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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) declined repeatedly Sunday to judge the decision of a grand jury that did not indict a white police officer for killing an unarmed black man.
Instead, de Blasio distanced himself from the specifics of Eric Garner’s death and emphasized instead that it is important to confront the racial aspects behind the relationships that police form with communities.
{mosads}“As an executive in public service I think it’s important to respect the judicial process,” de Blasio told George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”
Pressed, de Blasio repeated that he wants to “respect the process,” including the investigations still under way by the New York Police Department and the Justice Department into the killing.
“I respect that the federal government will have its own investigation, NYPD will have an investigation as well and will come to its own judgment,” he said.
De Blasio pivoted to race relations as a whole, saying that there are obvious systemic problems in the United States.
“We have to have an honest conversation about the problem that has caused parents to feel their children may be in danger in their dynamics with police when the police are there to protect them,” he said.
De Blasio has frequently referred to his son, Dante, when talking about racial tensions with police. He told Stephanopoulos that he and his wife have instructed Dante, who is half black, to be extra cautious when dealing with officers.
But he also stressed that he is not throwing police under the bus when he talks about his son.
He also disagreed strongly with Rudy Giuliani, one of his predecessors, who said that the black community bears just as much responsibility as police, if not more, for the racial tensions.
“I think he fundamentally misunderstands the reality,” de Blasio said.
“We’re trying to bring police and community together. There is a problem here. There is a rift here that has to be overcome.”