Demonstrators from the union were seen outside of the Fox Theatre holding signs that read: “NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio puts working people last” and “NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio can’t run New York City, can’t run the country.”
Similar phrases were heard among the group as they chanted, ‘You can’t run the city, you can’t run the country” and “No friend of labor.”
Joseph Alejandro, 2nd Vice President, New York City PBA, spoke to Breitbart News prior to the debate and outlined the union’s opposition to de Blasio.
“What brought us here today was the fact that our mayor is running for president of the United States, he has yet to complete the job of being Mayor of New York City,” Alejandro told Breitbart News.
“The mayor is constantly reminding everybody about race, he’s reminding people that he’s got to have a conversation,” Alejandro continued.
“Our message to people out in New York City is our police officers are underpaid,” Alejandro added. “We have a mayor who ran for a job he hasn’t finished. He’s running from his job now. For two years now he has failed to negotiate with us.”
In a tweet earlier this month, the Sergeants Benevolent Association mocked de Blasio after his absence during a portion of Manhattan’s major power outage.
The tweet read: “MISSING PERSON ALERT- if seen please return to NYC, it’s the city that had a blackout, has homeless all over the streets, people being killed by bicycles, broken down public housing, & a transit system that’s a mess. Subject is on presidential campaign with plans to destroy a nation.”