Quentin Tarantino Threatened by Police in True Bond Villain Fashion

While at the “Rise Up October” anti-police brutality march in New York City, Quentin Tarantino gave this seemingly sensible quote about the state of law enforcement in the nation:

“I’m a human being with a conscience and if you believe there’s murder going on then you need to rise up and stand up against it. I’m here to say I’m on the side of the murdered.”

Somehow, this must have been the worst thing that the executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police had ever heard, because he went full Bond Villain on Tarantino. This is actually what Jim Pasco said to the Hollywood Reporter. Honestly. Try to NOT read it in Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s German accent:

"We'll be opportunistic. Tarantino has made a good living out of violence and surprise. Our offices make a living trying to stop violence, but surprise is not out of the question."

“Something is in the works, but the element of surprise is the most important element. Something could happen anytime between now and [the premiere of Tarantino’s new film]. And a lot of it is going to be driven by Tarantino, who is nothing if not predictable.”

“The right time and place will come up and we’ll try to hurt him in the only way that seems to matter to him, and that’s economically.”

Tarantino said he always wanted to do a James Bond movie, but in his own “subversive style.” I doubt he ever thought real life would imitate his art. And Pasco must also be living in his own fantasy world of film… especially if he believes this won’t make people fearful of the cops when they make brash, terrifying threats against people for simply criticizing what they have done time and time again.

Other, slightly more sensible police officers, including the National Association of Police Organization have vowed to merely boycott his upcoming The Hateful 8, as well as Tarantino’s entire body of work. Tarantino responded to the boycott in the L.A. Times, stating:

“All cops are not murderers, I never said that. I never even implied that. What they’re doing is pretty obvious. 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.”

“I’m not being intimidated. Frankly, it feels lousy to have a bunch of police mouthpieces call me a cop hater. I’m not a cop hater. That is a misrepresentation. That is slanderous. That is not how I feel. But you know, that’s their choice to do that to me. What can I do? I’m not taking back what I said. What I said was the truth. I’m used to people misrepresenting me; I’m used to being misunderstood. What I’d like to think [is] their attack against me is so vicious that they’re revealing themselves. They’re hiding in plain sight.”

This is sadly the state of police brutality in this nation. If you try to shine a light on the fact that 1,149 people were killed by police in 2014, you’re labeled a “cop hater.” If you try to blow the whistle on corruption within the police force, you’ll lose your job. We should update the old Latin phrase from Juvenal, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?” to Who polices the policemen?

Unfortunately, the answer is no one.