DA, Police Union Trade Haymakers Over Reaction To Killings

BOSTON — Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association continued a weeklong war of words centered around Rollins' impassioned speech against police killings of black people.

The police union on Tuesday accused Rollins of making "reckless statements" in the last week, including before Sunday's protests in Boston and after they devolved into violence. The union said Rollins labeled all officers as murderers and incited violence against officers.

"Your statements were and are dangerous, divisive, and and wholly unwarranted," BPPA President Lawrence Calderone and Vice President Richard Withington wrote to Rollins.

Rollins on Wednesday responded to the letter in a tweet saying she wasn't anti-police, but "anti-BRUTALITY."

"And did I somehow miss BPPA’s letter denouncing the murder of George Floyd and calling for the immediate termination and prosecution of the 4 police that murdered him and/or watched and did nothing while he died?" she said. "White fragility is real people."

The BPPA's letter was in response to Monday's news conference, where Rollins focused on police killings of black people and systemic racism.

"People are disgusted and outraged, and they should be," she said. "And it is completely ironic to have to say to you, 'Please don't be violent. Please keep your voice down. Please be silent and comply with all of the police's requirements,' when, in fact, it's those very people that murder us with impunity."

That came days after her tweet on the eve of the protest, when she called for "No more apologies. No more words. Demand action. Radical change now. Nothing less."

Fifty-three people were arrested in Sunday's riots in Boston. Several police officers were injured. Rollins vowed to prosecute those arrested.