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 The campaign follows harsh criticism of de Blasio by Patrick
Lynch, the head of the union, who said the mayor had failed to
support the police after a grand jury decided against indicting a
white officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
Since the grand jury decision on Dec. 3, protesters have taken to
New York streets to vent their anger over Garner's death in July and
to call for reforms in how police use force.
New York City Patrolmen's Benevolent Association posted a form on
its website, for members to sign, that requests that de Blasio and
City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito keep away from funeral
services should an officer die in the line of duty.
The mayor and other senior city officials traditionally attend the
funerals of fallen officers.
 The form, entitled "Don't Insult My Sacrifice," accused the pair of
"consistent refusal to show police officers the support and respect
they deserve."
In response, de Blasio and Mark-Viverito released a joint statement
saying the union's campaign was divisive. “Incendiary rhetoric like
this serves only to divide the city, and New Yorkers reject these
tactics,” local media quoted them as saying in the statement.
De Blasio has made it clear that he is concerned by Garner's death
and how police treat African-Americans in general. Immediately after
the grand jury's decision in the Garner case, the mayor said he had
warned his bi-racial son Dante to take special caution in any
dealings with police officers.
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On Saturday night, following an incident during which police said
two officers were assaulted by protesters, the mayor condemned the
violence which he said marked "an ugly and unacceptable departure
from the demonstrations thus far."
"Those who reject peaceful protest and provoke violence can expect
immediate arrest and prosecution," de Blasio warned.
Largely peaceful protests have taken place nightly in major U.S.
cities since a grand jury returned a no indictment decision after a
white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed Michael
Brown, an unarmed black teenager, in August. The protests have
intensified since the decision on the Garner case and other police
shootings in New York and Cleveland.
(Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by
Susan Fenton)
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