NYPD’s Social Media Campaign Backfires: Citizens Flood Twitter With Pictures of Police Brutality

On Tuesday, the NYPD asked Twitter users to share their pictures of them posing with police officers from the department.

It started like this:

Do you have a photo w/ a member of the NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on our Facebook. pic.twitter.com/mE2c3oSmm6

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 22, 2014

A few people posted shiny, happy pictures…but not many.

Occupy Wall Street shared this photo, and things escalated rather quickly after that, with the #myNYDP page being flooded with photos of brutality at the hands of NYPD officers…

Here the #NYPD engages with its community members, changing hearts and minds one baton at a time. #myNYPD pic.twitter.com/GErbiFFDvY

— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallStNYC) April 22, 2014

Beating an 84 yr old man for jaywalking. #MyNYPD // keepin it classy! pic.twitter.com/kQrKFgJlFg

— Doc Rocket (@DocR0cket) April 22, 2014

7 year-old-child arrested, handcuffed and taunted by police for hours at NYPD station: http://t.co/hLfhCSPiOV #myNYPD

— Dell Cameron (@dellcam) April 22, 2014

#MyNYPD makes me feel paranoid, sweaty, and nervous when I’m doing absolutely nothing wrong. “Justice" shouldn’t make me fear for my life.

— William C. (@williamcander) April 22, 2014

no logic #MyNYPD pic.twitter.com/87mLbF8Oxg

— OpiatesBitch (@rastamomtisha) April 22, 2014

Not only are citizens “occupying” #myNYPD, they are creating hashtags for other large police departments.

Copwatch is involved too:

Currently building #MyLAPD #myChicagoPD #MyNOPD #myAPD #myMiamiPD #MyHPD #MyOPD #myAPDstory #myNYPD because we all have a common struggle.

— Copwatch (@Copwatch) April 23, 2014

As a result of #MyNYPD, there’s now #MyLAPD, #MyOPD, #MyCPD, etc. Boy, that’s a lot of police brutality pictures to look at.

— Phillip M. Bailey (@phillipmbailey) April 23, 2014

Chicago (#myCPD):

#myCPD's approach to media relations… #myNYPD #FTP pic.twitter.com/M2kps99oof

— Prerna (@PrernaSays) April 23, 2014

#myCPD beats peaceful protesters, press and even random passersby if they dare challenge the masters. pic.twitter.com/Zd3q4ttqis

— ⒶNTiCapITAL (@ChicagoRADicals) April 23, 2014

Bakersfield (#myBPD):

#myBPD pic.twitter.com/pyWfQqOdKS

— OccupyArmy (@OccupyArmy) April 23, 2014

Oakland (my#OPD):

#myOPD brute squad. Officer Tatlisu et al beat people up bc it's fun and they're strong! pic.twitter.com/FFZ1eYEVG4

— Molly Batchelder (@Peoplesforest) April 23, 2014

#myOPD 8 officers to subdue one individual with kicks to the face. pic.twitter.com/QwDi4qoxbP

— Mr Makanhoes #Alien (@MrMakanhoes) April 23, 2014

Albuquerque (#myAPD):

#myAPD has killed 3 people in the past month. Basically once a week they are murdering citizens of #Albuquerque. #myNYPD #PoliceBrutality

— NDavis (@ndavis_film) April 23, 2014

#myNYPD more like #myAPD. Shhh I might get shot for this post.

— OHCVSSIE✨ (@babiicass09) April 23, 2014

#APD killed Mary Hawkes. Then painted over wall where mourners chalked memories. Missed a spot #MyAPD #apdprotest pic.twitter.com/xeOPd8wlW2

— David Correia (@DavidCorreiaUNM) April 23, 2014

#myAPD = Another Person Dead Albuquerque Police "Stepping on Your Community"

— News Junkie (@ask_a_whiteguy) April 23, 2014

Police departments across the U.S. probably aren’t too happy with the NYPD for starting this bad PR sh!tstorm.

The New York Times spoke with two NYPD spokespeople about the backlash:

A spokeswoman for the department, Deputy Chief Kim Y. Royster, said in a two-sentence statement Tuesday evening that the department was “creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community” and that Twitter provided “an open forum for an uncensored exchange” that is “good for our city.”

The experience will not stop the department from pushing forward with social media endeavors, its top spokesman, Stephen Davis, said. “You take the good with the bad,” he said.

For a short period on Tuesday, #myNYPD ranked among the top ten hashtags on Twitter – not just in New York, but around the world. The movement doesn’t seem to be dying down yet – as of the time of this writing, the rapid-fire Tweets were coming in so fast it was hard to keep up.