The DEA sent the following letter to various executives at Facebook in protest of some of the website’s pages, which we feel encourage violence against the nation’s law enforcement community.
Mr. Mark Zuckerberg
Chief Executive Officer
Facebook, Inc.
One Hacker Way
Menlo Park, CA 94025
October 1, 2015
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg:
It has come to our attention that Facebook is encouraging violence against our nation’s Law Enforcement Officers by permitting various Facebook pages titled “Fuck the Police” to be mounted on your social media platform. We have attached six (6) separate entities using the header “Fuck the Police” and many others crop up during a simple Facebook search.
Given that the number of American Law Enforcement Officers killed in 2014 rose 89% from the number killed in 2013, we are shocked by Facebook’s participation in encouraging violence against law enforcement and, here in New York City, we know all too well that these messages have directly contributed to the targeting and killing of our own Officers.
While of course the United States Constitution’s First Amendment allows for freedom of expression, the Constitution only mediates government censorship; it does not negate the social responsibility that should be exercised by private enterprise. Facebook ‘s Community Standards section outlines the ways in which Facebook works with Police to keep communities safe; however, we find that Facebook is woefully negligent in keeping the Police safe. We are asking Facebook to take a long, hard look at its own site and stand up to those who use dangerous anti-police rhetoric to threaten and intimidate our nation’s Police Officers, and encourage non-compliance with the laws of the communities they serve. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Palladino
President
