Earlier today, Karen wrote about Donald Trump's plans to attend the funeral of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller and mourn with his family. Officer Diller was shot and killed by Guy Rivera, a career criminal with 21 prior arrests for assault and drug crimes. Rivera was repeatedly released through New York City's revolving door that passes for a legal system. Attending the funeral is a natural call for Trump to make as he continues to push for enhancements to law enforcement and support for the police. There are some other notable politicians who probably won't be at the funeral however, provided they take the advice of the NYPD. The New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association has issued a warning to the City Council to stay away from the funeral if they know what's good for them. They are blaming the people responsible for kneecapping the police for Officer Diller's death, along with so many other New Yorkers who have been injured or killed by career criminals who are never held accountable for their crimes. (NY Post)

The New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association has warned city council members to skip slain Officer Jonathan Diller’s funeral this weekend – and accused them of being complicit in his death through their “twisted ideology” on policing.

SBA President Vincent J. Vallelong wrote Wednesday that city council members who show up to the Saturday morning service would “shed a few crocodile tears” and use the event as a “good photo opportunity.”

“The Council members who are vehemently and inexplicably against public safety are responsible for the carnage in the streets and the heartbreak brought about by PO Diller’s completely avoidable death,” Vallelong insisted.

The SBA was nothing short of scathing in their warning to the City Council. They said that their anger is being directed at "those who have forsaken the rules and systems of law, thereby emboldening the criminal element to unprecedented proportions.” SBA President Vincent J. Vallelong described the previous condolences of council members as "hollow and untrue." The message was reminiscent of the time in 2015 when the NYPD collectively turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio when he dared to show up and attempt to speak at the funeral of a fallen officer. 

The NYPD has more than ample reasons to point the finger of blame at the City Council. New York City was one of the nation's hotbeds of demands to defund or "reimagine" policing. They fought to empty the jails of all but the worst of the worst and showed more sympathy for career criminals than their many victims who continue to litter the streets and the subways. Guy Rivera was one such criminal. Despite a crime spree spanning more than a decade, he was put back on the streets each and every time he was arrested. How many of his assault victims could have been spared their ordeals if he had been properly dealt with? Only now, after murdering a cop in cold blood while he was performing in the line of duty will Rivera finally be put away. But the move comes too late for Jonathan Diller.

Diller leaves behind a wife and a one-year-old son. That baby will be lucky if he can even remember his father's face in the years to come. The family will have the support of the police force, of course, but that's obviously not a replacement for the man himself. The widow will almost certainly summon the strength to attend the funeral, but it won't be easy and it won't be quick. NYPD funerals tend to be massive affairs that close down major streets for hours as the vehicles and attending officers roll by. The entire force that's not actively on duty tends to show up in uniform and solemnly salute as the funeral procession passes. Many of the city's residents who have more of a soul than the defunders and the City Council will show up as well. 

Will this tragedy finally be enough for the rest of those people to wake up and act responsibly? Their efforts to defund and defang the NYPD led to a large number of officers leaving the force in disgust. They've never fully recovered to the required manpower levels even after most of their funding was restored. Meanwhile, the bodies continue to pile up in the streets and subways. New York City is not a safe place, particularly in the current era. They need a strong police force and the police need the full support of the community and the municipal government if they don't want Gotham to turn into a scene from The Terminator.