Bill de Blasio DELIBERATELY did not deploy enough NYPD cops during the BLM protests in 2020 amid fears any clashes would embarrass him, Andrew Cuomo’s ex-top aide claims

Bill de Blasio deliberately did not deploy enough police during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests for fear that any clashes would embarrass him, Andrew Cuomo’s former aide claims.

In her upcoming memoir, What’s Left Unsaid: My Life at the Center of Power, Politics & Crisis, Melissa DeRosa cited disagreements over the handling of protests that erupted in the wake of George Floyd’s death.

“We learned that a senior member of the police union had contacted the governor directly that morning with troubling information: He believed that de Blasio, fearful of more police clashes with protesters that would go viral on video, was purposely withholding additional agencies bet. ‘, DeRosa wrote.

“As a result, the officers were unwilling to deal with the looters because they knew they were outnumbered.”

DeRosa recalled a conference call Cuomo had with de Blasio and then-Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, in which the officer reported he had “only 4,000 officers on duty” — outnumbered by 5,000 protesters.

The former New York City mayor feared videos of clashes between officers and protesters would go viral, she says

In one case, the police commissioner reported that there were only 4,000 officers on the scene – outnumbered by the 5,000 demonstrators present

“The governor’s eyes widened in disbelief at what amounted to him as a staggering admission of wrongdoing,” DeRosa wrote.

“Shea had just confirmed what the governor had been told and feared; the city had deliberately kept the deployment to a minimum.’

De Blasio and Shea opted to increase police presence to 8,000 and after some discussion, the governor and mayor agreed to impose a curfew.

“Across town, de Blasio made it clear that despite the deteriorating situation, he did not need or want support from state police or the National Guard.

“The Governor kept the channels of communication open and spoke directly to rank-and-file members of the NYPD and their union officials to get their perspective on what went wrong,” DeRosa wrote.

“I told (de Blasio Deputy Mayor Emma Wolfe) that based on conversations the governor had with law enforcement on the ground, he felt strongly that the NYPD did not have enough police officers on the streets.”

DeRosa claims that de Blasio was influenced by the “far left,” who advocated diverting funding away from police after Floyd’s death, adopting the slogan “defund the police.”

“It was ill-advised and stupid, but that didn’t stop far-left elected officials from adopting the mantra,” she wrote.

“The mayor went a step further and tried to take charge by announcing he would cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s operating budget and another $500 million from the capital budget.”

In June, protests became more disorderly after the medical examiner concluded Floyd’s death was a homicide.

DeRosa remembers scenes of looting and chaos, with “no police in sight” to stop it

She blames “far-left” officials for influencing de Blasio’s policies, including the $1 billion cut to the New York Police Department’s operating budget

“Across town, de Blasio made it clear that despite the deteriorating situation, he did not need or want support from state police or the National Guard,” DeRosa wrote.

In September, the NYPD settled with the ACLU over reports of police brutality during the protests

DeRosa recalled scenes in Midtown Manhattan, where looters smashed the windows of the iconic Macy’s store at Herald Square and Rockefeller Center.

She claimed there were “no police in sight to stop them.”

“Where were the additional law enforcement agencies we agreed to hours earlier?” she wrote.

‘But the mayor now realized both the practical and political reality: the chaos did him more harm than offending the far left.

“That night the streets were overrun with NYPD. The number of arrests and looting dropped dramatically. That was much more important than any bruised egos or negative press about the ‘feud’ between the governor and the mayor.”

The summer after Floyd’s death, demonstrations exploded across the United States, with New York’s “Occupy City Hall” protest leaving buildings covered in graffiti and piles of trash strewn across the streets.

Protesters camped outside City Hall for more than a week as calls for widespread police reform became nearly deafening.

Previous protests have seen NYPD vehicles set on fire and an angry driver drive into a group of demonstrators.

In 2021, it was announced that sixty-five police officers in New York City would be disciplined for their conduct during the protests, as reports of the use of pepper spray and batons began to spread.

In September of this year, the NYPD settled with the ACLU, leaving New York City taxpayers to foot the $1.45 million bill for an oversight review committee.

As part of the agreement, officers were banned from ‘kettling’ (the practice of confining protesters to small areas) and from using ‘intimidating’ helicopters.