With Charlie Baker washing his hands of the mess he made in Massachusetts, a number of people are entering the race to become the next Governor – including a second-rate lawmaker who’s hitching her wagon to the failed anti-police campaign. How original.
State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz made headlines last week when the Boston Herald reported on one of her campaign staffers, organizing director Anthony Collins, who wore an anti-police ‘ACAB’ hat in his Twitter profile photo.
ACAB is an acronym for the phrase “All Cops are Bastards,” which has become the war cry of the Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of upstanding citizen George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. It’s even recognized as a form of hate speech by the anti-defamation league.
Chang-Diaz was called out by police unions and Republicans alike, but instead of acting like an adult, she decided to double down and spew more anti-police bullshit.
“I don’t agree with every sentiment my staffers hold, but if the GOP and police unions were actually concerned about chronic distrust of police in Black and brown communities, they would spend their time holding their officers accountable — not scrutinizing my staff’s social media photos and looking the other way on police brutality,” the Jamaica Plain Democrat told the Herald in a statement.
The police unions are no longer sitting back and taking a beating like they did last year. They’re getting back into the fight and firing back at the anti-police politicians who stomp their feet and throw temper tantrum, but don’t bring any actual polices or solutions to the the table.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association responded, “A simple apology would’ve gone along way, Sonia. Let’s face it, your staffer made a mistake. That hate worn was offense to law enforcement. But instead of taking accountability, you chose to circle the wagons. Interesting.”
“The Boston Police Superior Officers Federation stands with our fellow Law Enforcement Unions across the Commonwealth in condemning State Senator Diaz’s blatant disrespect and disregard towards our members and fellow union brothers and sisters,” the union said. “To defend a term that is so blatantly hateful and divisive simply shows that our members are under attack not just by small fringe groups but also by our own elected officials who care more about soundbites than public safety.”
“It’s a shame that a person associated with an elected official would choose such an ignorant statement, but we respect everyone’s rights and their Constitutional right to free speech,” said State Police Association of Massachusetts President Michael Cherven in a statement.
MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons told the Herald the ACAB phrase is “consistent with the messaging of the radical Democratic Party, which is: defund the police, treat people who are out on the street protecting us with disrespect and indicate that the rule of law doesn’t matter.”
The first ‘A’ in ‘ACAB’ stands for the word ‘all.’ Merriam-Webster defines ‘all’ as an adjective meaning “every member or individual component of.” By failing to denounce her staffer, Chang-Diaz, too, must believe all cops are bastards.
The hundreds of police officers who rushed toward danger at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013 – they’re all bastards, according to Sonia.
MIT Police Officer Sean Collier is a bastard, according to Sonia.
Boston Police Officer Dennis ‘DJ’ Simmonds is a bastard, according to Sonia.
Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon is a bastard, according to Sonia.
Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna is a bastard, according to Sonia.
Worcester Police Officer Manny Familia is a bastard, according to Sonia.
This really isn’t unexpected. She’s one of the clowns who helped write the rushed police reform legislation last year which has been nothing but a disaster. (Surprise, surprise!) By the way, thanks Charlie for your signature!
Apparently Chang-Diaz hasn’t realized the anti-police movement has been nothing but a bust. Politically liberal cities have been reversing course on cutting police funding amid a spike in violence.
In Minneapolis, the forefront of the national movement to cut police budgets, the city council this month voted to restore funding to nearly the same level before Floyd was killed. This comes after Minneapolis residents last month rejected a ballot measure to replace the city’s police department with a public safety agency.
In San Francisco, the mayor this week announced a series of initiatives to address the spike in crime and open-air drug dealing. She called for more officers to be deployed to strengthen public safety as rampart retail theft and smash-and-grab robberies suffocate the city.
“It’s time the reign of criminals who are destroying our city, it is time for it to come to an end,” Mayor London Breed said, vowing “to be more aggressive with law enforcement…and less tolerant of all the bullshit that has destroyed our city.”
The mayor said next month she’s going to ask county supervisors for more money to pay for additional police overtime and to increase the department’s budget.
In neighboring Oakland, California this month, the city council, a longtime leader in the Black Lives Matter movement to cut police funding, voted to hire more officers as the city grapples with a surge in homicides and gun violence. The mayor has proposed adding two new police academies and unfreezing positions within the department to add 60 new officers.
Last month, the city council in Portland, Oregon did an about-face on police funding after cutting the public safety budget following last summer’s protests. The city council unanimously passed a budget that increased the current $240 million budget by $5.2 million.
So Sonia, you’re going to piggy back on the failed the anti-police movement? Really? Get with the times, hunny. That’s so last year.