The head of the New York City Police officers union has criticized a New York City Council staffer for allegedly encouraging violence against law enforcement officials during protests following the police killing of George Floyd.
Ember Ollom, 28, is a digital press aide who was hired by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’s office last fall, according to the New York Post.
In a series of Twitter posts in 2020, Ms. Ollom allegedly called on members of the public to attack law enforcement officers throughout the city amid widespread demonstrations over the death of Floyd.
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died when former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin held his knee against Floyd’s neck and back for approximately nine-and-a-half minutes as Floyd lay handcuffed and face-down on the pavement.
The incident was sparked when Floyd allegedly tried to use a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase cigarettes before being arrested by officers.
“I would like it on the record that I would like you all to throw more bottles at cops and torch more vans,” Ms. Ollom said in a May 30, 2020 post, responding to a post from then-Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan, the New York Post reported.
Ms. Ollom’s post has since been deleted.
‘Hardcore Cop-Haters’
Mr. Brannan, who is now the council’s finance committee chairman, had denounced the widespread violence against police in his initial post.
“In the middle of a deadly pandemic, we saw elected officials indiscriminately thrown to the ground and beaten with batons, bottles thrown at cops, and NYPD vans torched,” he wrote. “The version of New York City we saw last night was not a version anybody wants.”
Responding to Ms. Ollom’s comments regarding violence against law enforcement officials, Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, told the New York Post it’s “no wonder the City Council spends more time tormenting police officers than helping us stop violent crime.”
The union president also said he believes Ms. Ollom should be terminated from her role.
“Just look at the hardcore cop-haters on their team,” Mr. Hendry said. “This hate-filled individual who called for more attacks on police officers should be investigated and fired, but we know that won’t happen because the City Council only believes in ‘accountability’ for cops.”
Back in June, Mr. Hendry criticized New York City Council members, as well as politicians, who he claimed to be telling constituents that they support police and public safety “only to turn around and support anti-police policies.”
‘Regrettable Choice of Words’
“Members of the City Council’s Progressive Caucus have literally signed their names to the failed ‘Defund the Police’ ideology and pledged to strip New York City police officers of the resources we need to protect our neighborhoods,” he said at the time.
Officials warned earlier this year that NYPD is experiencing a mass exodus of officers, in part owing to calls to defund the police and stalled wages.
Ms. Ollom, who is also a member of the left-wing Working Families Party, according to its website, told the Post on Thursday that she regrets her previous anti-police comments.
“Witnessing police brutality against New Yorkers at the height of the 2020 George Floyd protests when I was 25 years old, I was frustrated and made a post in anger that was a regrettable choice of words that I later deleted,” Ms. Ollom said. “It is unfortunate that a mistake I made three years ago is being used to attack me in pursuit of a political agenda.”
Meanwhile, the New York City Council defended hiring Ms. Ollom.
“Ember is a staffer that we selected in a competitive process with multiple candidates. She is highly qualified and dedicated to serving the city—any insinuation that she did not earn her job is frankly misogynistic,” said council spokeswoman Shirley Limongi.
The spokeswoman added that Ms. Ollom has “expressed remorse” for her comments and said the council “rejects violence in all forms.”
The Epoch Times has contacted the New York City Council for further comment.
