What happened to the New York Police Department is a stain on US democracy.

On Monday, several NYPD officers responded to a call concerning a disorderly crowd in Washington Square Park, Manhattan. The officers were there to keep the peace during a snowball fight that got out of hand. Despite this, they were pelted with snowballs by the crowd. Some of the officers even received injuries.

In a true democracy, every single person has the right to live with dignity—including our police officers. Under New York Penal Law Section 120.08, assaulting a police officer is a Class C felony. If a person intentionally prevents an officer from performing their lawful duty and causes them serious physical injury, they could face up to 15 years in prison. 

The attack on NYPD personnel on Monday wasn’t harmless fun. This was an incident of national shame, broadcast to the entire world.

How can a country cry out for justice in Palestine or for people across borders, and yet fail to respect those serving to protect our communities?