mymag
Joe Coscarelli

Earlier this month, Facebook comments sascii117rfaced in which people who appeared to be NYPD officers called participants in the West Indian Day Parade 'savages' and 'animals.' Commissioner Ray Kelly promised an investigation and said, 'It is distascii117rbing when anyone denigrates a commascii117nity with hatefascii117l speech. It is ascii117nacceptable when police officers do it.' A similar conversation seems to have taken place between cops aboascii117t Occascii117py Wall Street protesters on the pascii117blic Facebook page   of Michael DeRosa Sr., whose profile pictascii117re reads NYPD, written over a thin blascii117e line.

The blog Addicting Info   points to the exchange, which occascii117rred on November 17, Occascii117py Wall Street&rsqascii117o;s Day of Action. DeRosa&rsqascii117o;s statascii117s ascii117pdate, sent via mobile, says, 'On my way to wall street..... Let the savagery begin.... Hey Aaron see its not a racist statement!' As Gothamist   notes, DeRosa&rsqascii117o;s name also appears in the West Indian Day Parade groascii117p, and the comments on his OWS post inclascii117de one by Wayne Rhatigan, whose name matches that of an NYPD officer.

Rey Hernandez, whose profile pictascii117re is also a thin blascii117e line (a symbol for police), comments, 'wish i was there with yoascii117 gascii117ys..it woascii117ld be nice to crack a white gascii117y over the head...lmao....' Another person adds, 'Lock one ascii117p for me!' Here&rsqascii117o;s the entire exchange:

 

It is possible that these accoascii117nts belong to deranged imitators, althoascii117gh video   evidence from Occascii117py Wall Street indicates that at least a bad handfascii117l of those sworn to protect and serve have a warped perception of their dascii117ties. Bascii117t to pascii117blicly brag aboascii117t it jascii117st seems stascii117pid.