the motto, "Honor, Integrity, Service," the station said.

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

What happened next?

After Jones got the cake from the Bakery House in Bryn Mawr, a Philly suburb, her officer friend was about to bring it into his office to share with colleagues when Jones noticed the three words on the badge were a tad different, WPVI noted.

The badge motto instead read, "Coffee, Corruption, Donuts," the station said.

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

"I wanted to cry because I'm like, 'I can't believe they did this,'" Jones later told WPVI. "That's so humiliating to put on someone's cake who is serving 25 years and in a not-so-easy job."

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

What did the bakery have to say?

Sandy Stauffer, owner of the Bakery House, told the station the offending badge decoration was used by mistake.

"My decorator is beyond upset; she's been crying all weekend, we all have been because it's mortifying," Stauffer noted to WPVI. "We are not the kind of business that would ever, ever disrespect [police]. Everyone should be respected; this was not done on purpose."

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

Stauffer explained to the station there were over 100 orders the decorator needed to complete, and Jones' order was near the end of the pile that day.

Image source: WPVI-TV video screenshot

But when the decorator saw the image of the badge Jones provided, the decorator thought it appeared too blurry to look good on a cake, WPVI reported. Stauffer explained to the station that the decorator then went online and found a crisper, clearer image of what appeared to be the same badge.

However, the chosen replacement image instead read, "Coffee, Corruption, Donuts."

Philly Voice called attention to the bakery's Facebook page apology posted Monday — which was not online Thursday afternoon — and the outlet said the apology indicated the decorator "did not see the fine print" on the badge.

The bakery posted an explanation Wednesday that includes more detail:

What we didn't realize was that the writing at the bottom of the badge had been altered on the Internet. Unfortunately neither the decorator nor the employee that boxed the cake noticed the alteration. On top of that the customer was shown the cake, and she didn't notice the issue with the image, either. Regrettably the cake made it to the table at the party for the officer. At some point a guest noticed the writing on the badge.

This was a horrific oversight on our part. The decorator of the cake is completely devastated. She has been with the bakery for several years, this is her career and she takes it very seriously, as everyone who works here does ... Many of our customers are members of the police force, and our staff has family members in the police and veterans of the armed forces. We respect their sacrifices and value everything they do for the community.

Stauffer added to WCAU that her staff is "tired" and has been "pushed because of the staffing situation," and it was an honest mistake.

"This bakery house respects what [police] do for their living, their job; they do a great job, and I'm sorry ... please don't ever think otherwise that we don't respect the police," she told WPVI.

Jones told WPVI the bakery offered her a full refund, but she declined: "I didn't want the money back ... I knew if I accepted the money back, it [would be] like, 'It was OK what you did,' and it wasn't."

Anything else?

According to Philly Voice, the same altered badge image was used by Philadelphia news station WCAU, which "mistakenly" ran it on the 5 p.m. news Feb. 11 for a story about city employees, including five police officers, who died from COVID-19.

The station's use of the altered badge had Commissioner Danielle Outlaw tweeting that while she accepted WCAU's apology, "mistakes such as these can tear away at our legitimacy, & can also diminish the work of our employees who risk their safety every day ..."

Amazon stands by the sale of 'Blue Lives Murder' apparel, wants to give customers 'widest possible selection' of goods



In the face of mounting criticism from law enforcement organizations, Amazon defended the sale of anti-police apparel on its online marketplace, saying it wants to provide customers "with the widest possible selection" of goods.

"We do not endorse the content of any particular book, video, or product," an Amazon spokeswoman told the Washington Free Beacon recently in response to questions regarding its continued sale of apparel marked with the slogan "Blue Lives Murder."

"We understand that some customers may find some products objectionable, and we provide customers with a variety of ways to engage and express their views, including through product reviews," the company added in a statement.

TheBlaze reported earlier this month that despite more than a year of repeated complaints from pro-police organizations, "Blue Lives Murder" products — such as a blue T-shirt being sold for $39.99, a black T-shirt, and face masks — were still available for purchase on Amazon's website.

Since then, it appears that a black baseball cap for $16.99 and an outdoor headscarf for $15.99 have been added to the list of options, though the Free Beacon reported that those products may be removed soon.

Amazon's refusal to remove the blatantly anti-police products stands in contrast to its swift removal of products deemed offensive to progressive figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris and movements such as the transgender ideology.

The tech giant has acted in the past to remove T-shirts mocking Harris and announced this year that it would no longer "sell books that frame LGBTQ+ identity as a mental illness" following its deplatforming of Ryan T. Anderson's bestseller, "When Harry Became Sally."

In February, Amazon pulled a documentary about conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during Black History Month without explanation. And in 2019, the company kowtowed to the progressive Council on American-Islamic Relations and removed a litany of products — including bath mats and doormats — considered offensive to Muslims.

Washington, D.C., Fraternal Order of Police President Gerald Neill Jr. blasted the company for its biased continued sale of the "hate items."

"Amazon has a role in society as an industry leader to set a high standard, and they're not doing that," he said. "I think Amazon is not being evenhanded."

In a letter sent last month, the Detectives' Endowment Association, New York City's detective union, slammed Amazon for putting cops "at peril and risk" by selling the "disgusting" items.

In calling for the removal of the products, the union's chief financial officer, Brian Olsavsky, pointed to Amazon's own policy that states the retailer does not allow products that "promote, incite, or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance, or promote organization with such views."

'Blue Lives Murder' apparel still being sold on Amazon despite outrage from law enforcement



Despite repeated complaints from law enforcement organizations, "Blue Lives Murder" apparel is still being sold on Amazon nearly a year after the brazen anti-police merchandise first showed up on the online marketplace, the New York Post reported over the weekend.

As of Monday, several items displaying the hateful slogan — including a blue T-shirt being sold for $39.99, a black T-shirt, and face masks being sold for $14.99 and under — were available for purchase on Amazon's website.

The continued presence of the apparel, along with other gear that displayed the message "Blue Lives Aren't Real," has reportedly prompted renewed outrage from law enforcement.

In a recent letter obtained by the Post, the Detectives' Endowment Association, New York City's detective union, slammed Amazon for continuing to list the "disgusting" items online, arguing that by doing so the company was putting cops "at peril and risk."

"It has come to my attention that your website is selling tee-shirts (sic) and other items emblazoned with the words 'Blue Lives Murder,'" the organization's Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky wrote in the letter. "It's disheartening that your company would allow this disgusting motto on your sales platform.

"[The apparel's] only purpose is to invite further division, hatred and violence toward the hard-working men and women of the nation's Police Departments, who are toiling every day to keep their communities safe," Olsavsky wrote. "To continue to hawk products emblazoned with this vile phrase puts the lives of Police Officers, and all law enforcement nationwide, at peril and risk."

In the letter, Olsavsky cited Amazon's own policy that states the retailer does not allow products that "promote, incite, or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance, or promote organization with such views."

He also reportedly emailed the letter to individual detectives, encouraging them to "adapt" it and send their own version to the retailer as part of a coordinated campaign.

In a statement to the Post, one Staten Island detective charged, "Amazon is perpetrating anti-police rhetoric. It is totally inaccurate. They should sell shirts that say, 'Blue Lives Save Lives.'"

Another detective from Brooklyn said, "They are hypocrites. They say they don't sell items that incite hatred. I can't think of an item that incites hatred more than these sweatshirts."

Last year, Blue Lives Matter NYC founder Sgt. Joe Imperatrice first sounded the alarm about the apparel being listed on Amazon. Almost 12 months later, the products are still listed.