Actress Susan Sarandon mocked the funeral of New York Police Department office Jason Rivera, who was killed in the line of duty, on twitter.
Initially, Podcaster Danny Haiphong posted a picture on twitter that showed thousands of police officers from the NYPD filling up 5th Avenue in Manhattan to pay their respects to Rivera, along with a caption that read, “I’m gonna tell my kids this is what fascism looks like.”
This distasteful tweet was then retweeted by Susan Sarandon, who also added, “So, if all these cops weren’t needed for CRIME that day, doesn’t that mean they aren’t needed ANY day?”
Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were responding to a domestic disturbance call in Harlem when this tragic incident occurred. While they were walking inside a building a door opened and they were fired on by career criminal Lashawn McNeil. The perpetrator tried to escape the scene but was shot and wounded by a third cop who was standing at the exit – he later succumbed to his injuries.
Officer Rivera died on the day he was shot. Mora, on the other hand, was shot in the head and underwent two surgeries. As efforts to revive him were futile, he was put on life support as he was an organ donor.
Susan Sarandon received immediate backlash for her tweet. The NYPD posted on twitter, “This is what privilege looks like: a wealthy actress, safe in her bubble, mocking heroes & making light of the crisis that cops are battling alongside our communities.” National Fraternal Order of Police also had some choice words for the actress, saying “Of all the days for @SusanSarandon to share her true feelings towards police, she picks the day we bury our fallen brother to make such inflammatory & brainless comments. When you spend more time hating on cops than you do your own career, it’s no wonder why you’re a D-list actor.”
Susan Sarandon is best known for her roles in the films Dead Man Walking (1995) and The Client (1994), which earned her the Oscar award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role respectively. She is also a prominent leftwing activist and a big supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement – she took part in numerous BLM protests. The BLM protests that broke out in 2020 after the death of George Floyd oversaw the rapid rise of anti-cop sentiments in the US. This led to calls to defund the police, which was actually implemented in some Democrat-run localities.
After the backlash, Sarandon deleted her tweet and offered an apology. “I deeply regret the meme I recently shared on Twitter that included a photo of Officer Jason Rivera’s funeral,” said the actress. She also said, “I sincerely apologize to the family of Officers Rivera and Mora for causing additional pain during their time of grieving.”
