CAIR-NY Welcomes Firing of NYPD Sergeant Who Shared Racist Messages, Cartoons Mocking George Floyd’s Death

Photo by Matthias Kinsella on Unsplash

(NEW YORK, NY, 6/23/2022)—The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today welcomed the termination of a New York Police Department sergeant who shared racist and expletive-filled messages mocking George Floyd’s death during a group chat with other NYPD officers—two of whom were Black. 

According to testimony, Yonathan Bonifacio forwarded a retouched image of George Floyd’s murderer holding his knee to Mr. Floyd’s neck as a white, ghost-like spirit exits Mr. Floyd’s body. Mr. Floyd utters, "Holy s***, I’m finally white," while the murderer responds, "You’re welcome." 

Another of Mr. Bonifacio’s messages began with "F*** BLACK LIVES MATTER."

SEE: Veteran NYPD cop fired for sharing racist cartoon mocking George Floyd’s death, expletive-filled messages 

Afaf Nasher, Executive Director of CAIR-NY, said in a statement:   

"We applaud the NYPD for acting in the best interest of the people of New York City by firing Mr. Bonifacio for this revolting, callous act. We must never forget that police officers are civil servants whose responsibility is to serve and protect us with ‘courtesy, professionalism, and respect.’ Sadly, Mr. Bonifacio’s actions demonstrated none of these qualities. We hope that his termination will serve as a deterrent to other officers like him, who apparently see nothing wrong with mocking the murder of other human beings, especially people of color." 

She added that CAIR-NY and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging white supremacy, anti-Jewish hate, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and all other forms of bigotry.     

CAIR-NY has condemned several other disturbing hate incidents in recent weeks:        

SEE:       

• CAIR-NY Condemns Alleged Snatching of Jewish Boy’s Yarmulke by Man in Brooklyn

• CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Assault on Two Asian American Teenage Girls on Staten Island Bus

• CAIR-NY Welcomes Arrest of Racist Who Allegedly Harassed, Threatened Black Pastor and Son in Newburgh

• CAIR-NY Condemns Assault, Robbery of Hispanic Man in Queens, Welcomes Hate Crime Probe

• CAIR-NY Condemns Racist Verbal Abuse Targeting Black Pastor in Newburgh

• CAIR-NY Welcomes Hate Crime Charges for Teens Who Allegedly Scrawled Anti-Black and Anti-Jewish Graffiti on Yorktown Bridge Underpass

• CAIR-NY Welcomes Hate Crime Indictment for Assault Targeting Jewish Man in Brooklyn

CAIR-NY's mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR-NY es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; Ahmed Mohamed, CAIR-NY Legal Director, 646-481-2103, ahmedmohamed@cair.com