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Borough president wants PBA apology

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is coming to the mayor's defense following recent criticism by PBA officials. Diaz Jr. is calling on Patrick Lynch, the head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association,

News 12 Staff

Dec 16, 2014, 2:27 AM

Updated 3,658 days ago

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Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is coming to the mayor's defense following recent criticism by PBA officials.
Diaz Jr. is calling on Patrick Lynch, the head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, to apologize for urging police officers to disinvite Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to funerals for officers killed in the line of duty.
"This rhetoric, demanding that Mayor de Blasio and Speaker Mark-Viverito stay away from the funerals of fallen police officers-heroes killed in the line of duty, is both beyond the limits of reasonable discourse and frankly embarrassing," Diaz released in a statement.
Lynch told officers to download and sign a petition that asked the mayor and the speaker to stay away from the funerals. The flier states their "consistent refusal to show police officers the support and respect they deserve" was the catalyst for the PBA's decision. The move was sparked in the wake of the Eric Garner grand jury decision.