New York police union launches social media campaign to 'shame' homelessness

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An NYPD union is upset that so many people are recording police officers, and is now asking the public to use those camera skills to record and “shame” homeless people instead.

Sergeants Benevolent Association leader Ed Mullins said that the social media campaign was created in response to mayor Bill de Blasio’s “failed policies” that have created “homeless encampments on city streets” and a “10 percent increase in homicides.”

“Shouldn’t accountability go both ways?” Mullins asked, in reference to the fact that officers are being recorded on the job.

It should be noted that Mullins and other officials involved in the social media campaign have maintained that the campaign is about shaming the city officials they believe are responsible for the epidemic of homelessness. They claim they are not trying to shame the homeless people themselves.

It seems that several New Yorkers agree with Mullins’ assessment, with a majority of those polled saying that de Blasio has not handled the issue well, even with his recent announcement of “a $22 million mental health initiative that his administration says will aid the homeless.”

The images of homeless people, often with ironic captions, have since been posted to a Flickr account named “Peek-a-Boo!”