Statement of PBA President Patrick J. Lynch on the Illegal Trespass Demonstration in the Lobby of the Building That Houses the Union's Headquarters

President Patrick J. Lynch said:

“Today's protest was a display of misdirected and misinformed anger that should have been pointed at City Hall, not the police officers who were on hand to protect the demonstrators' First Amendment rights. We always have protected that right and we always will, provided it is done peacefully and legally. Chaining yourself inside private property and refusing to disperse when ordered is not legal. The climate police officers face is growing more dangerous by the day. Police officers are being shot at; that's not 'dialogue,' it's violence. We need our elected leaders to step up and say unequivocally that violent and illegal behavior will not be tolerated, and to support police officers, period.”