Tarantino: I am Not Backing Down on Police Brutality

Quentin Tarantino became an enemy of the NYPD and other cops who viewed his siding with anti-police brutality protesters as a slap in the face. The film director was rumored to offer statements that he was apologizing and stepping away from the controversial protests, but it appears that was entirely untrue.

The chatter around Tarantino began after he appeared in New York last month at a rally in Washington Square Park. Tarantino delivered statements that NYPD police chief Bill Bratton took seriously to heart.

The response to Tarantino’s speech at the rally had police unions and other figures painting him as someone who hates cops and Tarantino sat down with the Los Angeles Times to fully clear the air.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Tarantino said his remarks at the rally last month were aimed at police officers who have been involved in unwarranted shootings of civilians.

“What they’re doing is pretty obvious,” he said of his critics. “Instead of dealing with the incidents of police brutality that those people were bringing up, instead of examining the problem of police brutality in this country, better they single me out. And their message is very clear. It’s to shut me down. It’s to discredit me. It is to intimidate me. It is to shut my mouth, and even more important than that, it is to send a message out to any other prominent person that might feel the need to join that side of the argument.”

This tension between Tarantino and the police comes at a time where he’s promoting his upcoming film, The Hateful Eight. The Times suggested that the controversy might have an impact on sales of the film. Still, Taratino is doubling down with his support of the protestors against police brutality.

“I have a 1st Amendment right to protest against police brutality as I see it. And I’m not backing down from that,” Tarantino said.