HPD reassigns an officer over Black Lives Matter comment on Facebook

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A 10-year Honolulu Police Department veteran has been reassigned to desk duty after he allegedly posted a derogatory comment about the Black Lives Matter movement on his Facebook page.

Hawaii News Now obtained an image of the offending post that read: “#F***BlackLivesMatter. Unfriend me PLEASE if you’re offended. I’m lock and loaded 24/7. Come!” The post also directed readers to a news story about the July 7 sniper ambush that killed five police officers in Dallas during a Black Lives Matter march.

The post was attributed to user Vj Tripi, whose page was no longer available on Facebook on Wednesday. Michelle Yu, HPD spokeswoman, would not identify the officer, but said he was in the Traffic Division and was reassigned Tuesday after the department learned about the post.

Police are investigating whether the officer violated the department’s social media or bias-based profiling policies.

The officer’s reassignment comes after several officers on the mainland have been suspended or fired for comments about black people or the Black Lives Matter movement.

Marsha Joyner, former president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition, said that she felt threatened after seeing the post last week and that it casts a shadow over the department. “It’s offensive and it’s scary,” she said.

For almost three decades, HPD has helped the MLK coalition with its annual parade, and their relationship has heretofore been positive, Joyner said.

“This came as a surprise, a disappointment,” she said. “I’m afraid for my sons, my grandsons. … That kind of hate has to be ingrained.”

Alfonso Braggs, president of the Hawaii chapter of the NAACP, noted that across the nation inappropriate comments about the movement and about police officers have been posted online by individuals representing various viewpoints. He called for more collaboration.

“This is a matter where there are a lot of hurt individuals on both sides,” he said. “None of these actions are appropriate, and neither of them do us any justice with respect to trying to resolve this situation.”