Reacher star Alan Ritchson is clapping back at the National Fraternal Order of Police for the union's response to his criticism of police brutality.
The uproar began with comments Ritchson made during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in which he responded to right wingers' criticisms of him wearing a T-shirt critical of the police involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.
Ritchson told THR that "cops get away with murder all the time," and the National Fraternal Order of Police had quite a response—one that Ritchson called "immature" in an Instagram post.
Reacher is in many ways right up right-wingers' alley. Muscle-bound Ritchson stars as tough-guy retired military police officer Jack Reacher as he works to expose crooked cops, business figures and politicians.
It's basically if Trump's catchphrase "drain the swamp" were a TV show, except on Reacher the villains are actual bad guys.
But there's just one fly in the ointment: Ritchson may look the part, but he is an outspoken leftist, and when he wore a T-shirt reading, "Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor," MAGA fans had a full-on meltdown.
Asked about the uproar by THR, Ritchson said:
“Cops get away with murder all the time, and the fact that we can’t really hold them accountable for their improprieties is disturbing to me."
It's hard to argue with that, but boy did the National Fraternal Order of Police try.
In a snippy tweet, they mocked Ritchson for being a "pampered" actor who "gets his face powdered on set" and dodges fake bullets instead of the real ones they deal with.
Which, it must be said, in no way refutes or even addresses what Ritchson said about cops' typical impunity when they murder someone. So... nice try?
And as Ritchson went on to say in his Instagram post, it also just proves his point. He wrote:
"This kind of emotionally immature response is the epitome of what concerns me about law enforcement today."
"If this is how leadership handles a peaceful disagreement, what does life look like for those unseen interactions in the street? ..."
"... Do you really want individuals so easily angered, who bully like school children, to have a gun and the protection of an untouchable union? I don’t.”
On social media, many were definitely feeling like Ritchson won this fight by a long-shot.
And just in case anyone thought the National Fraternal Order of Police's bloviating had Ritchson afraid to speak his mind, he's been dragging Trump and his voters just as hard.
Yeah, probably best not to come for Alan Ritchson unless he sends for you.
