New York court officer posts doctored images of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton being lynched, gets suspended
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK: A court officer was suspended after she reportedly posted doctored pictures of former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton being lynched. The New York Post reported on June 7 that Sgt. Terri Pinto Napolitano was referred to the state court system’s inspector general after her suspension, following an investigation launched into a Facebook post she put up on her social media account over the weekend.
The post in question was titled 'The True American Dream,' and involved doctored images of Obama and Clinton. While the first photo showed Obama hanging from a rope, with the accompanying phrases “We Will Not Yield” and “Your day is coming TRAITOR!” written on it, the second snap was of Clinton walking to the gallows flanked by seven people, with the words “IT’S NOT OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SWINGS.”
New York Chief Judge Janet DiFiore condemned the presently deleted post, which came amid nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who was killed in police custody. “This conduct is abhorrent, by anyone, at any time, and under any circumstances,” she wrote to court system personnel. “But at this critical moment in our history — when our nation is reeling from the death of George Floyd and its aftermath — it is a sickening and unpardonable offense against every colleague in our court system, as well as the vast and diverse public we serve. We assure you that we have already begun the process and will take every step within our power so that this conduct is condemned and punished appropriately.”
Pending the inspector general’s review, “Sgt. Napolitano has been suspended for 30 days” and “had her gun taken” a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration told The Post Sunday. Sources said that she was one of the most recent recruits of the Brooklyn Criminal Court. Although Napolitano has not issued any statement following her suspension, some of the sergeant’s colleagues did have a few things to say about her conduct.
“She’s a disgrace,” said one court officer who worked with Napolitano in the past. “Absolutely. You’re going to boroughs where minorities are trying to move ahead and you disgrace the shield. She should be fired.”
Floyd was killed on May 25 when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds despite his desperate and repeated pleas of "I can't breathe." Obama said that the protests following the death of Floyd are fueled by "decades worth of anguish and frustration over unequal treatment and a failure to perform police practices."
While delivering commencement a speech on Sunday, May 7, during YouTube's 'Dear Class of 2020' virtual ceremony, Obama said: "Graduation is a big achievement under any circumstances, yours comes as the world is turned upside down by a pandemic and by a country that has been swept up by protests... As scary and uncertain these times may be, they are also a wake-up call. And they’re an incredible opportunity for your generation. The point is, don't let the lack of a big crowded ceremony take anything away from what your graduation signifies. Go ahead and bask in the glory of your achievement."