George Floyd: NY corrections officer posts 'sick' photo showing him kneeling on neck of union's black president
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A New York City correction officer has been suspended from his job on Friday, June 5, after he allegedly posted a sick George Floyd parody photo. Derrick Lascko, who is the city Correction Department driver, allegedly posted the photo on Thursday, June 4, that showed him kneeling on the neck of his union’s black president. However, he later deleted the image after an online uproar among jail guards.
According to reports, Lascko had imposed his face over the face of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled for over eight minutes on George Floyd on May 25, resulting in his tragic death. Also, in place of the deceased 46-year-old African-American man’s face, Lascko put Elias Husamudeen, the president of Lascko’s union, the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association (COBA).
The sick parody image came during the time when Husamudeen was seeking reelection to his position at COBA’s helm. But Lascko was campaigning for his rival candidate in the election, his fellow union delegate Benny Boscio. City Department of Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann said on Friday that the accused has been suspended from his position over the photo. “This is absolutely unacceptable and does not represent the values of our uniform staff and department as a whole. An investigation is underway, and the officer has been suspended without pay. Compassion, dedication to duty and the desire to ensure public safety are at the center of what it means to be a correction officer and this kind of behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” Brann told The Post.
A mayor representative called the image “absolutely reprehensible”, while Husamudeen said: “I will not dignify this despicable and deeply offensive picture with a response”. Union member Dimetria Regan also condemned the incident and wrote on Facebook: “My Union's Election (COBA) is Getting Really Dirty...Oh, Hell enough nice Talk...How do You really see us!!! Someone from the Opposing Side (Benny's) decided This Shit was Acceptable...What a Freaking Disgrace and Slap in the Face to Every African American and anyone who is standing/kneeling with Us...What a DISRESPECT to the Floyd Family,” adding: “DO YOU REALLY WANT ANOTHER PRESIDENT WITH THE SAME MINDSET (i.e. Trump) DISGUSTING…” Regan shared the screenshot of the Lascko’s post as well.
Lascko did not come out officially in his defense but in a Facebook post shared on Friday afternoon, he claimed that he had never posted the image to his page. He also insisted that the photo was instead being spread around by the “Elias Husamudden camp to steal an election by tapping into your frustrations.” However, his latest stint was reportedly completely opposite to his last action where he appeared to have defended the “meme” — calling it satire. “Elias Husamudeen & COBA has a problem with the way I tell the truth & how I show their faces. So you can match a face to the names. I’m putting myself in Facebook jail for keeping it real,” Lascko wrote.
After his defensive comment on the social media platform, Husamudden responded saying, “I’m not surprised that instead of just apologizing he’s chosen to pretend he didn’t do it.”
It has been said that Lascko, whose base salary is $82,292, has posted frequently on Facebook in opposition to Husamudden and in support of Boscio. However, this time he allegedly took it too far.
Commenting on the edited image, Vincent Capers, president of the Correction Guardians Association, a black fraternal law-enforcement group, said: “I was livid. The city is in need of healing and unity, and behaviors like this can only cause further pain.” He added that his organization is demanding Lascko be fired. Another black law-enforcement association’s president called Lascko’s Facebook post “a total insult.” “With the sensitivity that is going on throughout the county and the world right now, that is a very bad sign of white privilege. We are denouncing this guy and want him fired. It was like someone putting the knee on my neck,” Charles Billups, president of the Grand Council of Guardians, said.