A Time Warner Cable employee has been suspended without pay on suspicion of posting cop-bashing signs in the window of a company truck, a company representative told the Post.
“Please don’t choke me out like you did Eric Garner,” read Fredick Champin’s sign, which, refers to the Staten Island man who died while being arrested by NYPD officers in July 2014.
The suspension came the day before the CEO of parent company Charter Communications received an angry letter from NYPD union boss Patrick J. Lynch, who after seeing a picture of the signs demanded that the person responsible be disciplined.
The message referring to Garner, along with, “How many cops does it take to follow one black man? All of them,” can be seen on hand-written signs taped to the inside windows of a truck displaying the Time Warner Cable name and logo. The photo was reportedly taken in Ridgewood, Queens, on Wednesday evening, according to the letter, which was posted on the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association Facebook page Friday afternoon.
“These messages are extraordinarily offensive to law enforcement officers everywhere and are completely inappropriate for any commercial setting,” Lynch wrote.
The company began investigating as soon as the photo came to their attention, according to a Charter Communications representative. The suspension is pending the outcome of a full investigation.
“We have the utmost respect for the NYPD and the dedication of its men and women to New Yorkers’ safety and well-being. We’re investigating this matter and take it very seriously,” the representative said in an emailed statement.
Charter acquired Time Warner Cable in May, and has begun renaming the company Spectrum.