Baltimore Lt. Victor Gearhart Suspended for Calling Criminal Protesters “Thugs”
Baltimore Police Lieutenant Victor Gearhart was suspended for calling criminals “thugs.” (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)
Baltimore Lt. Victor Gearhart Suspended for Calling Criminal Protesters “Thugs”
Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Police Lieutenant Victor Gearhart, who is also an FOP vice president, has been suspended for calling it like it is. Based on protests leading up to the Maryland state FOP conference, he sent an email to all Baltimore PD members warning them to, “expect more bad behavior from the thugs of Baltimore.”
The correspondence was not without merit. It surfaced a day after 12 protesters were arrested for trespassing inside the Hyatt Regency for blocking escalators and attempting to deny access to the conference. The agency has not backed the 33-year veteran on his statement. Instead, they suspended him and have said that his statements are not representative of the department as a whole.
A department spokesman told Complex that Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis was “outraged” by the e-mail. It would seem that everyone, including agency administrators, are supporting the criminal behavior of these thugs.
The issue here is not about race. It is not about their right to protest. It is not about the term he used to describe them. The issue is about their infringement on the rights of others. They use criminal behavior to prevent others from freedom of movement and to gather peacefully at a private location, which has been paid for with private funds. These protesters had no right to be at the location and refused to leave when told to do so. Lieutenant Victor Gearhart did not make this about race or gender, he made it about criminal behavior.
Civil rights activists have even chimed in on the email saying that the lieutenant does not see himself as being accountable to the citizens he is sworn to serve and protect and that he is encouraging others to feel the same. These statements seem completely ludicrous as there is no call to action by the lieutenant and no directive to take any particular stance toward the criminal behavior.
Lieutenant Victor Gearhart has previously sued the department for being transferred without merit after a controversial tweet was shared through his Twitter account. Once again, the department has taken overt action to pander to the media and those offended by the truth. Here is the full text from the email:
“By now you have seen that the THUGS from Black Lives Matter and other similar groups have attempted to disrupt the State FOP Convention being held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Well today as check-in day with activities spread over the next 3 days so expect more bad behavior from the Thugs of Baltimore. On the bright side maybe they will stop killing each other while they are protesting us.”
