Some Cops Will Stand against Grabbing Women By Their P*$$y, But Not the National Fraternal Order of Police
Since the release of the tape showing Trump bragging about “grabbing [women] by they pussy,” I’ve been far more interested in the response from cops’ unions than members of Congress. After all, the Republicans who really had a moral or ethical problem with Trump would have already distanced themselves (as some have). Anyone flipflopping now would simply be gaming the impact on their own election.
But cops? Cops are supposed to protect people from men grabbing them by their genitalia without consent. And thus far, the Fraternal Order of Police has shown no regret for their national endorsement of Trump and all he stands for (which of course includes gambling, financial trickery, racism, and some ties to the mob, on top of the explicit sexism).
I’ve been annoyingly reminding people of that on Twitter every day.
Finally, someone else is examining the issue. While I’ve been traveling, the Baltimore Sun did a piece noting that their state FOP, along with four other states and DC, actually voted against endorsing the Donald.
The story quotes FOP president, Chuck Canterbury, explaining that they endorsed because Donald claims we need “law and order” (apparently Canterbury is cool if everything about him defies that campaign claim).
Canterbury attributed the endorsement for Trump to the candidate’s campaigning on the need for “law and order” and on his support of law enforcement officers.
It ends with contrasting quotes from Canterbury and a member of a minority police organization addressing the “pussy” comment.
Canterbury described Trump’s remarks as “crass and very inappropriate” but said that his organization likely wouldn’t weigh in “until someone comes forward to press criminal charges.”
Louis Hopson of the Vanguard Justice Society, an organization of minority police officers in Baltimore, said that other states should have followed Maryland in voting not to endorse a candidate.
“We need to make sure the commander in chief understands that sexual assault is sexual assault,” Hopson said. “Unlawful touching is a violation of the law.”
In other words, even after the release of the tape, one of the nation’s cops unions is still okay if Trump endorses sexual assault, so long as no one presses criminal charges (as opposed to the rape lawsuit currently working its way through court).
You know? “Law and order”?
Update: In a piece on NARAL’s new petition calling on the FOP to withdraw its nomination, Ryan Grim the broader discomfort among non-white cops with the endorsement.
The FOP also represents thousands of African-American police officers, many of whom have complained publicly that a largely white leadership pushed through the endorsement without getting consensus.
“At a time when we’re all trying to unite and bring the world to a calm, the last person we need is a Donald Trump,” said David Fisher, president of the greater Philadelphia chapter of the National Black Police Association. “And the last thing the police need is to hitch its wagon to a Donald Trump.”