Actress fired from drama company for complaining about Manhattan shutdown for NYPD funeral
Jacqueline Guzman posts video saying ‘one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A New York-based actor was fired from a drama company after she posted a Tik Tok rant about street closure for the funeral of slain cop Jason Rivera.
Jacqueline Guzman shared a video under the handle @vinylboobs, criticising the “shut down most of Lower Manhattan because one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly.”
Rivera, 22, was shot along with his partner Wilbert Mora on 21 January when they were responding to a domestic disturbance call at a Harlem apartment. Rivera died that night, while Mora, 27, died on 25 January.
Mayor Eric Adams, along with thousands of police officers gathered on Friday to bid farewell to Rivera, who died in the line of duty just 14 months after he joined the New York Police Department.
Filming herself while walking down the street, Ms Guzman, in the now-deleted video, said: “We do not need to shut down most of Lower Manhattan because one cop died for probably doing his job incorrectly. They kill people who are under 22 every single day for no good reason and we don’t shut down the city for them.”
“Like this is f***ing ridiculous. This is f***ing ridiculous. What if somebody is having a heart attack in this area. Nobody can get to them because it’s all blocked off for one f***ing cop,” she said.
After the video went viral, her acting company, Face to Face, issued a statement condemning the “insensitive video” as they announced her dismissal from the group.
“Face to Face Films has just been made aware of an insensitive video involving one of our members, Jacqueline Guzman. Face to Face Films does not support nor can condone these comments made about fallen Officer Rivera. As a result, she is no longer a member of our company,” the company posted on its Facebook page.
The actor also drew swift condemnation from social media users.
“I hope she never requires the help of an officer! These entitled brats think it’s ok to trash a slain officer. Bet she didn’t even know the circumstances under which officers Rivera and Mora were shot!” wrote journalist Dania Alexandrino.
“An astonishing lack of humanity, compassion and kindness mixed with an abundance of narcissism. She needs to listen to the eulogies from Jason Rivera’s wife and brother and maybe she might begin to understand how horrible, hurtful and self-centered she sounds,” wrote another user.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments