New York Mayor Bill de Blasio held a moment of silence at 2:47 p.m. EST on Tuesday to "honor the memories" of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu at City Hall.
The mayor's office, the NYPD and the FDNY called on all New Yorkers to join him in the moment of silence, which is taking place at the time the officers were shot and killed on Saturday.
Mayor de Blasio with wife Chirlane McCray about to have a moment of silence for Ramos and Liu. pic.twitter.com/wljcU1vN3g— Danielle Tcholakian (@danielleiat) December 23, 2014
Moment of silence for the two #NYPD officers killed three days ago to the minute. Thoughts and prayers. pic.twitter.com/f7D8b2CmtI— Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) December 23, 2014
Please join us and all other New Yorkers in taking a moment of silence in honoring NYPD Police Officers Liu & Ramos. Thank you.— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) December 23, 2014
Ramos and Liu were "assassinated" while they sat in their patrol car on Saturday by a gunman who said he wanted to kill cops, NYPD chief William Bratton said, in twisted retribution for the recent police-involved deaths of young black men. "I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours, Let's Take 2 of Theirs," one of the gunman's recent Instagram posts read, authorities said.
De Blasio will hold the moment of silence as New York's police seethe over what one union leader said was blood on the mayor's hands for various recent comments and actions that have scapegoated them.
At 2:47 p.m. today, the FDNY will observe a moment of silence in memory of @NYPDnews Officers Rafael Ramos & Wenjian Liu.— FDNY (@FDNY) December 23, 2014
The fatal shooting of two New York City police officers only widened a rift between Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police department, and NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said Monday morning that the mayor has lost the trust of "some officers."
But Bratton also defended de Blasio, who brought him back to New York this year to serve a second stint as commissioner. When asked on NBC's Today show whether de Blasio's words or deeds had increased the threat of violence toward police officers, Bratton responded: "I don't believe that at all."
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio also called on protesters to suspend all demonstrations in the city until after the funerals of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, stating "it's a time for everyone to put aside political debates, put aside protests."
"I would ask that any organization that were planning gatherings for politics or protests — that could be for another day."
Instead of protesting, de Blasio offered a suggestion: "Take a moment when you see a police officer to thank them and console them."
This morning, Ferguson Action released a statement that expressed condolences for the officers who were killed but disavowed de Blasio's plea, calling it an effort to "silence the cries for justice."
"The problem isn’t the diverse voices that participate in dissent, a cornerstone of our democracy," the statement, which was signed by more than a dozen other action groups, read.
"The problem is a discriminatory pattern of police violence that continues unabated and that police brass don’t care to stop it."