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 The incident, which was caught on a widely circulated video,
caused outrage and reignited a debate over the police use of force
against men of color like Blake, whose father is black and mother is
white.
"No one should ever jump to an uninformed conclusion based upon a
few seconds of video," Patrick Lynch, president of the New York City
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, said in a statement titled "an
open letter to all of those inclined to jump to conclusions."
"Let all of the facts lead where they will, but police officers have
earned the benefit of the doubt because of the dangers we routinely
face, Lynch said."
Blake's attorney, Kevin Marino, called the letter "far worse than
nonsense" and said Lynch's defense of white officer James Frascatore
was damaging the reputation of his members.
"In attempting to justify Mr. Frascatore’s indefensible conduct by
reference to the risks and rigors of police work, Mr. Lynch badly
disserves himself and the many honorable officers he is sworn to
represent," Marino said in his written response. "Nothing about Mr.
Frascatore’s terrifying interaction with James Blake bore any
resemblance to due process of law."
Blake, 35, was outside of Manhattan's Grand Hyatt Hotel when he was
approached by Frascatore and other plainclothes officers and slammed
to the ground. He was waiting for a ride to tennis' U.S. Open in the
city's borough of Queens.
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Police have said Blake was wrongly identified by "a cooperating
witness" as being involved in selling fraudulently purchased
cellphones. They said that allegations of excessive force would be
investigated internally.
Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
have apologized to Blake.
(Reporting by Laila Kearney; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)
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