Tamarac Commissioner Mike Gelin’s controversial encounter with a Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy appears to have radicalized his view of all law enforcement officers. Last September, Tamarac made national headlines when Gelin berated BSO deputy Joshua Gallardo at a city awards ceremony. The Washington Post reported the stunning confrontation:
As other elected officials stood by, frozen in disbelief, Gelin tore into the Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputy, interrupting the nonpartisan commission’s Wednesday morning meeting with what may go down as the most awkward 30 seconds in the South Florida city’s history.
‘You probably don’t remember me, but you’re the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago,’ he told Gallardo, who nodded silently, still clutching his award. ‘You lied on the police report. I believe you’re a rogue police officer, you’re a bad police officer and you don’t deserve to be here.’”
In March, Gelin hosted a “Cops & Community Forum” to create a dialogue between police and residents. Speaking with CBS 4, Gelin said, “We’re gonna understand the fear, the anxiety, the stress, the trauma that these police officers have when they encounter a situation and they need to walk away understanding how we feel when we encounter them.” He said he wanted to find “ways to build trust between the community and law enforcement.”
Judging by his recent social media posts, Gelin still has not found ways to build trust.
KARMA
On May 31, Mike Gelin shared an Instagram post by filmmaker Rahiem Shabazz, a supporter of Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan. The post purported to identify undercover police officers attending protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Gelin also shared Shabazz’s conspiracy theory on the post. Shabazz wrote, “Family be careful out here when protesting. In the 60’s the FBI and CIA used our Black folks to infiltrate the ranks of every Black organization. Now that y’all want to integrate with so-called allies, the cops are there to see your every move and oftentimes instigating the situations.”
In another posts, Shabazz calls Democrat Presidential nominee Joe Biden “Jim Crow Joe.” He wrote Biden “admits to being a Zionist.”
Gelin commented on a post by activist Shaun King regarding the shooting of a police officer. The police officer was accused of threatening King in a Facebook post. Of the wounded officer, Gelin wrote, “Karma is a.” Another King follower responded with “gun?”
Do Tamarac voters want leaders whose disdain for law enforcement leads them to fans of Louis Farrakhan?
Gelin wanted a vote against “white supremacy” but what is his view of Farrakhan’s views of Jewish people?
Should Tamarac Commissioners celebrate the shooting of anyone including police?
