Statement by Rev Al Sharpton on comments made about him by PBA President Pat Lynch and SBA President Ed Mullins

Al Sharpton: “It is time to have a mature conversation about policing rather than immature name calling and childish attempts to scapegoat.
Within the realm of criminal justice my credibility and that of the National Action Network is well established.

Even the President of the United States and the United States Attorney General spoke at our convention here in New York in April and both have participated in several prior conventions.

Therefore, my visit to City Hall was not exactly the highlight of my year or necessary to accreditate our views.

We have called for a fair and impartial federal investigation to provide the public and the Garner family with results. If other parties feel that the evidence will support their view of events then they should support us in a fair, independent investigation and allow the facts to come out.

To say that only people with guns call us shows the reckless and immature manner in which some parties want to engage. The fact is that all of the people we stood up for--from Sean Bell to Trayvon Martin, to Amadou Diallo-- those people did not have guns, but their shooters did.

Again, we will continue to pursue a fair federal investigation to determine where the facts lie and to advocate for policies that do not enforce policing differently according to zip code. We will address this issue at a closed meeting of local leadership in the morning, after which I will speak to press.”

-Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network


The Two Stories Below are what Sharpton now responds too.

Story #1: Eric Garner Was Not Put in a Chokehold, Police Unions Say


Police union bosses Pat Lynch, of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association (C) and Sergeants Benevolent Association Ed Mullins vehemently denied that police used a chokehold during their arrest of Eric Garner.

Story by DNAInfo
Written by Nicole Bode, Mathew Katz and Trevor Kapp

CIVIC CENTER — The city's police unions vehemently denied Tuesday that Eric Garner was put in a chokehold during an arrest before his death — following a firestorm of criticism of the department they say has been fanned by mayor Bill de Blasio's rush to judgment in the incident.

"It was not a chokehold," Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Pat Lynch said Tuesday at a press conference at the union's headquarters. "He was a big man who had to be brought to the ground to be placed under arrest by shorter police officers."

"Sometimes the use of force is necessary. But it's never pretty to watch," Lynch said.

Lynch, who was flanked by Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins and other police union members, also rejected the video of the incident and the city Medical Examiner's autopsy report that called Garner's July 18 death a homicide and said it was caused by a chokehold.

"I've never seen a document that was more political than that press release released by the [Medical Examiner's] office," Lynch said. "We spoke with experts who had never seen it released the way it was, without the facts behind it, without the Medical Examiner's report and in parentheses, 'Chokehold.' That's not a medical term."

Lynch also took aim at de Blasio for not backing the department.

"The mayor needs to support New York City police officers unequivocally. He needs to say it, and he needs to say it forcefully ... It is outrageously insulting to all police officers [to suggest] that we go out on our streets to choke people of color," he said.

Lynch did not mention NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, who said after Garner's death that the arrest involved what would "appear to have been a chokehold." But he added that an investigation would determine what happened.

Lynch and Mullins were angered that the mayor included Rev. Al Sharpton at a City Hall round table about the Garner incident, saying the controversial civil rights advocate has no place in the discussion.

"Sharpton gets to determine the direction of justice in this city ... It's completely wrong," Mullins said, adding that there might be slowdowns in response time as police rank and file become more concerned about following protocol to the letter.

Lynch added that Sharpton, whose past clashes with the NYPD have pitted him against police commissioners and mayors alike, doesn't belong in a discussion about police tactics, saying that's a job for elected officials.

"I do not believe [Sharpton] has credibility…he doesn't have the right to make up facts," Lynch said. "The only one that'll dial Al Sharpton is someone who just got locked up with a gun and wants to be saved."

De Blasio, who spoke at a simultaneous but unrelated press conference at Office of Emergency Management emergency operations center, said he is awaiting the results of an ongoing investigation, and supported the NYPD.

"I have an immense respect for the men and women of the NYPD. They have a tough job and they do it very well," de Blasio said.

But he said the criticisms of the police unions would not sway him.

"Union leaders will say what union leaders say," de Blasio said. "We have a job to do, we're going to do our job. I don't let the rhetoric of union leaders get in the way of getting our job done."

There's a full investigation underway. There will be a legal process…then the department will make its decisions," de Blasio added.

Sharpton also weighed in on Lynch's comments.

“It is time to have a mature conversation about policing rather than immature name calling and childish attempts to scapegoat," Sharpton said in an email statement. "To say that only people with guns call us, shows the reckless, immature manner in which some parties want to engage, because the fact is that all of the people who have called on us, who we have stood up for, from Sean Bell to Trayvon Martin to Amadou Diallo, those people did not have guns, but their shooters did."


Story #2: Police Union Chief Rips Sharpton; Says There Was No Chokehold On Garner

By Allison Fox

Eric Garner was confronted by police trying to arrest him on suspicion of selling untaxed, loose cigarettes on a Staten Island sidewalk, authorities said.

The head of the Patrolman's Benevolent Association, Patrick Lynch, said the union will provide experts in the use of force to prove that a chokehold was not the cause of Eric Garner's death while in police custody last month.

Lynch also attacked the credibility of Al Sharpton, the most vocal critic of the NYPD since the incident.

Lynch called the medical examiner's report, which determined Garner's death was a homicide, "political," alleging an absence of medical facts.
"We will defend these police officers," Lynch said during a news conference at the PBA's headquarters Tuesday. "This was not a chokehold." "We will get medical examiners to go over this autopsy when it is finally released," he added.

Lynch questioned Sharpton's credibility and the attention he's been given. "I do not believe he has credibility. I believe he has an opinion," Lynch said. "He shouldn't have the right to sit at the lead table at City Hall and stir up the streets where it becomes dangerous for police officers."

In response to Lynch's comments, Sharpton said in a statement: "It is time to have a mature conversation about policing rather than immature name calling and childish attempts to scapegoat. ... We have called for a fair and impartial federal investigation to provide the public and the Garner family with results. If other parties feel that the evidence will support their view of events then they should support us in a fair, independent investigation and allow the facts to come out."

Lynch said "pundits" are proliferating an anti-police attitude, encouraging people to fight back. "Now it is fashionable to resist arrest," he said. "It has to stop today."

Staten Island police tried to arrest Garner on July 17 for allegedly selling individual, untaxed cigarettes -- or "loosies." During the incident, which was caught on video, one of the officers placed Garner in a chokehold before bring him down to the ground.

Garner, who died shortly after, can be heard gasping on the video, "I can't breathe."

Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, said selling individual cigarettes is not a "victimless crime." "We don't get to pick the laws, we enforce them," he said. "Going forward, members of the NYPD, we want you to do your job, we want you to follow the rule book the way it's written."

Lynch then slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying he hasn't thrown his full support behind police. "It think the mayor needs to support New York City police officers. Unequivocally say it. And unequivocally say resisting arrest hurts everyone -- police officers and citizens alike -- and it will not be tolerated," Lynch said. "He needs to say it and he needs to say it forcefully. Police officers do not feel that they're getting the support that they need for the job that they do."

De Blasio called the city's medical examiner's office "the gold standard in this country" and said its "scientific" answers should be respected above all else. He said criticism from anyone, including union leaders like Lynch, comes with the territory.

"We have a job to do," he said. "We're going to do our job. I don't let the rhetoric of union leaders stand in the way of getting the job done."