The Stream

Teachers break with union protest, wear shirts in support of NYPD

Netizens criticise teachers for supporting police department after death of Eric Garner.

Despite warning from their union, many New York City teachers posted photos of themselves wearing shirts in support of the city’s police department. The decision of the United Federation of Teachers to back a march against police brutality after the death of Eric Garner during a police arrest was unpopular with some city educators, who wore the shirts to school in protest. 

One of the most widely circulated photos is of a group of teachers reportedly at P.S. 220 Edward Mandel, a public elementary school in Queens, posted to the “Thank you NYPD” Facebook page.