By Perry Green, AFRO Sports Editor
A Black police officer is claiming his public support for Colin Kaepernick has caused the New York Police Department to block him from receiving a promotion, according to reports.
Per the New York Daily, NYPD Sergeant Edwin Raymond, a 33-year-old African American, told reporters that he was passed over for a promotion to lieutenant because he publicly backed Kaepernick, who sparked a trend of NFL players kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem in protest of police brutality and racism in the U.S.
Seargent Edwin Raymond said he was not promoted because of his public support of Colin Kaepernick. (Courtesy Photo)
Raymond and other law enforcement officers held a rally in support of Kaepernick in Brooklyn, N.Y. during summer 2017.
Raymond, reportedly, expected to be bumped to lieutenant after he produced one of the highest scores of all applicants on the lieutenant’s test; according to The New York Daily News, he had the 26th best score out of 1,325 other sergeants that took the same test.
“It is unfortunate. I did a press conference in support of Colin Kaepernick, using his status to put a spotlight on issues in policing that need to be fixed,” Raymond told The New York Daily News. “Because of the controversy, a lot of cops criticized . Me being aligned with him was seen as standing with the enemy.”
Raymond’s promotion was reportedly held up because multiple cops under his command had filed conduct disputes against him, claiming he mishandled two domestic violence complaints.
“The department takes domestic violence very seriously and is obligated to look at these incidents,” a senior police official said.
But Ed Mullins, president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, told the media that this is just a case of retaliation against Raymond.
“Decisions are made on the sly, and there are people who have pending charges and still get promoted, and others whose promotions are held back for reasons that are never explained,” Mullins said. “If this doesn’t appear to be retaliation, then I don’t know what is.”
Raymond told reporters the domestic violence incident they’re referring to is a situation where he responded to a call from a man who called 911 on his ex-girlfriend and mother of his kids because she attacked his car with a baseball bat. Raymond said once he arrived on the scene, the man asked not to press charges against the woman because he didn’t want her to be arrested. Raymond said he instructed his officers not to make an arrest; that’s when his subordinates told him that the man had 20 prior arrested, plus an order of protection placed against him by his ex, so they wanted to arrest him instead. Raymond instructed them not to arrest the man, either.
“I said, ‘that doesn’t change today’s circumstances.’ It was nonsense. completely manipulated the situation…They turned the woman into the victim,” Raymond told The New York Daily News. “These cops were thinking the numbers would give their claims more plausibility, and unfortunately the department is choosing to entertain this and use it as a dagger to end my promotion.
“They are not happy with me,” Raymond continued. “I don’t enjoy having to speak out, but it’s historically what makes the department budge.”
