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Please Let Police Arrest You, De Blasio Advises
By
Lauren Evans
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
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By
Lauren Evans
Published Aug 14, 2014
Modified Aug 14, 2014
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Mayor de Blasio dispensed some important advice yesterday to future arrestees: When an officer decides to cuff you, don't resist! This does seem to be where the trouble starts.
"When a police officer comes to the decision that it’s time to arrest someone, that individual is obligated to submit to arrest,” he said during a press conference in Harlem yesterday. “They will then have every opportunity for due process in our court system.”
The plea was an echo of an earlier statement made by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who told WNYC's Brian Lehrer that "the place to argue your case is in court, not in the middle of the street.”
De Blasio has first-hand experience with the issue—he was cuffed himself during his time as public advocate, during a protest deriding the closure of Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn. He was released shortly after and charged with disorderly conduct.
Charges of resisting arrest have shrunk five percent this year compared to last year, though several videos of violent altercations between cops and arrestees have surfaced since the death of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died after he was put in a chokehold by police.
De Blasio also dismissed rumors that he was prepared to dump Bratton in the event that relations between the commissioner and Reverend Al Sharpton grew too tense.
“We are blessed to have Bill Bratton as our commissioner,” de Blasio said. “He and I are absolutely united in our approach to fighting crime and bringing police and community together. We share a vision.”
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Lauren Evans
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