Police officers across the country have been fired, demoted or otherwise disciplined for social media posts that voice opposition to Black Lives Matter and violence during racial justice protests.
Two New Jersey officers are facing steep punishments for a social media post that likened Black Lives Matter protesters to terrorists.
Speaking on “Fox & Friends First,” former Officer Sara Erwin said she was terminated following an investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office which determined no criminal behavior took place leaving the department to issue its own punishment.
Her sergeant, Mandy Grey, was demoted and suspended for liking the post shared in June 2020 that stated: “Last night as I left for work I had my two kids crying for me not to go to work. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I did last night. And then I watched people I know and others I care about going into harms way. I love my police family like my own. So when you share posts and things on Facebook I’d really appreciate if you’d THINK before doing so. I’ve seen so many black lives matter [sic] hashtags in these posts. Just to let you know they are terrorists. They hate m
We have been discussing the termination of public employees and others for their postings on social media or public displays. The latest case is out of New Jersey where former Hopewell Township police
officer Sara Erwin was fired recent over a June 2020 posting on Facebook in which she referred to Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters as “terrorists.”
There remains an uncertain line of what political or social views are tolerated and what are barred on social media. Indeed,
Gray was the first female officer hired in Hopewell Township and became the first female sergeant in 2019, according to NJ.com.
Erwin insists that she posted the statement after she and her colleagues were faced with violent protests and family members who were traumatized by images on television of officers being attacked. Erwin reportedly wrote i:
It s late at night. You ve had a long day. Your one year old is finally asleep, you might grab a few hours before heading to work in the morning. Before you can even wrap your head around shutting down for the night, you hear the awful sounds of your baby choking and struggling to breathe. Last Monday a dad called 9-1-1 to report that his one year old daughter was not breathing. Marlboro cops responded immediately, arriving within minutes to the home.
After a few minutes of administering CPR, the little girl began to breathe and color retired to her face. Thanks to the quick action, training and calm in the face of crisis, a little girl is OK and a father can breathe easy knowing that in the moment of crisis, there were officers in uniform ready, willing and able to help.
“Last night as I left for work I had my two kids crying for me not to go to work. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I did last night. And then I watched people I know and others I care about going into harm’s way. I love my police family like my own. So when you share posts and things on Facebook I’d really appreciate if you’d THINK before doing so. I’ve seen so many black lives matter [sic] hashtags in these posts. Just to let you know they are terrorists. They hate me. They hate my uniform. They don’t care if I die,” per the post written by fired officer