NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told 1010 WINS on Tuesday that Sergeants Benevolent Association head Ed Mullins was out of line last week to call gay Bronx councilman Ritchie Torres a "first class whore," but Shea stopped short of calling for Mullins' resignation or classifying the remark as homophobic, which many local and state lawmakers did.
"Listen, what I’ll say is, and I don’t want to say too much right now, (I’m) disappointed," Shea told 1010 WINS anchor Brigitte Quinn, when asked if Mullins should resign, which Torres said is what should happen.
Shea added, "I don’t think anyone should be using language of that type. Whether it’s at a press conference, whether it’s, quite frankly, in person, or whether it’s on social media. I think we’re better than that. I think all sides could do a lot better than that, and it’s not going to get us where to go, so I think it’s inappropriate language at any time."
And on Saturday, Torres also spoke with 1010 WINS, blasting the NYPD union as a “hate group in disguise."
Speaking with 1010 WINS’ Sonia Rincón on Saturday, Torres said the SBA has “a clear pattern of directing hate speech toward public figures of color.”
“To read the tweets of the SBA you would think Donald Trump himself was running the SBA’s Twitter account,” Torres said. “Referring to me as ‘Little Ritchie’ just like Donald Trump refers to “Little Marco,’ it’s juvenile behavior.”
"As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing benevolent about the Sergeants Benevolent Association, which has become a hate group in disguise," he added. "A decent society like ours should have zero tolerance for hate. And unfortunately, (SBA President) Ed Mullins trafficks in hate."
The firestorm kicked off after Torres, a Democrat running to replace retiring Rep. José Serrano, announced on Friday that he and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams were calling for an investigation into a possible slowdown by police.
"The summertime surge in shootings has all but doubled in NYC," Bronx-born Torres, 32, tweeted. "Fewer gun arrests, fewer gun cases solved, slower response times to gun violence: are these signs of an @NYPDnews slowdown? @BKBoroHall & I are calling for an independent investigation to answer that very question."
Well, that didn't sit well with the SBA, which has about 13,000 active and retired NYPD sergeants.
"He we go America this is what a first class whore looks like RITCHIE TORRES," the SBA tweeted. "Passes laws to defund police, supports criminals, & now because he’s running for office he blames the police to protect what he voted for. Remember Little Ritchie? Meet LYING RITCHIE @RitchieTorres."
The Twittersphere then lit up, with the SBA and Mullins being labeled as homophobic hate-monger.
It didn't help that earlier in the day, the SBA took aim a couple of times at City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who also is gay, ridiculing him and claiming he is responsible for an uptick in shootings.
"COREY JOHNSON wanna be Mayor, one of many clowns comprising NYC elected officials," read the tweet. "He is Responsible for many murders, shootings & violent crimes in NYC. Wonder if the District Attorneys will prosecute him or just ignore his behavior."
First up, was Torres' response to the union: "The @SBA is a bona fide hate group masquerading as a union," he tweeted. "The racism, misogyny, and homophobia of Ed Mullins gives @realDonaldTrump a run for his money."
He added in a subsequent tweet, "My message to the homophobes of @SBANYPD: I'm here. I'm queer. I'm not going anywhere. And whether you like it or not, I'm heading to the United States Congress."
Next up was de Blasio press secretary Bill Neidhardt, who tweeted, "What. The. Fuck. Disagree with Torres all you want on policy. This is an insane and homophobic response from Mullins and SBA. How could anyone take this union seriously."
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, who is gay, chimed in, "Having courtesy, professionalism, and respect includes not calling the likely first LGBTQ Afro-Latino member of Congress a 'first class whore.' @RitchieTorres deserves an apology and New Yorkers deserve better from you."
New York City council member Brad Lander wrote, "Sadly, yes. This is now the way a police union talks about an elected official (in this case, worthy-of-note, an LGBTQ/BIPOC elected official). And sadly, yes, it is all-too-reflective of how it’s members feel entitled to treat his constituents."
Lander continued, "Worth comparing how the NYPD today treated white Trump supporters who recklessly sought to kill/injure peaceful protestors vs. how @SBANYPD treated a gay elected official of color. Not doing a lot to build confidence in the idea of 'equal justice under law.' Or even to pretend."
Mark Levine, another member of city council, wrote, "This is disgusting and homophobic. Directed at a future member of congress, by the head of a police union. Exhibit A for why trust in the police in NYC is at an all-time low."
The Victory Fund, which works to increase representation of LGBTQ+ political candidates, responded with shock: "A first class WHAT?! Do your job. Get off Twitter. And for all our sakes, keep @RitchieTorres name out of your mouth," read its tweet.