Integrity.

I have read articles from various news sources that a number of officers turned their backs on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio as he made remarks at officer, Wenjian Liu’s funeral, who was killed by an angry protester in the aftermath of many police brutality amongst African-American men. The most recent and popular case was Michael Brown, an unarmed Black male who was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson.

It is always a shame when innocent lives are taken as a result of another person’s wrong doing, which is a vague statement to make because who knows how much pain we cause to others as a result from our wrong doings? But, that is an arguement for another time. The issue at hand is the lack of integrity police officers showed at a funeral of one of their comrades.

The officers who turned their backs to Mayor Blasio showed that the funeral was less about grieving, respect, and condolecents to Liu’s family–and more about their personal issues with Blasio. The officers who turned their backs showed as less integrity as protestors who loot the streets. There is a time and place for protesting, and a funeral should not be on the list of times and places.