Eric Adams & the NYPD Held a Theatrical Photo Shoot With Luigi Mangione
On Thursday, Adams and a militarized squadron of NYPD officers, clad in tactical gear and armed with menacing weapons, escorted Luigi Mangione to a Manhattan courthouse in a very over-the-top perp walk.
Photo: Twitter/NYPD Latest
In 2015, after police apprehended white supremacist Dylann Storm Roof for murdering nine people in a Black church, they made a stop by Burger King to get him a bite. Meanwhile, on Thursday, a militarized squadron of NYPD officers, clad in tactical gear and armed with extremely scary-looking weapons (including what appears to be a machine gun???), escorted Luigi Mangione to a Manhattan courthouse in a highly theatrical perp walk, as he arrived in the city from Pennsylvania. Mayor Eric Adams was there, too—say what you will about the guy, but considering he was indicted on charges of bribery and fraud just three months ago, he has nothing but audacity!
Mangione, 26, stands accused of shooting and killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4. He evaded police for nearly a week before being apprehended at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. In that state, he faces several gun and forgery charges. In New York, this week, a Manhattan jury indicted Mangione on three murder charges including a first-degree count for terrorism that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole. Mind you, Roof, whose horrifying manifesto detailed his goal of inciting a “race war,” didn’t face terror charges. Mangione’s 250-word manifesto, by contrast, railed against the cruelty and violence of the for-profit health insurance industry.
This would almost be comical if the NYPD’s annual $6 billion budget didn’t render them one of the most expensive militarized forces, not just in the U.S. but in the world. I don’t know how much they spent staging Thursday’s ridiculous photoshoot, with Adams and every officer by his side cosplaying as Batman escorting the Joker to the Arkham Asylum, but whatever the amount, it was too much. I’m not sure who feels safer watching any of this, except maybe a handful of CEOs hiding out in their Manhattan high-rises.
Luigi Mangione arriving in NYC. pic.twitter.com/dMSunkZTY0
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) December 19, 2024
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is developing a hotline devoted to CEOs who feel threatened or unsafe in the aftermath of Thompson’s death. School shooting survivors, by contrast, are so generously offered “thoughts and prayers.” Last week, a Florida mother of two was arrested for telling her insurance company, “Delay, deny, depose. You people are next.” She’s currently being held on $100,000 bail.