A Chicago TV news station tracked down and interviewed a city cop who dared use a disparaging term for liberals on Facebook.
In the comment section of a story posted Monday about weather delaying rock band Pearl Jam's concert, Officer John Venckus wrote, “Good take cover libatards," WBBM-TV reported. Arguably the more-often-used jab is "libtards," but that could be the least of Venckus' problems.
The station added that the officer's cover photo for his own Facebook page "shows Venckus and other police officers in riot gear on State Street in Chicago. The post is dated May 27, 2017."
WBBM said after Venckus was reached by phone, he confirmed that he indeed posted the comment.
When asked what his post meant, he replied, “Just that it was raining, take cover," the station said.
Venckus added to WBBM that "libatards" carries no negative connotations.
“Libatards are used all the time for people who are called liberals,” he told the station, noting he's doesn't know if Pearl Jam fans generally side to the political left.
The station said it reached out to the Chicago Police Department for comment on Venckus' use of "libatard" and is waiting for a response.
Chicago Police Officer John Catanzara faced a reprimand after making political statements online, according to a DNAinfo article last year, WBBM said.
And the department said last year it planned to reprimand two officers seen taking a knee and raising their fists in an Instagram photo:
You might recall that Pearl Jam stirred some controversy among some of its fans last week over a concert poster depicting a dead President Donald Trump in front of a burning White House.
Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament later defended the poster's message and imagery: “The role of artists is to make people think and feel, and the current administration has us thinking and feeling. I was the sole conceptualist of this poster, and I welcome all interpretations and discourse. Love, from the First Amendment, Jeff Ament.”
(H/T: Blue Lives Matter)
Dave Urbanski
Sr. Editor, News
