New York City's police union is calling for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino movies

By Fusion Staff  |  October 26, 2015 | 4:40pm
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The NYPD doesn’t want you watching Quentin Tarantino films.

The PBA, which represents New York City’s police officers, has condemned Tarantino after he marched with and spoke to police brutality protesters over the weekend. In a statement issued Sunday PBA president Patrick Lynch said that “New Yorkers need to send a message to this purveyor of degeneracy that he has no business coming to our city to peddle his slanderous ‘Cop Fiction.’ It’s time for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino’s films.”

Tarantino, who’s known for making films that are pretty gory whether they involve cops or not, has a new movie, The Hateful Eight, due to come out this December. He joined protestors in New York on Saturday and spoke out against police brutality. AP reports that the director flew in from California for the event, which was organized by activist group RiseUpOctober.

Speaking to a crowd gathered in Washington Square Park Tarantino said, “I’m a human being with a conscience…And if you believe there’s murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I’m here to say I’m on the side of the murdered.”

The PBA’s statement takes issue with Tarantino’s movies in general, as well:

It’s no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too. The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls “murderers” aren’t living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies — they’re risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem.

The New York Post adds that Tarantino did say the rally’s timing was “unfortunate” given the death of Officer Randolph Holder last Tuesday. The Officer Down Memorial Page lists Holder as the fourth NYPD officer killed this year. The Guardian‘s project “The Counted,” which tracks people killed by police in 2015, lists 7 people killed by police in New York City this year, and two more by the NYPD outside the city.

Tarantino has yet to respond to the call for a boycott. The Hateful Eight is scheduled to be released on December 25th.

Ethan Chiel is a reporter for Fusion, writing mostly about the internet and technology. You can (and should) email him at [email protected]

 
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