it's come to the point where you can't even donate $25 to a defense fund... not that it helped since Lin Wood stole all the money. Virginia cop accused of donating to Kyle Rittenhouse defense fund is fired https://www.newsobserver.com/news/nation-world/national/article250832899.html A Virginia cop lost his job after he was accused of donating to a defense fund for a Wisconsin shooting suspect, officials said. The city of Norfolk said Lt. William Kelly was first placed on administrative leave Friday when reports surfaced that he “donated and expressed support for the actions of Kyle Rittenhouse, who is charged with multiple felonies, including homicide.” The former officer’s “egregious comments erode the trust between the Norfolk Police Department and those they are sworn to serve,” City Manager Chip Filer said Tuesday in a news release. Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he was accused of showing up armed to a protest in August. He killed two people and injured a third person, according to officials in Kenosha, Wisconsin. At the time, the city roughly 40 miles south of Milwaukee was the site of demonstrations after a member of its police department repeatedly shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, as he got into his SUV. Blake was hospitalized, and the officer in the case initially was put on administrative leave. After the fatal shootings, Rittenhouse’s legal team said he went to the protest to “protect the city and provide medical care to those injured.” Some consider Rittenhouse a supporter of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement, a sentiment echoed in a note Kelly shared with the $25 donation he made to the teen’s legal fund in September, multiple news outlets reported. “You’ve done nothing wrong,” Kelly wrote, according to The Guardian. “Every rank and file police officer supports you. Don’t be discouraged by actions of the political class of law enforcement leadership.” The donation was anonymous but was tracked to the Norfolk Police Department through Kelly’s email, according to hacked files shared with The Virginian-Pilot. Kelly, who media outlets report hasn’t commented publicly, was fired from the department’s internal affairs unit as of Tuesday. Norfolk officials said the former lieutenant violated the city’s policies. “A police department cannot do its job when the public loses trust with those whose duty is to serve and protect them,” Police Chief Larry D. Boone said in a news release. “We do not want perceptions of any individual officer to undermine the relations between the Norfolk Police Department and the community.” The Norfolk city manager said he reviewed the results of an investigation into Kelly and condemned his comments. “The City of Norfolk has a standard of behavior for all employees, and we will hold staff accountable,” Filer said in a statement. Kelly has the chance to appeal the city of Norfolk’s decision, according to officials.
It was not just the donation it was the bullshit political statement he also attached to it in his representation of the Norfolk Police Department... he should get fired for that and his stupidity at using his work email address.... I think Norfolk is better served weeding out the stupid from their force.
Seeing that the statement was attached to the donation was anonymous & not meant to be public... then how can anyone claim it was in any manner intended to represent the police department. It was only discovered due to illegal hacking. Where is the prosecution for the hacking? "The donation was anonymous but was tracked to the Norfolk Police Department through Kelly’s email, according to hacked files shared with The Virginian-Pilot." Where does this stop. Will people be fired for anonymous donations to any defense fund someone in government administration disagrees with? Will people be fired for political donations to any candidate someone in government administration does not support?
Here is why I disagree in this case: Police officer is a city worker subject to city rules, regulations and ethics standards which he is made aware of when he starts working. He is a government worker. He knows that which is why it was anonymous. Workers for the government have stricter rules on political donations and also public causes. They are made aware of it as a condition of employment. they represent the city. he represents the police department. He made a comment that ALL police support the murderer and vigilantism which he has no right to do. By claiming to speak for all police he made a political statement that violates his work regulations and ethics. What right does a police officer have to speak out publicly and say that all police support kids illegally arming themselves and going out to shoot protestors. That is against the law and for a cop to support that, he should find work elsewhere. he made the donation anonymously but he is not anonymous anymore. What he did was inviolation of his work regulations which is why he did it anonymously. Doing something anonymously does not get you out of breaking the law or violating your employment contract. This is not about a political statement someone disagrees with. Kyle illegally armed himself and went to another state to shoot people. It is called murder. cops cannot come out in support of murder and claim all cops do. He needs to go.
Where do you draw the line on what is an acceptable donation and comment? Where are the city's written guidelines on donations (hint: Norfolk doesn't have one). There are no "stricter standards". I am not particularly surprised that this officer was unmasked via illegal hacking and it led to him being fired. Welcome to how cancel culture works. The real problem is the slippery slope of what donation is considered a violation of city ethics that will lead to your termination of an employee. What if most of the residents of a city are upset when an officer donates $25 to BLM with some statement about supporting them? Should the officer be fired because the administrators and majority of city residents don't support BLM?
Kyle illegally carried a firearm into another state and shot some people... he committed a federal crime and a cop went in the public and said all cops support what he did. FIRED. This has nothing to do with a political movement or BLM. read my first sentence again.....it was not a political statement on Trump or BLM.... he said that all cops support felony murder and that reflects badly on himself and his job. Put the politics aside because it was not politics at all.
So if a government employee donates to the defensed fund a BLM supporter who shot & killed a cop --- should this employee be terminated?