- it was a show of force on the steps of new york city hall. 10,000 off-duty cops banded together in protest, fed up and angry with the city they claim doesn't back them up. the mayor's plan for an all-civilian board to review police misconduct is the last straw that sent the force to the streets. - mayor dinkins proposed a change in the civilian complaint review board that at that time had half citizens, civilians, and half police officers on it. - let's assume this is the worst legislation known to man. it's clear to me that the police officers who were demonstrating misbehaved. that's real clear. [overlapping shouting] - keepers of the law became the lawless. - so you look back, and you see an inevitable parallel between those two events. - it's very angry. there had been some drinking by some of the officers beforehand, there was some racist signs being held.