Police boycott Obama’s Labor Day breakfast

On Monday, President Obama was in Boston to speak at the AFL-CIO Labor Day Breakfast. Several labor unions, including the police union, were invited to attend. The police declined the invitation. Jerry Flynn, the executive director of the New England Police Benevolent Society, issued a lengthy media release [PDF] explaining why his members would not be attending. Flynn also said his members had planned to protest the event but did not have sufficient time to organize.

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Flynn stated police officers will no longer sit idly by while their members get assassinated by “lawless thugs with nothing but hatred and racial divide as their motive.” Flynn singled out Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder for making statements about Michael Brown “that were not only divisive and demeaning to all law enforcement officers, they were a lightening rod for the lawlessness and crimes we all witnessed…” But the executive director saved his harshest comments for Stephen Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Tolman accused the NEPBA of “raining on their parade” and had said, “There are many people who feel both ways [about police shootings], but none of that should take away from what Labor Day is all about.” Yep, that’s right; Labor Day is much more important than a bunch of dead cops. Flynn’s reply to Tolman’s comments was: “Well Mr. TOLMAN…Here is a NEWSFLASH…Police officers who pay your bloated salary don’t feel BOTH WAYS about getting shot at or killed. Police officers LIVES are more important than your Labor Day Breakfast and your so-called PARADE”!

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