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New York Post
‘Hypocritical’ anti-cop NYC council members plead for NYPD protection after receiving ‘scary’ threats
By Amanda Woods, Larry Celona, Craig McCarthy, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon,
16 days ago
A squad of anti-cop City Council members are singing a different tune after getting death threats — and are now pleading with New York’s Finest to come to the rescue, The Post has learned.
Staffers for the cop-bashing pols complained to each other and council security staffers about the “scary” threats — and are calling on the NYPD to protect them, according to sources.
“It’s disgusting,” one staffer texted a council colleague. “I’ve clutched my non-existent pearls at some of the threats made against [Councilman Chi] Osse (D-Brooklyn). And some have been thought to be credible as per security and NYPD.
“And for him to be such a critic, if the PD says we need to evacuate/be careful and then listen.”
A staffer for Councilwoman Shahana Hanif (D-Brooklyn) complained about “elevated” and “especially concerning” threats phoned into her office, and praised security personnel for being “very responsive.”
The two pols — along with council members Yusef Salaam (D-Manhattan) and Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) — have been vocal critics of the NYPD and among the lawmakers who pushed the controversial “How Many Stops Act” that buries cops in paperwork.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from a couple of hypocritical politicians,” one Brooklyn cop told The Post.
“Since they don’t want police officers, why don’t they go out and hire private security?”
The four council members did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Salaam, who chairs the council’s public safety committee, also raised eyebrows in January when he was pulled over on a routine traffic stop — only to publicly bash the cop for doing his duty.
Rivera’s staff even went after the FDNY in January , questioning if an East Village ladder company’s “red line” US flag was “politically charged.”
The flag had been raised to honor the six firefighters from Ladder Co. 11 who died on 9/11.
All four council members have run afoul of pro-Israeli New Yorkers for publicly supporting pro-Palestinian protests that have disrupted the Big Apple and college campuses in the state.
The demonstrations were sparked by Israel’s retaliation to an Oct. 7 sneak attack by Hamas terrorists.
Osse has called the pro-Palestinian cause “legitimate,” while Hanif, who once voted against an “End Jew Hatred Day” council resolution, has blamed “rampant anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic sentiment” for violent protests that have plagued the city.
The NYPD said Thursday that officers responded to a 911 call from Rivera’s office in Lower Manhattan on April 16 after a staffer received a letter with “an unknown white powder” in the mail.
Police determined that the powder was not hazardous, but said the episode made Rivera’s staffers “feel threatened for their safety.”
Law enforcement sources said the other pols also got threats, including a disturbing phone call to Salaam’s office that prompted the NYPD to do a “security assessment” for the councilman.
Rivera and Hanif have both showed up at local precincts to complain about threats, the sources said.
For the latest metro stories, top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com/metro/
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