In a show of solidarity, the Brevard County chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police posted a call to their Facebook page on Saturday offering to hire the officers in Buffalo, New York, and Atlanta involved in or in support of a recent streak of high-profile cases of police brutality.
The F.O.P. is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 330,000 members in more than 2,200 union-like labor and fraternal lodges that offer “full-service member representation.”
The post, made at 1:21 a.m., said, “Hey Buffalo 57… and Atlanta 6… we are hiring in Florida. Lower taxes, no spineless leadership, or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences… Plus… we got your back! #lawandorderFlorida #movetowhereyouare.”
The Brevard County F.O.P. seemed to directly address the 57 police officers who willfully resigned their duties in Buffalo, New York, as a show of solidarity after two of their peers were suspended and charged for the violent shoving of a 75-year-old unarmed, peaceful man on Thursday at a rally protesting police brutality. On the video, victim Martin Gugino is seen calmly approaching the officers, when they yelled at him to get out of the way, then pushed him to the ground. Gugino laid unconscious and bleeding profusely, as several other officers stepped over him and continued walking without administering aid.
The post also called out to the six ex-police officers in Atlanta who were charged for violently arresting, assaulting, and tasing two unarmed college students, Taniyah Pilgrim and Messiah Young, on May 29. Pilgrim and Young were not protesting that evening; the officers chased them, smashed their car windows, dragged them out, and assaulted them, breaking Young’s wrist, and tasing him for hours.
The post is currently pinned at the top of the Brevard County F.O.P. Facebook page and appearing posted as one of their official ads. Within just two hours the post had already received over 1,000 reactions, over 1,300 comments, and almost 900 shares – a vast majority of which condemned the sentiments expressed by the organization.
In the comments, several users identified the poster and admin for the page as Lieutenant Bert Gamin of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, and the President of the Brevard County F.O.P. Some users advised him directly in the comments to reconsider his posts, as users and locals were becoming angry at his suggestions.
The post and the events referenced come under the context of the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd, a city of Minneapolis resident who died while in police custody when an officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. His murder went on to spark international outrage and a series of protests against police brutality that have demonstrated in all 50 states and several countries worldwide, making it the largest civil rights movement in history.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in an interview with the Space Coast Daily on Tuesday that, in 40 years on the job, he had not known reason or logic for the treatment and murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
“What happened that day was not only tragic, it was unnecessary,” Ivey said.
Though Ivey did attend a local candlelight vigil held for George Floyd on May 31, he notably did not attend the March for Justice, to which he was invited, on Saturday, nor the town hall that followed shortly after. Multiple chiefs of other Brevard County police departments who were also invited did attend either one or each of the events this Saturday aimed at ending police brutality.
WFTV reported that Brevard County is the only department practicing neck restraint policies in Central Florida.
Ivey said he would not be doing anything different moving forward in the training or guiding of members of the Brevard County Police.
“I think we have one of the most professional agencies in the country,” he said. “We recruit the absolutely best of the best.”
Almost 24 hours after the Facebook post, the Brevard County F.O.P. posted yet another call offering to hire new officers, this time, addressed directly to the Minneapolis Police.
UPDATE: 11:42PM
Sheriff Ivey posted a response on his Facebook page denying any association with the post, however the person who admitted to the post is one of his Lieutenants. As of now the original post has been deleted as well as the ads.
This is a developing story and will be updated as it progresses.
Robert Burns contributed to this article.
Big props to Bert Gamin for officially representing the Brevard County F.O.P during this abhorrent display of administrative performance.
Big props to Bert Gamin for officially representing the Brevard County F.O.P during this abhorrent display of administrative performance.
Love it. Very smart of the FOP to recruit cops from Liberal craphole cities. Who the hell would want to be a cop in a place run by Anti-American Marxists.
How inflammatory and inconsiderate to all of us here in Brevard County. Why in the world would you post something like this in the midst of all that is happening? Stupid, stupid, stupid
They deleted the Atlanta and Buffalo post!
We do not Condone murder by anyone.
Law enforcer are the ones who should enforce the law while keeping the law.
If you are Prejudice how can you Execute
With justice. You can’t! All lives matter that means black lives matter too
No pulse and his knee remained on his neck. No heart/ if this is ok please just quit. Lord, send us officers that have love in their heart for all people and Father, cause us to care for one another. No crime is ok.
If you think that your race is the only race that matters, please don’t come to Brevard. It’s too many of us that care.
I stand against hatred and anything that brings harm to others in Jesus name
Sheriff,please do NOT let this scum come to Brevard..SO disappointed to know this ..BERT GAMIN ..has too much power…
Bert Garmin needs to resign
Lillian M. Hernández Caraballo , the editor that didn’t correct this, and Bert all need to be fired. If Anyone who read this article, as originally written, does harm to anyone due to its content, these three should be held liable.
What are you referring to as incorrect?
[…] The post, made at 1:21 a.m., said, “Hey Buffalo 57… and Atlanta 6… we are hiring in Florida. Lower taxes, no spineless leadership, or dumb mayors rambling on at press conferences… Plus… we got your back! #lawandorderFlorida #movetowhereyouare.” — Read on thespacecoastrocket.com/brevard-police-union-runs-facebook-ads-specifically-recruiting-arrested-disc… […]
I don’t see nothing wrong with that statement good cop quit cause of a cowerdless mayor in Buffalo and Atlanta and guess what them mayors are Democrats and Democrats are tryin to put a wedge in America it is time to defund the Democratic Party and for all you that are gung ho about Democrats did you know the Democratic Party was started by the KKK do your research people
They need to. Lose there jobs. Our better yet you want to hire these folks we need to defund your police department . anyone caught hiring them should be made to be defunded until there off the force and the person who try to hire this crap should be fired ASAP. Defund police department if they allow this .
Lol look at that fat dipshit
No respect I bet your a female mid 20s no boyfriend and wants to join Antifa.hahaha
They need to. Lose there jobs. Our better yet you want to hire these folks we need to defund your police department . anyone caught hiring them should be made to be defunded until there off the force and the person who try to hire this crap should be fired ASAP. Defund police department if they allow this .
[…] recently Ivey has come under fire for one of his lieutenants who posted inflammatory facebook posts online under the Brevard F.O.P. chapter and ran the posts as ads recruiting arrested and […]
Its not an ‘AD’ … it was a FB post.