Police unions urge boycott of Quentin Tarantino films because he protested police homicides


RiseUpOctober couldn't have asked for more publicity. On Oct. 24, director Quentin Tarantino flew from Los Angeles to New York to participate in a march by the group to protest police brutality, especially toward young black men. "I'm a human being with a conscience," he said during the march. "And if you believe there's murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I'm here to say I'm on the side of the murdered." The New York Police Department took umbrage, with its main union urging a boycott of Tarantino films. The Los Angeles Police Department's union joined the boycott on Tuesday, and the Philadelphia police signed on Wednesday.
Tarantino is a "cop-hater" who makes a living "glorifying crime and violence," said New York City Patrolman's Benevolent Association president Patrick J. Lynch. On Monday, New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton criticized the director for verbally attacking the police at a "time when we are grieving the murder of a New York City police officer," Randolph Holder. "There are no words to describe the contempt I have for him and his comments at this particular time," Bratton added.
RiseUpOctober said the police boycott and "cop-hater" rhetoric are an attempt to intimidate the group, Tarantino, and anyone else protesting police violence. The clear message, RiseUpOctober organizer Carl Dix said in a statement, is: "If you speak out, we will come after you, threaten your livelihood, and attempt to scare you back into silence." Social media tended to side with Tarantino:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Don't be surprised if Tarantino's next project involves some sort of police brutality of the silver-screen variety.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle