A well-respected New Jersey Police officer was fired after a social media post calling Black Lives Matter protesters “terrorists” resurfaced.
Officer Sara Erwin, a Hopewell Township police officer with more than 20 years of service, was fired Friday following an investigation by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s office and the police office, NJ.com reported.
A second officer, Sergeant Mandy Grey, was also suspended for six months and would be demoted for an unknown cause that is thought to be related, according to NJ.com.
A New Jersey town fired a veteran officer after she called Black Lives Matter demonstrators “terrorists” on Facebook.
Hopewell Township also suspended another officer on the force for commenting on the post.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 4, 2021
The Facebook post, made in June of 2020, read that her kids had begged and cried for her to not to go to work during last Summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, adding that she didn’t “think [she] ever felt the way [she] did last night.”
“I’ve seen so many black lives matter [sic] 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.” Erwin reportedly wrote.
Erwin appeared on “Fox & Friends First” on Wednesday, stating that she made the post during an “emotional time” and that she was still “devastated” that she had been fired, Fox News reported.
“I have never been in trouble in my entire career,” Erwin told “Fox & Friends First” regarding her firing. (RELATED: Examining The Left’s War On Cops: A Look At How Many Police Officers Have Left Their Jobs)
Stony Brook Elementary School Trunk or Treat
Officer Sara Erwin was on hand for the Stony Brook Elementary School Trunk…
Posted by Hopewell Township NJ Police on Saturday, October 27, 2018
The post initially spawned a loosely related racial discrimination lawsuit from another officer and led to city-wide petitions for racial justice in the department, NJ.com reported.
Frank Crivelli, a lawyer representing the two officers, told NJ.com that the officers were well-respected and decorated officers of the department with “absolutely no disciplinary history,” while also calling the actions of the department “disgraceful and cowardice.”
Black Lives Matter protests have recently continued in the wake of the shooting death of Ohio teenager Ma’Khia Bryant by a Columbus police officer this past April, with some activists calling for officers to be killed in retaliation.