New York City police interviewed by the Guardian said they would not stop watching director’s work while the protest’s organizer claimed union intends to discourage prominent figures from participating in action against police brutality

A call by a New York City police officer’s union for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino’s films following the director’s participation in a large rally against police violence at the weekend seemed likely to fall at the first hurdle, as a half-dozen city officers told the Guardian on Tuesday that Tarantino could march where he liked and they would watch what they liked.

Organizers of a weekend protest against police violence, meanwhile, warned that the attack on the Oscar-winning director of Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained was an attempt to chill free speech and discourage prominent figures from joining in opposition against police killings of disproportionately black and Latino victims.

Tarantino joined three days of protests in New York last week organized by Rise Up October, a group opposing police violence and what organizers call a “genocidal assault on black and Latino people in this country”.

“I’m a human being with a conscience,” Tarantino told reporters at a 24 October march down New York’s Fifth Avenue. “And if you believe there’s murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I’m here to say I’m on the side of the murdered.”

Simon Moya-Smith (@SimonMoyaSmith) Quentin Tarantino marched with us today in #NYC in protest of police brutality & negligence. #RiseUpOctober pic.twitter.com/J0F1TQwUa0

The remarks drew a sharp rebuke from Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association. “It’s no surprise that someone who makes a living glorifying crime and violence is a cop-hater, too,” Lynch said in a statement. “It’s time for a boycott of Quentin Tarantino’s films.”

The Los Angeles police union supported the call in a statement released Tuesday. “We fully support this boycott of Quentin Tarantino films,” said Craig Lally, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League. “Hateful rhetoric dehumanizes police and encourages attacks on us.”



Police on the street in lower Manhattan, however, did not sound like they were rushing to revise their Netflix queues.

“Cops are going to do what they want,” said officer Andrew Kurpat. “If they like the film they’ll watch it, if they don’t, they won’t. We make our own minds up.”

“He is free to march,” said officer Dave Hamilton. “It’s separate from his movies. I’m not going to stop watching them; I like them.”

“I’ve seen some of his movies, some of them I don’t care for,” said officer Richie Baez. “Kill Bill was good. Reservoir Dogs I didn’t like. Stop watching them because the union says? That should be a personal decision based on an officer’s conscience.”

“His personal beliefs and his movies are two different things,” said officer Andi Hernandez. “Movies are entertainment. I know his movies. I hardly get time to watch anything, I’m too busy but, you know, you just turn on the TV and you watch whatever you like. I’m not going to boycott. The rally was the rally; people can express themselves.”

Tarantino could not immediately be reached for comment. He has a new film, The Hateful Eight, in theaters this Christmas.



According to the Guardian’s growing database, The Counted, 940 people have been killed by police in the US so far this year, of whom at least 438 were white, 228 black and 143 Latino.

Carl Dix, an organizer of Rise Up October and a representative of the revolutionary communist party, said the group had invited many prominent people to participate in three days of events last week to protest police killings.

“We wanted to bring out that police are literally getting away with murder, and that this must stop, and a broad array of people are coming together to act to stop it,” Dix told the Guardian.

“And Quentin Tarantino was one of the people who felt that the challenge of ‘which side are you on?’ spoke to him. And he responded to our outreach to him, and said that he wanted to get involved.

“On Thursday he participated in a reading of the names of people killed by police, along with some clergy, attorneys, academics and dozens of family members of people killed by police. And then he marched in the march on Saturday and spoke at the rally.”

Saturday’s rally came in the wake of the shooting death of New York City police officer Randolph Holder, 33. Holder was fatally shot in the city’s East Harlem neighborhood while pursuing a bicycle thief. A suspect has been charged with murder and robbery in the case.

Tarantino acknowledged on Saturday that the timing of the rally was “unfortunate”, according to the New York Post.

In a local radio interview, New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton attacked Tarantino for his participation in the rally.

“Shame on him, particularly at this time, where we’re grieving the murder of a New York City police officer,” Bratton said. “Basically, there are no words to describe the contempt I have for him and his comments.”

The NYPD arrested 11 protesters on Saturday, charging most of them with disorderly conduct, obstructing vehicular traffic and failing to disperse. At least one was charged with resisting arrest.

Dix praised Tarantino’s participation in the protests and called on others to get involved.

“In the long term, what is needed is a movement of resistance numbering in the millions of people who are saying ‘No, this has to stop’,” Dix said. “Both people who suffer it directly, standing up and saying, ‘I’m not putting up with this anymore,’ but also people who themselves have not suffered this, and maybe even feel relatively secure that they won’t, but who refuse to stand aside and allow it to be enforced on others.

“And that’s what makes what Quentin Tarantino did so important. Because he kind of figures, ‘This isn’t going to happen to me now that I’m a Hollywood director.’ But he felt that his own personal security wasn’t the question. The questions was, ‘Is this really happening?’, and once he was clear it was, he had to be part of acting on it.

“More people need to make that same decision.”

Police officers patrolling in lower Manhattan have their say

Andrew Kurpat: “Cops are going to do what they want. If they like the film they’ll watch it, if they don’t, they won’t. We make our own minds up. You have a lot of people who are political, people who are in Hollywood, and it’s their opinion – if you take them seriously, that is, I don’t take him seriously, he’s a film-maker, that’s all he is. His opinion means nothing to me. He makes some of those crazy movies. I saw them and to me they are on the edge, a little bit way out. I’ve been a cop for 23 years and I had friends who died here [indicates Ground Zero]. Everyone was out here that day, black, white, everyone working together. Now Obama, Eric Holder [the former attorney general], this guy, they are anti-police, it’s not right.”

Dave Hamilton: “He is free to march. It’s separate from his movies. I’m not going to stop watching them, I like them. [The death of officer Randolph Holder in Harlem] was a horrible death. But people can march, people are frustrated, sometimes it’s with good reason. Although sometimes they don’t know the full story. Even when there are cameras, it depends on the angle what you see.”

Andi Hernandez: “His personal beliefs and his movies are two different things. Movies are entertainment. I know his movies. I hardly get time to watch anything, I’m too busy but, you know, you just turn on the TV and you watch whatever you like. I’m not going to boycott. The rally was the rally, people can express themselves.”

Richie Baez: “It’s a very touchy and emotional subject right now. There is a time and a place for everything – this was not the time to exercise your freedom of speech when such a huge section of the population is in mourning [for the officer in Harlem]. I’ve seen some of his movies, some of them I don’t care for. Kill Bill was good. Reservoir Dogs I didn’t like. Stop watching them because the union says? That should be a personal decision based on an officer’s conscience. If you are anti-police, well, come on now, we are out here doing our jobs, we are here for the safety of everyone, and we have to go home safe at the end of the day.”

Dave Jackson: I’m going to his funeral tomorrow [for the officer in Harlem], a lot of us are going, to pay our respects. I don’t think the rally should have been held when it was held. I’ve never watched any Tarantino movies in the first place, so I don’t have an opinion on a boycott. On whether the rally was justified – there are a lot of thugs out there and, well, I’m not going to say some people deserve it [getting shot by the police], but you have to protect yourself – like what happened last week in Harlem: he was doing his job and he has gotten shot and now he’s dead.”

Steve M [who would not give his full name]: “I just mind my own business and pay the bills. I have a wife and three kids relying on me. People can do whatever they want – hold a rally, go to the movies. I’m not going to stop watching his films. If you made decisions like that based on Hollywood politics you would never watch TV again. The rally didn’t anger me, this is America, right? People can do what they want. If people would only respect each other, things would be a lot better.”

Two cops drinking Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, resting the cups on their patrol car on Broadway. Declined to give their names.

Cop one: Oh yeah, I like his movies, Titanic – that’s a terrific movie.

Cop two: That’s not Tarantino, dude. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs…

Cop one: Oh, yeah, that was great, man. When someone like this guy goes to an anti-cop rally, it hurts our feelings. If the union wants us to boycott his movies then we will do what the union says.

Cop two: I think it’s just a suggestion from the union.

Cop one: Oh, well in that case ...

Cop two: You see these actors who are activists at rallies all the time, I didn’t know he was an activist. He used to work in a video store, right? Maybe I should have started out that way and I’d be in Hollywood now.

The Guardian: Did it bother you that Tarantino was at the rally?

Cop two: No. We have free speech here.