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De Blasio criticizes 'deeply divisive' protests

 
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked protesters to take a break.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked protesters to take a break.
Published Dec. 25, 2014

NEW YORK — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that anti-police protests after the killings of two officers are "deeply divisive."

The mayor said protests Tuesday came during a "period of remembrance" as two families coped with deep pain and the city mourned the deaths.

De Blasio said chants by fringe elements comparing police to the Ku Klux Klan were not the voices of a credible cause.

He called them "hateful words that attempt to divide this city in a time when we need to come together."

New York Police Department Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were ambushed Saturday by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, who later killed himself. He had said he was angry over the failure to indict white police officers in the killings of unarmed black men.

Despite calls from New York's governor, the city's mayor and others calling for restraint, hundreds of protesters marched through midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night, with some holding signs saying "Jail Killer Cops."

The protesters were mostly peaceful as they wound through the city's bustling shopping district.

Security was increased at some police stations in New York as authorities investigated threats made since the shootings, and at least four people were arrested over threats.

An 18-year-old who posted a threatening message on his Facebook profile was facing charges of terroristic threats, and man who walked into a police precinct and suggested he would punch officers was arrested, authorities said. Two Staten Island residents also were arrested in cases related to threats.

A wake for Ramos will be held Friday at Christ Tabernacle Church in Glendale, Bratton said. Ramos' family said he was deeply religious and heavily involved in the church. The funeral will be held there Saturday. Vice President Joe Biden said he plans to attend Ramos' funeral.

Liu's family was waiting for some members to travel to the U.S. from China before deciding on arrangements, Police Commissioner William Bratton said.