An LAPD sergeant is suing after getting punished for some comments made about the late Nipsey Hussle.
Nipsey Hussle is a Los Angeles legend, and since his untimely death, respect and admiration for the man and activist has only grown. One LAPD Sergeant found that out the hard way after he was met with disciplinary measures within the department due to comments, he made about the late rapper, as well as about sexual assault victims and Muslims. According to the LA Times, Sgt. Joel Sydanmaa has now filed a lawsuit against the LAPD to fight back against the repercussions he has faced on the job.
Sydanmaa and his legal team are claiming that he has “never done anything improper on the job” and that he was disciplined for “expressing his opinions, as a private citizen, while off-duty, on his personal social media accounts, about matters of public concern.”
While Sydanmaa and his team are arguing that he only faced consequences for his comments because they did not align with the LAPD’s political stance, his Facebook activity is seen by many as unacceptable in any profession. He was first called out for making disparaging comments about Muslims in Japan in 2015, and more recently wrote a post about the confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh, claiming that from a cop’s perspective, Kavanaugh did not appear to be guilty of sexual assault. He says he was reprimanded at work for this activity because it was considered victim-blaming.
Last year, Sydanmaa continued his questionable social media activity when he criticized Nipsey Hussle after his death, saying that Nip “perpetuated the criminal gang lifestyle and the anti-police sentiment in this country.” He added that Nipsey should be blamed for his own murder, saying that he “chose the lifestyle that ultimately killed him.” After all of this, Sydanmaa was suspended for only one day and is now claiming that he has suffered irreparable psychological damage as a result. It’s hard to say if the sergeant has a case in the current political climate, but he should probably just keep his opinions off social media from now on.
