Ride the Lightning

Lawyers Resign After Appearing in Video Advocating Killing Cops

February 12, 2015

Once again, you can't make it up.

The New York Times reported that two lawyers from a city-funded nonprofit group were forced to resign over their appearance in a rap video that endorsed murderous retribution for the death of Eric Garner.

The lawyers were with the Bronx Defenders and apparently knew that the video called for killing police officers. The group was told that it must impose disciplinary actions or lose its contract, worth about $20 million.

In a statement, the Bronx Defenders said it “looks forward to continuing to do what we do best — providing zealous and compassionate legal representation and advocacy on behalf of 35,000 indigent residents annually.”

The video was posted on YouTube the day after a grand jury voted in December not to bring criminal charges in Garner’s death. It grew popular after protests occurred throughout the city and concern about violence against the police grew. Two police officers were subsequently killed in Brooklyn.

The video shows a man dressed in Police Department blue staring down the barrel of a handgun as rappers say it is “time to start killing these coppers.”

The video showed two city-funded defense lawyers, Kumar Rao and Ryan Napoli. They are shown comforting a grieving mother in their Bronx Defender offices as they work on a case related to police brutality.

Rao said he found some of the lyrics he originally reviewed “troubling,” and expected to help edit the video before its release. Instead, Mr. Rao said he woke up early on December 4th and was “shocked” at the images that the rappers Maino, Jay Watts and Uncle Murda had chosen. He said the video "was designed to be fully about raising awareness in the community about the kinds of legal services that an office like ours could provide for people affected by this issue.”

Could he really have been that naive? Maybe, but his judgment was certainly poor at the very least – clearly there was no guarantee that he could adjust the finished product – and the lyrics alone would have stopped, in my opinion, the participation of any lawyer cognizant of his ethical duties.

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