Jacqueline Guzman NYC actress fired for ‘insensitively’ condemning street closures for NYPD cop funeral of Jason Rivera. Social media ire leads to performer being cancelled.
Be prepared to be cancelled if the mob ‘finds you disrespectful…’
A NYC actress was fired from her theater company for expressing disconcert over street closures for slain police officer Jason Rivera’s funeral. The video which saw the actress taking exception to ‘inconvenient’ street closures amid the cop’s funeral soon went viral- and the actress in turn quickly deleting the video in which commentators proceeded to skewer the ‘ungrateful’ woman.
‘We do not need to shut down most of Lower Manhattan because one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly. They kill people who are under 22 every single day for no good reason and we don’t shut down the city for them,’ said Jacqueline Guzman on the clip, which appeared on TikTok under then handle @vinylboobs.
Guzman spoke as she filmed herself Friday walking down an empty street, which had been barricaded off.
She went on to pan the camera to the closed street.
She was right. I had the same thoughts myself with the exception I understood it wasn’t the Officers’ fault. It was good to see the show of support, but it was as incovenient as the normal street closings that occur. It’s life in NYC. Shutting down free speech isn’t.
— clarencecoggins (@clarencecoggins) January 30, 2022
Dare not disrespect authority
‘Like this is f–king ridiculous. This is f–king ridiculous. What if somebody is having a heart attack in this area. Nobody can get to them because it’s all blocked off for one f–king cop,’ the actress says bombastically.
Too late. Guzman soon after found herself being widely condemned for her point of view.
‘New Yorkers turned out by the thousands yesterday to help us honor our fallen brother. One person spreading hate cannot erase that. This kind of garbage has polluted the conversation for far too long. We need the New Yorkers who are standing with us to speak up and push back,’ PBA President Patrick Lynch said.
A Brooklyn police officer responded to Guzman’s video, saying it was ‘totally disrespectful, not only to the NYPD but to all New York residents and to all humans. If this is the only way she can get publicity, I feel very sorry for her,’ according to a nypost report.
But had Guzman ever sought publicity? And isn’t she allowed, like any other New Yorker, to voice a point of view without fear or concern of retribution?
As scorn for the actress ensued, commentators dropped personal details of the actress on social media, including the name of Guzman’s acting company, Face to Face Films – which in turn led to the theater company, fearing a public relations disaster, firing the actress.
‘Face to Face Films has just been made aware of an insensitive video involving one of our members, Jacqueline Guzman. Face to Face Films does not support nor can condone these comments made about fallen Officer Rivera. As a result, she is no longer a member of our company,’ the company posted on its Facebook page.
At what cost free speech?
Anthony Laura, the founder of Face to Face, said Guzman was an actress with the film and theater company but declined to say more.
‘Everything is in the statement,’ he said.
Guzman’s bio on the Face to Face site, since removed, described her as a ‘Cuban American actress based in NYC, originally from Hialeah, Florida.’
As of Saturday night, the actress had removed all her social media accounts as social media users and mainstream press swarmed to condemn her and yet again cancel another individual daring to express a point of view, irrespective of how palatable or ‘sensitively’ delivered such a point of view is … while keeping in mind, even free speech means others having the right to turn their back on you.
