After shootings of police officers, New York officials try to ease tensions

Mayor Bill de Blasio called for protestors to pause demonstrations after police Commissioner William Bratton said the killing of two officers was a ‘direct spinoff’ of protests.

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Officials in New York are attempting to “bring down the temperature,” as Gov. Andrew Cuomo put it, in the aftermath of the shooting death of two New York City police officers.

Protests continue in New York and throughout the country over deaths caused by police officers in Cleveland, in New York and in Ferguson, Missouri. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio asked Monday that protestors suspend their demonstrations until the two slain officers, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, are laid to rest at funerals later this week.

In remarks at a police association luncheon, and later in a press conference, de Blasio tried to strike a balance. On one side are cops who openly blame protestors for the shootings of the officers; on the other are largely peaceful demonstrators.

De Blasio tweeted a video of his remarks at the luncheon, framed by a message of safety for officers:

If you hear or see a threat against the NYPD, call 911 and report it immediately. http://t.co/6oS6aQlPij

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