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Actress Susan Sarandon faces backlash over NYPD officer funeral tweet

Feb 03, 2022

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The backlash surrounding a tweet sent Tuesday by actress Susan Sarandon has continued to gain traction. The tweet focused on the Jan. 28 funeral for New York Police Department Officer Jason Rivera, one of two officers shot and killed while responding to a call about a domestic argument in a Harlem apartment in January. Sarandon’s tweet was sent a day before the funeral of the other officer, Wilbert Mora.

In the tweet, Sarandon featured another tweet that compared the “ocean of officers” that lined a New York street for Rivera’s funeral to fascism. Sarandon added the comment “so, if all these cops weren’t needed for crime that day, doesn’t that mean they aren’t needed any day?”

In the days since Sarandon tweeted, local and national police organizations have led the backlash.

Of all the days for @SusanSarandon to share her true feelings towards police, she picks the day we bury our fallen brother to make such inflammatory & brainless comments,” the National Fraternal Order of Police tweeted. “When you spend more time hating on cops than you do your own career, it’s no wonder why you’re a D-list actor.”

The New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYC PBA) described Sarandon as “living on a different planet.”

“This is what privilege looks like: a wealthy actress, safe in her bubble, mocking heroes & making light of the crisis that cops are battling alongside our communities,” NYC PBA said.

Gwen Baumgardner: ACTRESS SUSAN SARANDON IS IN HOT WATER FOR COMMENTS SHE MADE ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT LAST WEEK’S FUNERAL FOR N-Y-P-D OFFICER JASON RIVERA.
ON TWITTER — SARANDON FEATURED ANOTHER PERSONS TWEET COMPARING THE SEA OF OFFICERS LINING THE STREETS FOR THE FUNERAL TO FASCISM.
SHE ADDED QUOTE “SO IF ALL THESE COPS WEREN’T NEEDED FOR CRIME THAT DAY, DOESN’T THAT MEAN THEY AREN’T NEEDED ANY DAY?”
LOCAL AND NATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATIONS WASTED LITTLE TIME IN BLASTING SARANDON ONLINE.
THE PBA WRITING- “THIS IS WHAT PRIVILEGE LOOKS LIKE: A WEALTHY ACTRESS, SAFE IN HER BUBBLE, MOCKING HEROES & MAKING LIGHT OF THE CRISIS THAT COPS ARE BATTLING ALONGSIDE OUR COMMUNITIES.”
THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CALLED SARANDON A “D-LIST ACTOR” AND DESCRIBED HER COMMENTS AS “INFLAMMATORY AND BRAINLESS”.