Calling for unity, the New York City Council speaker delivered a message Tuesday in Manhattan in support of NYPD officers.
At a news conference at New York City Hall, Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito expressed condolences to the families of officers Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, who were slain Saturday as they sat in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Mark-Viverito called the attack by gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who then fatally shot himself, an "outrageous ambush."
"We unequivocally support, appreciate and value our police officers. We condemn any and all violence against them," said Mark-Viverito. "We must end hateful and divisive rhetoric which seeks to dehumanize officers."
Brooklyn Councilman Vincent Gentile then spoke, asking people to display blue lights in their windows in support of the NYPD. He also said that council members had been visiting their local precincts as a show of support.
"With heavy hearts, we will forever remember the ultimate sacrifice made by these two officers," added Bronx Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, who called Brinsley's actions cowardly.
Mark-Viverito expressed hope that a conversation will be had about how to move the city forward and for anti-NYPD protests to stop, at least for the time being.