Quentin Tarantino says his recent anti-cop rant was misunderstood, but he stands by what he said. And he won’t take back his outrageous and dangerous slur against police officers as “murderers.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, Tarantino, whose films are well-known for their often violent content, was “really happy” to join an anti-police demonstration in New York, while flags flew at half-staff for an NYPD officer who had recently been killed in the line of duty while he chased an armed career criminal. But any misunderstanding, to him, is on us.
Tarantino may feel misunderstood, but make no mistake. He is a highly talented and accomplished screenwriter who knew exactly what he was doing in joining the demonstration and condemning police officers. He has won multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes. He surely understands that words have meaning. He surely realizes how his presence at such a rally would come across as grossly insensitive, with a recent NYPD officer slain on duty.
But he won’t apologize. In fact, he feels he’s under attack. He’s the one being demonized. He’s the one critics are trying to intimidate and discredit.
Disorder and disturbance, much like you see in many of his films, are what Tarantino’s remarks incite.
Whatever Tarantino believes about the intent of his statements during that rally, the fact remains that his comments are fueling anti-police sentiment and increasing the growing divisive gap that police nationwide are sensing between them and the public that relies on them daily to respond in times of trouble and maintain public safety.
Tarantino is now feeling the heat. His father, who grew up in New York, says his son is “dead wrong” in his characterization of police officers as murderers, and the Weinstein Company, producer of Tarantino’s next film, is reportedly looking for a way to clean up his mess.
Meanwhile, the list of law enforcement organizations joining the boycott of Tarantino’s films is growing across the nation every day with police unions in Chicago, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Orange County adding their memberships to the movement. Those organizations joined in the wake of the National Association of Police Organizations’ call for officers to stop working special assignments or off-duty jobs that provide security for any of Tarantino’s projects.
Tarantino says he has a First Amendment right to speak his mind. He certainly does. And we have an obligation to shout him down and we have a duty speak up for our dedicated and selfless fellow officers.
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