Six Democratic Nassau County legislators released a joint statement denouncing the scheduled performance of Ted Nugent at an upcoming pro-police rally.
The “Back the Blue” rally, which is set to take place in Eisenhower Park Saturday afternoon, has scheduled a performance of the National Anthem by Nugent, a musician and outspoken conservative who has a record of allegations against him of racism, anti-Semitism and other controversial actions.
“During his life in the public eye, Ted Nugent has consistently espoused racist, misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and xenophobic bile,” the legislators wrote in their statement. “The vitriol he espouses is an affront to the promise of ‘liberty and justice for all’ that is central to our nation’s Pledge of Allegiance.”
“The Nassau County (Police Benevolent Association)’s embrace of Ted Nugent is a slap in the face to the nearly 1.4 million Nassau County residents that their members have taken an oath to serve and protect,” the legislators wrote. “They must disavow this vile man immediately, disinvite him from Saturday’s rally and apologize to Nassau County residents for their appalling lack of judgment.”
The joint statement was signed by Minority Leader Kevan M. Abrahams of Freeport and legislators Siela A. Bynoe of Westbury, Carrié Solages of Valley Stream, Debra Mulé of Freeport, Ellen W. Birnbaum of Great Neck and Arnie Drucker of Plainview.
County Executive Laura Curran commented on the scheduled performance by Nugent in a Facebook post. “Our Police Department is the finest in the country,” she wrote, “and our officers deserve admiration in a setting that we can all be proud of. There is no room for bigotry or bias, of any kind, in Nassau County.”
Original Source: By Kayla Guo, Patch
Photo Credit: Mike Dixon – Ted Nugent July 16th, 2016