New Yorkers Have Thoughts About the NYPD Having a Dance Team Amid Budget Cuts to Schools, Libraries, and More

The NYPD’s dance crew faces mounting criticism following a TV performance.

via: Complex

On Thursday, seven members of the New York City Police Department appeared on local news station PIX 11 to introduce their dance team before showing off a routine to Flo Rida’s “Club Can’t Handle Me.”

It didn’t take long for the clip of their performance to go viral on social media where several people chimed in on the crime busters turned move busters.

they aren’t protecting and they’re definitely not serving https://t.co/i858olqxYq

— Keifer (@DannyVegito) February 18, 2024

They cut back on school budgets so these mfs could have a dance team?? https://t.co/z7RLy7cbZN

— lucky (@ccrysthal) February 18, 2024

Cutting millions from schools just so that 9 Amy Schumer built bitches can kick ball change on channel 11. https://t.co/5GRymgaFXi

— Deets (@ScottieBeam) February 18, 2024

they closed y’all libraries on weekends so the NYPD could have a dance team LMFAAAOOOOOOOOOO https://t.co/VjrSXemW18

— mrs. glock (@mylovedes2) February 18, 2024

How many school music programs got defunded for this https://t.co/h4R4DHRy1E

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 19, 2024

“The goal of the team is to make sure we have a space [so we can] release our mental stress,” said team president Autumn-Rain Martinez to PIX 11. “We have a lot of things we see on the job from any kind of robbery or any kind of crime, so we have to have a space to decompress, and just have a space to relax and have fun.”

According to ABC 7, the NYPD Dance Team was formed in 2022 and practices two to three times a week for two to three hours, usually after a shift patrolling the streets.

“It could be the longest, hardest day at work. I come here, the girls are always smiling and it’s just nice,” said NYPD Dance Team Vice President Lauren Pagan to ABC 7’s CeFaan Kim.

The team, made up of experienced and inexperienced dancers alike, perform at police versus firefighters games, galas, and at schools to promote physical and mental health.

Per the New York Times, the dance team is among about four dozen competitive groups within the department that include a paint ball team, a rugby football club, and a pistol team.

Criticism for the dance team appears to stem from the city’s proposed budget. According to the NY Times, Mayor Eric Adams announced deep budget cuts in November that would have removed hundreds of millions from schools, libraries, the NYPD, and sanitation, according to ABC 7. Per the NY Times, Mayor Adams reversed many of the cuts this month, based on an improved financial outlook for the city.

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