Miami Fraternal Order of Police president and well-known troll Javier Ortiz continued his campaign against black activists yesterday, tweeting “act like a thug and you’ll be treated like one” in reference to Tamir Rice’s death.
When interviewed, Ortiz doubled down on his comments. The Miami New Times reports:
"Mr. Rice wasn't your neighborhood kid running around with a water gun. He was brandishing and pointing a pellet gun in which the orange tip was removed," Ortiz tells New Times. "As tragic as the situation is, I support those in law enforcement that had to make a split-second decision in protecting themselves and the community."
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Ortiz is no stranger to stoking the flames of outrage after police violence. He's previously lashed out at Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa for supporting charges against the NYPD officers who killed EricGarner, and Ortiz promoted pages to support Darren Wilson, the cop who killed Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
When a woman filmed a Miami cop kicking a handcuffed suspect last year, Ortiz responded by blasting the witness and spreading photos from her Facebook page. He also perpetuated rumors that a female assistant chief of police was Muslim and ignored the national anthem. Ortiz was also sued by a man who was tasered during Ultra Music Festival.
Ortiz is pretty indicative of police union presidents and the hyper-aggressive rhetoric that ends up killing and hurting more people. This is the problem with emphasizing “good cops;” all cops are represented and led by people like Ortiz, who clearly promote this kind of violence against black people and even against children like Tamir Rice. In Ortiz’s world, “thugs” deserve to die, and the process by which black people become those thugs deserving of death is incredibly arbitrary and ridiculous.