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"Trump 2020": Video Shows Police Endorsing Trump Over NYPD Loudspeaker On First Day Of Early Voting In NYC
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Oct 25, 2020
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By
Sydney Pereira
Published Oct 25, 2020
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[SEE UPDATE BELOW] An NYPD officer in Brooklyn taunted residents by declaring "Trump 2020" over the police vehicle loudspeaker on Saturday, encouraging a passerby to post it on social media on the first day of early voting in NYC, videos show.
"Trump 2020. Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook. Trump 2020," the unidentified officer declares over the loudspeaker from the NYPD vehicle with its emergency lights flashing in Flatbush, a video posted on Twitter shows.
A separate video shows a dialogue between a man who had recorded police telling them to say "Trump 2020" again while he was recording, according to independent journalist Talia Jane.
"Go fuck yourself you fucking fascist," the man said to police when one of the officers said "Trump 2020," which can be heard over the previous video taken from above.
The NYPD patrol guide explicitly states officers on-duty or in uniform cannot endorse or publicly express personal views on political parties or candidates for public office.
The NYPD said it is "aware of this video" and the Brooklyn South Investigation Unit is looking into it.
"Police officers must remain apolitical," NYPD tweeted.
"One hundred percent unacceptable," NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said.
"Behavior like this will not be tolerated and will be dealt with," Chief of Department Terence Monahan said.
An NYPD spokesperson added: "The matter is under investigation. The NYPD plans to come to an expedient resolution."
The Twitter user @thumpio, who posted the video from a bird's-eye view, noted the video was consistent with the NYPD conduct in Black communities like his, in Flatbush near St. Paul Place.
Saturday was the first day of early voting in NYC for the 2020 election between President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday the city would send out hundreds of city workers to observe poll sites to prevent voter intimidation. But the announcement, which came a day before early voting began, had little details about who would be tapped for the program or when they would be trained.
The mayor's press secretary Bill Neidhardt called the video of police showing support for Trump while on-duty "blatantly out of line."
"This is absolutely unacceptable and blatantly out of line," Neidhardt said. "An investigation was launched this morning and will conclude today."
De Blasio later tweeted, "Let me be clear: ANY NYPD Officer pushing ANY political agenda while on duty will face consequences."
The NYPD's union, Patrolmen Benevolent Association, endorsed Trump for president this year. A group of Black NYPD officers, the Guardians Association of the NYPD, said the endorsement delivered by police union leader Pat Lynch during the Republican National Convention showed a "lack of respect" to union members.
UPDATE 3:44 p.m.: In a tweet, the NYPD announced that the unnamed officer has been suspended without pay, "effective immediately."
UPDATE 5:43 p.m.: The Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins called the suspension of the officer "unnecessary."
"The NYPD has a history of officers making political or outside the norm social statements either on video or other social media and ignoring it completely. The act of suspending this officer is unnecessary, way over the top and could of been addressed with an instruction of department policy," Mullins said.
"It wasn’t too long ago the Chief of Departrnent [sic] took a knee in full uniform with protestors and no disciplinary action was issued," he said, referring to Chief Monahan, who kneeled with protesters demonstrating against police brutality in Washington Square Park days before leading violent mass arrests of protesters in the Bronx.
"I guess we are left to wonder if the officer supported Joe Biden would he have been suspended," Mullins said.
With WNYC's Brigid Bergin.
This article has been updated with additional comments.
Tagged
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2020 election
patrol guide
trump
Sydney Pereira
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