Reactions to Firefighter’s Anti-Cop Texts Show Disillusionment With Police

Overwhelmingly positive replies to a Twitter thread about a Miami firefighter’s disparaging texts concerning police and a Miami-Dade Police officer killed in the line of duty may signal a growing disillusionment with law enforcement.

City of Miami Fire Rescue firefighter Kevin Newcomb was fired on Friday for comments he made in a text thread concerning the death of Miami-Dade Police Officer Cesar Echaverry, who was fatally shot during an incident involving a suspected armed robber earlier this week, according to WSVN. Newcomb reportedly issued an apology for his remarks within hours of being terminated.

“Who cares? Another dead cop, probably against gun control,” Newcomb wrote in the text thread, according to WSVN. “They didn’t give an [expletive] when kids were dying in that school shooting they stood outside. Cops exist for the government to exercise its monopoly on violence.

“They want the whole world to stop when one of theirs goes down,” he added. “How many idiots I had to transport with honor guard their dead bodies from coronavirus because they all were too stupid to wear masks or get vaccinated? All cops are good for is protecting the rich property owners and the status quo. Everything else is a farce. [Expletive] the police.”

Newcomb’s reference to the school shooting almost certainly refers to the May 24 incident at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead. The delayed response to the massacre inspired outrage and increasingly negative views of police across the country.

Robb Elementary teacher and shooting survivor Arnulfo Reyes denounced the police as “cowards” in a June interview with ABC, a sentiment that was echoed by many prominent political figures of both major parties at around the same time.

Police have also faced notable backlash due to the 2020 murder of George Floyd and many other high-profile incidents involving unarmed Black people who were killed or seriously injured by officers.

Newcomb told WSVN that he wanted “apologize for the statements that have been circulating that I made earlier this week with some friends in a private chat” after being dismissed on Friday, offering to “sincerely apologize to those closest to officer Echaverry who have been made to feel more pain because of my words.”

While Newcomb has expressed regrets for making the remarks, a tweet about his contentious texts by WSVN reporter Sheldon Fox was met with responses that appeared to overwhelmingly agree with his original anti-police message. Many responded by offering to send donations to Newcomb to show their appreciation.

“What did he say that wasn’t true though,” writer Akilah Hughes wrote in response to Fox’s tweet.

“Is there a gofundme where i can send this firefighter $ for a beer for being absolutely correct about this?” asked comedian Kyle Ayers.

“Damn,” @runolgarun tweeted. “Do you have his cashapp”

“Give him a bonus and raise,” tweeted @CansasFrank80.

“That firefighter is 100% right tho,” tweeted @pumthecutiepie. “Every time a police officer dies in the line of duty to gun violence the whole country is forced to stop and pay respects but when a minority dies to gun violence by a cop the country is forced to move on”

“Every firefighter is braver than every cop but specifically this guy,” writer Luke O’Neil tweeted.

“Not only is this amazing, it’s gotta be the basis of a lawsuit, right?” tweeted @GothamGirlBlue. “Why is he facing disciplinary action for accurate words said privately about a non-protected class that has no influence on his job performance? Because cops are thin-skinned?”

Newsweek reached out to the Miami-Dade Police Department for comment.