By Sasha Gonzales and Kevin Deutsch
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A fraternal organization representing many NYPD service members of color has come out against PBA President Patrick Lynch’s political endorsement of President Trump, saying the union’s public backing of the incumbent showed a “lack of respect.”
“Our membership has made it clear…we do not agree with the PBA decision to make this endorsement,” read a statement posted online by the Guardians Association, the premier law enforcement organization representing the interests and concerns of NYPD members of color.
The group said its members believe the PBA’s move “undermines every police officer’s ability to remain neutral and nonpartisan in the eyes of the public…A political endorsement of this magnitude can inhibit our capacity to foster relationships with all stakeholders.”
Lynch and the PBA formally endorsed Trump at an August rally for the president, the first time the powerful police union has endorsed a presidential candidate. Lynch also spoke on the final night of the Republican National Convention, warning viewers they “won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America.”
An overwhelming majority of American police who voted in the 2016 election cast ballots for Trump, polls showed.
Lynch’s endorsement comes amid widespread uprisings against police violence, including shootings that routinely leave Black and brown Americans dead.