N.Y.C. Police officers called Black people 'animals' and 'should be wiped out with a bomb'

[HipChick]

They called people “animals” and “savages.” One comment said, “Drop a bomb and wipe them all out.” The subject was officers’ loathing of being assigned to the West Indian American Day Parade in Brooklyn, an annual multiday event that unfolds over the Labor Day weekend. Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for public information, said he learned of the Facebook group from a reporter and would refer the issue to the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

The comments in the online group, which grew over a few days to some 1,200 members, were at times so offensive in referring to West Indian and African-American neighborhoods that some participants warned others to beware how their words might be taken in a public setting open to Internal Affairs “rats.” But some of the people who posted comments seemed emboldened by Facebook’s freewheeling atmosphere. “Let them kill each other,” wrote one of the Facebook members who posted comments under a name that matched that of a police officer.
Efforts were made to contact some of those who participated through the Police Department, through the prosecutor in a court case that revealed the existence of the group, through Facebook messages and through other methods. One, Nick Virgilio, said he was a member of the department but responded, “I don’t wish to comment.”

The comments in the group included anger at police and city officials and expressions of anxiety about policing what has often been a dangerous event. “Why is everyone calling this a parade,” one said. “It’s a scheduled riot.” Another said: “We were widely outnumbered. It was an eerie feeling knowing we could be overrun at any moment.”“Welcome to the Liberal NYC Gale,” said another, “where if the cops sneeze too loud they get investigated for excessive force but the ‘civilians’ can run around like savages and there are no repercussions.”

“They can keep the forced overtime,” said one writer, adding that the safety of officers comes “before the animals.” Wrote another: “Bloodbath!!! The worst detail to work.”“I say have the parade one more year,” wrote a commenter who identified himself as Dan Rodney, “and when they all gather drop a bomb and wipe them all out.” Reached on Monday, Mr. Rodney confirmed that he was a police officer and that he had used Facebook, though rarely, but denied making the comment. “That wasn’t me,” he said before suggesting that someone else might have been responsible. “I leave my phone around sometimes. Other than that I have no comment.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/nyregion/on-facebook-nypd-officers-malign-west-indian-paradegoers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=5&

[Heidi]

1. Fire them. Anyone harboring such bigotry cannot be trusted to carry a weapon

or fairly enforce the law.

Here's a link to the Newsday coverage (I couldn't read all of the NYT story because NYT is by subscrption, I guess):
http://www.newsweek.com/tk-268017

Good morning, HipChick!

[HipChick]

3. Story from 2011

thanks for link

[Heidi]

5. Huh?

What does "Story from 2011" mean?

[RKP5637]

2. And also probably ALL avid Fox News viewers too! n/t

[Trillo]

4. I'm not a lawyer, but isn't this "terroristic threatening"?

The police have now demonstrated in Ferguson they have bombs of various kinds.

[Taitertots]

6. Where are the so-called "good cops" fighting to rid the force of bigots

Oh yeah, they don't exist. ACAB.