Outgoing NYPD department chief Terence Monahan said Friday that he knelt with Black Lives Matter protesters in June – amid violent, anti-police riots in the Big Apple – because some protesters “did not want to fight the police” and ” embrace change.”
Monahan was questioned Friday morning about the controversial gesture on FOX 5’s Good Day New York when he announced to leave the NYPD and work as a senior consultant at City Hall.
“Last year was the toughest year anyone faced in policing, ”Monahan said. “The challenges men and women of this agency went through were astronomical. Events during the summer – I knelt down with people who were ready not to fight the police but to adopt change and come together. ”
He said, “And that’s all.” “We cannot fight against each other. It cannot be one side against the other. To bring this city back, we all have to work together as New Yorkers, not as one side vs. the other. “
Monahan gestured during demonstrations outside Washington Square Park in June, where he also addressed the crowd – praying for the end of the violence that sparked protests over the police-death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“There is not one police officer who thinks Minnesota was fair,” he said. “We can’t fight. We have to live here. this is our house. “
He was also featured in photographs hugging the protesters.
Mayor Bill de Blasio praised Monahan for “a very tense situation in Washington Square Park”.
“I know him,” said Hizoner at the time. “I know his heart – he is doing his best not only to keep this city safe but to change the NYPD.”
But Monahan was criticized for his decision to kneel, including Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevent Association.
“Police for 39 years?” Mullins Tweeted on thursday, Along with a photo of the official kneeling of the police, sharing the announcement of Monahan’s retirement. “What he meant to say is that he was on his knees for 39 years and had to leave because he has many CCRB complaints from peaceful protests, which would put De Blasio to shame.
Monahan is expected to be grilled next week by the CCRB on police tactics during summer demonstrations.
After retirement, Monahan will serve as de Blasio’s senior advisor for recovery, security and planning.
Rodney Harrison, chief of detectives, will be the new head of the department.
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