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"Please remember, and remind your children, that police officers in the Pascack Valley are your friends - not your enemies," presidents and delegates of Hillsdale PBA Local 207, Montvale PBA Local 303 and Pascack Valley PBA Local 206 wrote in a public letter issued Friday morning.
"We are the men and women who stood tall over these past few months during the health pandemic and put ourselves and our families at risk when your calls came in," the letter says. "We are the men and women who donated meals to our healthcare heroes.
"We are the men and women whose children sit with yours in school. We are the men and women who volunteer to coach your children's sports teams. We are the men and women who teach your children DARE/LEAD, who run our junior police academies, who volunteer at community events, who stop to throw a ball or buy lemonade from your children.
"[I]t is upsetting and disappointing to learn that such inflammatory hate speech is being directed at our local police officers right here in our own backyards. "
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THE FULL LETTER:
As delegates of our respective Policemen's Benevolent Associations, we are writing to you on behalf of the men and women who protect and serve your communities.
It recently came to our attention that the acronym "ACAB," which means "All Cops Are Bastards," has been garnering attention in our area. We have been contacted by many citizens who are outraged by this fact and we believe it is our obligation to respond.
While we respect and even help to protect and defend everyone's First Amendment right to free speech, it is upsetting and disappointing to learn that such inflammatory hate speech is being directed at our local Police Officers right here in our own backyards. Fortunately, we recognize that the use of this abhorrent phrase and belief in this vile ideology are limited to a small number of small-minded people propagating hate under the guise of protesting hate. In fact, we continue to enjoy positive relationships with the vast majority of our residents.
We are the men and women who stood tall over these past few months during the health pandemic and put ourselves and our families at risk when your calls came in. We are the men and women who donated meals to our healthcare heroes. We are the men and women whose children sit with yours in school. We are the men and women who volunteer to coach your children's sports teams. We are the men and women who teach your children DARE/LEAD, who run our Junior Police Academies, who volunteer at community events, who stop to throw a ball or buy lemonade from your children.
Please remember, and remind your children, that Police Officers in the Pascack Valley are your friends - not your enemies.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Stay safe and be kind to one another.
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Brian Lamendola, President; Herm Amado, Delegate / Montvale PBA Local 303
Rich Parsells, President; Anthony Mazzo, Delegate / Pascack Valley PBA Local 206
Alex Kaplan, President; Corey Rooney, Delegate / Hillsdale PBA Local 207
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