The above picture, featured on the Facebook profile of someone named "Photon Frequency", is presented as an example of how police and protesters really can get along: "Much of the NYPD are really on our side. We need to stay away from negative media influence and stay supportive and respectful of their difficult job. Many of the officers I spoke to are supportive of this movement and gratefully acknowledged the peaceful efforts of the protesters." However, don't tell that to any of the cops over at Thee Rant police forum—they're pretty darn annoyed at the cop for posing with these "miscreants."

Thee Rant is the internet forum for retired and current members of the NYPD, and they seem to heartily disapprove of officers engaging with protesters in any manner other than from an authoritarian position. User 10 08 wrote, "there are only 2 types of reactions you give these people. #1 - NOTHING #2 - ARREST." BNDB agrees in a long message:

Exactly right! When we do anything else other than the above, we undermine the mission we have as police officers to be proffesional and maintain a STRONG AUTHORITATIVE presence... Act professional at all times!

Dont show any signs of weakness, by doing that, we raise the threat level for all other officers!

Even if we agree with these trust-fund punks, as Police Officers, it is not our job to appease and empathise with them, it is our job to make sure we, and all other officers GO HOME SAFELY!

These punks we stand with, laugh with now, ten minutes later will be throwing their piss and shyte at us, calling us pigs and climbing the barriers to try to fight us...DON'T FORGET THAT! These trust fund bytches are NOT OUR FRIENDS! They want to see us hurt, either physically or on the job. They want to see us indicted for doing our job. They want to see us lose our jobs, our means for support to our families, they want to see our lives ruined...THEY ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS! If you really feel that strongly about them, that you empathize with them, then maybe you should think about resigning your position as a New York City Police Officer.

Not everyone is ready to damn the office-in-question: some hope-against-hope that maybe it's all a big misunderstanding! User bxnarcorgr asks, "Could it be he was bored and in a moment of stupidity, he flashed the peace sign more out of sarcasm than out of sympathy for the cause?" Murray Da COP said, "Maybe the cop is putting in his order for coffee or something. Yea TWO sugars please!"

If this is their reaction to a little peace sign, we can't wait to see what they think about the protester who allegedly was caught on camera defecating on a cop car.