NEW YORK, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- In response to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's comments regarding the grand jury decision not to indict an officer in the killing of Eric Garner, New York City's police union is encouraging its members to ban the mayor from their funerals.
The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association has created a form for officers to fill out requesting the mayor be banned from their funeral if they are killed on duty.
De Blasio has spoken in favor of the 'Black Lives Matter' slogan and the protesters involved, and the police union doesn't feel the mayor is supporting them.
Eric Garner was a 43-year-old black man who was allegedly selling loose cigarettes on the street when NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo grabbed him around his neck and brought him to the ground. He died from lack of oxygen, and the police department is investigating whether Panataleo did indeed use a banned chokehold maneuver.
The New York City Medical Examiner's office ruled Garner's death a homicide. The grand jury overseeing the case decided not to indict the officer.
The form the police union is providing, titled 'Don't Insult My Sacrifice,' reads as follows:
'I, _____________________, as a New York City police officer, request that Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito refrain from attending my funeral services in the event that I am killed in the line of duty. Due to Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito's consistent refusal to show police officers the support and respect they deserve, I believe that their attendance at the funeral of a fallen New York City police officer is an insult to that officer's memory and sacrifice.'
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