New Jersey township fires officer over Facebook post denouncing BLM as 'terrorists'
Two female officers, one the first hired by the police department, suffer the consequences of condemning BLM following weeks of violence against police
Hopewell (NJ) Township Police Officer Sara Erwin (left) was fired Friday and Sgt. Mandy Gray was demoted following Erwin’s Facebook post condemning BLM and Gray’s “liking” it last summer. (Photos: Dan Carter, Sylvia Nash/Hopewell-Pennington Patch)
A New Jersey township has fired a veteran police officer and will suspend and demote a sergeant over a Facebook post that called Black Lives Matter protesters “terrorists” who hate cops.
Hopewell Township's committee on Friday voted unanimously to terminate police officer Sara Erwin and penalize Sgt. Mandy Gray. Both women have been decorated public servants for more than 20 years, and neither one has any disciplinary history, according to their attorney, Frank Crivelli.
Gray, who was the first woman to be hired as a police officer in Hopewell Township and who two years ago became the first to attain the rank of sergeant, will be placed on leave and demoted in rank to patrol officer. Crivelli filed an appeal with the New Jersey Superior Court on Monday, arguing that the disciplinary actions taken against his clients were “unjustified” and “excessively harsh.”
Erwin, who has served as a patrol officer in Hopewell since 2001, on June 8, 2020, wrote a status update on her Facebook page that read in part:
“Last night as I left for work I had my two kids crying for me not to go to work. I don’t think I’ve ever felt the way I did last night. And then I watched people I know and others I care about going into harm’s way. I love my police family like my own.
“So when you share posts and things on Facebook I’d really appreciate if you’d THINK before doing so. I’ve seen so many black lives matter hashtags in these posts. Just to let you know — they are terrorists. They hate me. They hate my uniform. They don’t care if I die.”
There is nothing untrue about any of those closing statements. Undoubtedly Erwin was feeling the emotions she expressed, and they were based in the reality that BLM and most of the Fascists that are now in control of the Democrat Party hate police officers, both as a group and each individually. They have proven that time and time again.
The BLM agenda is plain for all to see: Cop-killing.
As BLM’s violence and cop-killing have increased over the last year, many BLM protesters like these in Eugene, Oregon have vowed “the fight will never stop.” (Photo: Sully Macrone/Eugene Register-Guard)
On July 8, 2016, four snipers, at least three of whom were directly tied to BLM, shot and killed five police officers in Dallas and wounded seven others during protests over fatal police shootings of black men in other states. It was the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Three bar patrons were shot and killed in a random, brutal, unprovoked attack when a man proven to have BLM affiliation walked into a Kentucky bar patio in September 2020 and opened fire indiscriminately on police officers there to celebrate the retirement of one of their own. The gunman shot all three of his murder victims at point blank range. They were out of uniform but the party decorations declared who they were and why they were there.
Two weeks before that, also in September, BLM activists gathered to block emergency entrances to UCLA Medical Center where two Los Angeles County deputies were being taken for life saving surgery after being shot. They chanted “We hope they die!” The shooter was also found to have been active in BLM demonstrations up and down the California coast over the previous two years.
These are not isolated incidents, and those chilling words echo the rhetoric heard from BLM founders and members, who make clear that a prime objective of BLM is to “kill cops.” Up until last year, that had been kept well enough under wraps to deceive major corporations, professional sports leagues and countless well-meaning Americans. But even now as it is exposed, those entities continue to throw money and support to BLM on a regular basis.
Joe Biden made propagating the movement’s lies a centerpiece of his 2020 campaign and has continued to do so from the Oval Office. He waited months before condemning the wanton violence perpetrated by BLM. Kamala Harris gave millions — encouraging staff and others to do the same — to secure the release of BLM and Antifa rioters charged with crimes. Meanwhile, progressive Democratic prosecutors refused to even charge some of the worst rioters.
Yet all of these facts had absolutely no effect on the Hopewell Township Committee’s eventual decision to fire Erwin and demote Gray for telling the truth about BLM. It is a travesty, given the current dangerously hostile atmosphere in this country that has even young children realizing, when their police officer parent goes out the door, he or she may not be coming home. It is easy to understand Erwin’s expression of sadness, fear and anger.
The elected committee that manages Hopewell Township, New Jersey met on April 21 and accepted the recommendation from their own appointed hearing officer that Officer Sara Erwin be fired for her “offensive” Facebook post denouncing BLM. (Photo: Web screen capture/ACV)
Gray was among several people who expressed their approval for Erwin's message, which was posted during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests against the false narratives of “police brutality” and “systemic racism” that engulfed the U.S. in the wake of George Floyd's death while under arrest by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Gray reacted to her fellow officer’s post with a heart emoji.
The anti-BLM status update triggered violent protests in Hopewell Township and inspired the creation of a petition with hundreds of signatures demanding that the local police force be disbanded. Crumpling under the pressure and apparently giving no thought to supporting his officer, Hopewell's then-Police Chief Lance Maloney issued a public apology.
“As we continue to investigate a recent Facebook post, please know that I am sorry for the hurt that this incident has caused our community,” Maloney said in late June. “We understand that we have the obligation to make sure that our officers police in a manner that is fair and impartial.”
Maloney has since resigned.
In July, Erwin was charged with violating multiple department policies, including standards of conduct, violating the township's social media policy, public employment and “the implicit standard of good behavior.” She was initially placed on administrative leave, along with other police officers and public servants who reacted positively online to her post.
Erwin ultimately pleaded not guilty to all the charges against her and demanded a hearing, which was held in October. A hearing officer — appointed by the township — in February recommended that Erwin be terminated and on April 21, the Township Committee accepted that recommendation, resulting in her firing on Friday.
According to the appeal filed by Erwin's attorney, she maintains that the charges against her were not proven and she is seeking to have them dismissed. Erwin also wants the Superior Court to compel the township to reinstate her with back pay and benefits, along with all of her legal fees.
We at American Conservative Voice hope and pray she wins a massive judgment against this woke, petty committee and that the community vote them out of office at the first opportunity.