Tarantino's dad joins police union in condemnation

Maria Puente | USA TODAY

Add another bellow from the police unions condemning director Quentin Tarantino and his movies, plus a slap from his own father, amidst continuing deafening silence from the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

"I love my son and have great respect for him as an artist but he is dead wrong in calling police officers, particularly in New York City where I grew up, murderers," said actor Tony Tarantino in a statement released Friday by the New York Police Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

"He is a passionate man and that comes out in his art but sometimes he lets his passion blind him to the facts and to reality."

Police unions in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles have already called for a boycott of Tarantino films — his latest, The Hateful Eight, lands on Christmas Day — and now the New Jersey State Police Benevolent Association has joined the shame-on-Tarantino chorus.

Tarantino is under pressure because of inflammatory remarks he made at a protest against police brutality in New York last weekend, in which he suggested some cops who shoot civilians are "murderers" and he stands "with the murdered."

Then, he ducked for cover as fire and brimstone from some of nation's major police unions started raining down on him.

Pat Colligan, president of the New Jersey union, issued a statement Friday calling on Garden State cops to join the boycott. He suggested Tarantino's rhetoric might lead to the murder of police officers.

"It is hard not to see the anti-police rhetoric that has been stirred up in the nation over the past year. We don't know if this irresponsible speech led directly to the recent murder of officers around the nation, but Mr. Tarantino should be mindful of the potential dangers that can result from the dangerous rhetoric once it is ingrained in the mind of a person who is willing to harm an officer," Colligan said.

"Quentin Tarantino needs to understand that as a public figure his voice is one that people listen to. He has an obligation to be more responsible. This is not a movie, this is real life where police officers lives are impacted by his words."

The lead organizer of #RiseUpOctober, the protests where Tarantino spoke last weekend, called the police criticisms of the director "outrageous."

"It is aimed at sending a message, not just to Tarantino, but to anyone whose voice carries great weight in society: If you speak out, we will come after you, threaten your livelihood and attempt to scare you back into silence," activist Carl Dix said.

"Video after video has shown unarmed black, Latino, and Native Americans being tazed, stomped, brutalized, and shot in the back by police and almost never are the police even indicted. What kind of society allows this? What does it say when those who raise their voices against this are the ones who come under attack?"

Quentin Tarantino definitely does not take after his father. Says his son is wrong. Kudos to Tony. https://t.co/5CVw6W7g9b — terrirobin (@terrirobin) October 30, 2015

The director's father said in his statement he believes his son got carried away when he joined the protest rally in Manhattan last Saturday.

"I wish he would take a hard, dispassionate look at the facts before jumping to conclusions and making these kinds of hurtful mistakes that dishonor an honorable profession," Tony Tarantino said. "We have many friends and relatives who have served honorably in the NYPD and the LAPD and clearly, they risk their lives to keep the rest of us safe. Cops are not murderers, they are heroes."

Patrick Lynch, president of the New York police union and de facto leader of the anti-Tarantino movement, was pleased. He said Tony Tarantino was courageous in speaking out against his son.

"It is not easy criticizing someone you care about," Lynch said in a statement. "But he so ... has insulted the very people who protect his freedom of speech and who facilitate the making of his films. He owes an apology to law enforcement officers across country and we will continue to encourage the boycotting of his films until he makes such an apology."

So far, no response of any kind from Quentin Tarantino. If he does apologize, it will be because he's pressured into by studio bosses more upset about the controversy than he is, says Howard Bragman, veteran publicist and founder of 15 Minutes Public Relations.

"Not only has Quentin Tarantino been through controversies, he kind of likes being that guy," Bragman says. "I think Quentin is pretty OK with what he did. I won't say he was taken out of context, but what he understands and what we have to understand is that he's kind of a pawn. The police say, 'Yes! We can defend ourselves now!' and Hollywood is always a big target for these kinds of feuds."

Bragman says Tarantino should say something; suggesting police are murderers is not fair to police, and ignoring the backlash, no matter how manipulative, is not a good PR strategy.

"But Quentin Tarantino has not gotten to be where he is because he's the most politically correct guy in Hollywood, and people like him because he's not PC," Bragman says. "He's not the guy who's going to grovel."

Meanwhile, at least one celebrity stood up for Tarantino on Twitter.

It should not require unusual courage to protest police brutality as Quentin Tarantino has done but, evidently, it does. — Joyce Carol Oates (@JoyceCarolOates) October 30, 2015

Also on Tarantino's side is history: When he's feuded before, he engaged, and emerged more or less unscathed. Recall his long public argument with director Spike Lee over his liberal use of the N word in practically all his films, which he defended as "truthful" in the context of films like Django Unchained.

But more to the point: To date, no boycott has been credited with the actual failure of a film, says Linda Ong, CEO of TruthCo, a brand agency.

"I don't think it's going to move the needle," Bragman says. "On the other hand do you want a premiere in New York or L.A. where police are not going to protect you or will stand with their backs to you? It detracts from promoting the movie and that's the biggest concern."