Reacting to news that a progressive Democrat’s car was hit by gunfire, a New York police officer said during an appearance Thursdat on Fox News that “we need” lawmakers to be victims of crimes so they can “see firsthand how bad the streets really are.”
During a segment on what Fox News called “America’s crime crisis,” anchor Griff Jenkins said that “we see liberal Democrat lawmakers who have supported defunding the police change their minds” after being the victims of crimes.
He then brought up Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), whose parked car was struck by bullets Saturday morning (she was not in the vehicle).
“The harsh truth is we need the lawmakers to be victims,” said New York Police Department Sgt. Joseph Imperatrice, founder of Blue Lives Matter NYC.
“We need them to understand when the worst situation possible hits them and then they can turn around and say, ‘Wow, maybe it’s an issue. Maybe I need to wake up and do my job and change things for the better,’” he added.
“I’m not praying any of these people get hurt or harmed, but they need to see firsthand how bad the streets really are.”
Jenkins walked the comments back, saying, “Joe, of course, we would never wish any harm whatsoever on any American, let alone a politician we disagreed with.
“But the instances we did see ― two instances of carjacking, fortunately everyone was OK — maybe it will change their minds. Who knows?”
Bush retweeted a clip of the exchange, noting that Imperatrice said “but” after saying he wasn’t hoping for people to get hurt.
“But?? Fox News is literally out here advocating for me to face violence,” Bush tweeted.
Support HuffPost
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.