Despite the Brooklyn Nine-Nine scene going around from the episode that did acknowledge police racism, the show is not innocent in perpetuating a skewed view of law enforcement.
In a move to show their support in the Black Lives Matter movement while rallying behind the cry of justice for George Floyd, the show’s co-creator, Dan Goor, took to Twitter to share that the cast and crew of Brooklyn Nine-Nine would be donating $100,000 to the National Bail Fund Network.
#JusticeForGeorgeFloyd https://t.co/mwCLtdpW0p pic.twitter.com/Z8HRCTvZD3
— Dan Goor (@djgoor) June 3, 2020
Now, this is a nice start, but shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, as entities, need to do more. Many celebrities who benefitted from playing cops have taken to their platforms to share why others in similar situations should donate. Blue Bloods actor Griffin Newman started by donating $11,000 for playing a cop in an episode of the CBS show.
I’m an out-of-work actor who (improbably) played a detective on two episodes of BLUE BLOODS almost a decade ago.
If you currently play a cop?
If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in residuals from playing a cop?
I’ll let you do the math. pic.twitter.com/En4ww2OSjP
— Griffin Newman (@GriffLightning) June 2, 2020
From there, Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz (who brings Rosa Diaz to life on the show) matched Newman’s donation and encouraged other actors who currently play cops to do the same.
I’m an actor who plays a detective on tv.
If you currently play a cop?
If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in residuals from playing a cop?
I’ll let you do the math. (Thanks @GriffLightning for leading the way). pic.twitter.com/Xxf3dU0urF
— Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz) June 2, 2020
Now, $100,000 is only a “start” for the show because, while details are light on exactly who is donating and how much, that’s basically the main cast individually matching Newman’s donation, when his comments on those who have made far more money by playing cops and “do the math” seem like a pretty strong hint that others should donate more. It’s great that the cast and creator are all donating, but the show, as an entity, could do so much more than just its stars individually matching what others are already doing.
The thing is: You don’t have to bankrupt yourself. That’s not the point. The point is giving back a meaningful portion of the monetary benefit of normalizing a system that attacks the Black community. I hope this does start a trend of shows that benefitted from being cop procedurals stepping up. They made all that money off of their depiction of cops, and they should donate it to causes helping to stop police brutality now—not just actors, but all the people who made fortunes off of these shows.
(image: NBC)
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