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Former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly Calls Black Lives Matter "Silly"
By
Scott Heins
Published Aug 7, 2016
Modified Aug 7, 2016
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By
Scott Heins
Published Aug 7, 2016
Modified Aug 7, 2016
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This weekend, former NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly took a break from polishing his favorite nightstick, "Ol Beaty," and lodged some grade-A angry old man insults at the Black Lives Matter movement. "I think these demonstrations are counter-productive, they're silly," Kelly said.
Speaking on John Gambling's AM 970 radio show, Kelly specifically addressed last week's demonstrations outside City Hall, during which protesters organized in part by Millions March NYC called for the divestment of the NYPD, paid reparations to the families of victims of police shootings, and the resignation of Commissioner Bill Bratton (the last of which actually happened).
When asked, Kelly characterized the protests as "so ridiculous and myopic. If there's on group that's concerned about black lives more than any other group it clearly is the police department not only in New York City but really throughout America." He also complained that rallies and marches criticizing police conduct can really "depress" working cops.
"[Police] think they're doing a good job, and then you see these demonstrations," he said.
It's worth noting that that under Kelly's leadership, NYPD officers routinely violated New Yorkers' constitutional rights.
Speaking with the Daily News, Erica Garner, whose unarmed father was killed in police custody on Staten Island in 2014, said "Ray Kelly is scared, as he should be. Scared that a new day is on the horizon."
"Black Lives Matter is civilizing America. We should salute them," she told the tabloid.
Later in his interview, Kelly—who now makes an undisclosed salary as an executive at K2 Intelligence—blamed some cities' rising crime rates on the so-called "Ferguson effect," in which officers frightened by investigations and national calls for justice apparently refrain from doing their pledged duty of policing neighborhoods and keeping civilians safe. Kelly also reiterated his affection for stop-and-frisk. "Stopping and questioning people who are acting suspiciously," is "perfectly reasonable and authorized in the law," he said.
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black lives matter
Ray Kelly
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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