The Rev. Al Sharpton and other so-called civil rights leaders incited the climate that led to
two cops being shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department, former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard Kerick says.
Yet, hypocritically, none of these leaders has said a single word about three African American officers being killed this year, Kerick said Thursday on "The Steve Malzberg Show" on
Newsmax TV.
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"There's a number of people responsible for the climate. In my opinion, the civil rights leaders, you know Al Sharpton is one, that instigated, that incited [this]," Kerik said.
"Since Jan. 1, three law enforcement officers have been shot and killed. Every one of them has been black. [One] was a U.S. marshal who works for the Department of Justice.
"I haven't heard Al Sharpton or any of these so-called civil rights leaders or any of these other leaders that have been pushing for these protests … calling for justice … calling for protests concerning these attacks. To people … [dealing] with the dangers of law enforcement, that's pretty annoying."
The two officers were shot as demonstrators gathered after the Ferguson, Missouri, police chief resigned following the release of a Justice Department report which alleged racial bias in the police force.
The cops — one shot in the face below his right eye, the other in the shoulder — both survived and are not expected to suffer permanent damage.
The shootings capped seven months of racial unrest in Ferguson following the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, by white police officer Darren Wilson, who was cleared of criminal charges and civil-rights violations. Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and other civil-rights advocates have been in the spotlight for criticizing the police and encouraging protests.
On Thursday, Sharpton attempted to put distance between the ongoing protests in Ferguson, Missouri and the shootings of two police officers, saying that he doesn't believe anybody he knows who is involved in the protests would condone such an act of violence.
"We're not saying the protesters did anything with the shooting or not," Sharpton, an MSNBC host,
told the "Morning Joe" show. "We don't know. But absolutely, unequivocally, no one I know involved in the protests or the [Michael] Brown family would condone shooting at police, shooting police, and hopefully these two policemen, or any other violence."
Kerik — who has also served as the former Interim Minister of Interior of Iraq — said nobody objects to peaceful protests.
"We see them occur in Ferguson and around the country, but Ferguson and New York City and multiple other cities around the country have also seen so-called peaceful protests that were extremely aggressive toward the public and toward the police," he said.
"This is another demonstration of one of those protests where you have people in the crowd that are dead set against attacking the police, attacking the general public.
"This is a terrible, horrific, heinous crime. I'm confident that the Missouri police will hold those accountable, will catch those responsible."
He added, attacks on law enforcement officers have increased "since the civil rights leaders, so-called leaders, in this country have urged these protests around the nation."
Kerik said that going forward, police agencies are going to have to anticipate attacks on its officers.
"I'm sure you're going to see a different response. I'm sure you're going to see a different amount of preparation. Peaceful protesters will be dealt with in one manner, but the police have to protect themselves," Kerik said.
"They also have to protect those protestors and the community, and unfortunately for us in many of these scenarios, the peaceful protestors, they're incited by others that come from with outside the community."
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