Former FBI profiler Jim Clemente comments on the recent New York police protests that targeted the NYPD in the wake of the recent gunning down of two officers in the city.
Clemente gives his opinion that the protests – which some have blamed on triggering the latest killings of the two officers – in part included racist slogans chanted by marchers after the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
“That is absolutely not appropriate – that is hate-speech. They’re saying, ‘What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it, now!’ That kind of speech is what the U.S. Supreme Court has constantly said is fighting words or hate-speech, it’s not protected by the First Amendment,” he said.
On Mayor Bill de Blasio’s handling of the protests and latest police killings, Clemente said he believes he was trying to politically play both sides during a difficult situation.
“I think he was trying to balance his statements, and I think he was trying to make sure that he didn’t incite riots, that he didn’t disenfranchise groups of people that feel disenfranchised. So I think the mayor was being political and I think he probably did the right thing.”
Clemente adds that he believes the inflammatory statements by the police union against the mayor in the case were misstated in order to gain maximum press coverage for their cause. “I think they’re gearing up for a fight, they want to fight head-to-head with the mayor, and they want the mayor to do more to protect their image and what they do.”
Watch the full episode to also hear a conversation about the recent admission by 7th Heaven star Stephen Collins that he had engaged in sex abuse of a child in the past.
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