The Oakland Police Officers Association has joined police unions in San Francisco and San Jose in condemning recent violence in anti-police protests across the Bay Area and the nation, singling out “politicians and media pundits” for their “vilification of front-line public servants.”
The joint statement, which was published earlier this week, is an open letter to Bay Area residents and expresses the anguish and outrage of police officers who are “shaken to the core” by apparent revenge killings of police.
While the recent protests against perceived racism in the justice system are “a legitimate expression of our First Amendment traditions,” there has been little acknowledgment that rightful protest “has devolved into vilification and violence against this nation’s front-line public safety servants.” The unions say that Bay Area officers have witnessed local protests “degenerate into violence, destruction and mob rule,” where legitimate and peaceful messages are “hijacked by shameful cowards.”
The letter promises residents that police will continued to do their jobs regardless, though it is a struggle at times to maintain a “dignified silence” when confronted by such provocation. It calls for a “common sense approach to very complete issues.”
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