Joseph Bologna, Philadelphia cop in viral protest videos, suspended

On Tuesday, another protester who had been arrested and restrained with zip ties on June 1, alleged Bologna bent each of her fingers one-by-one at the knuckle hard enough that she believed her bones would snap.

He “systematically went along each of my fingers to twist them at a 90-degree angle to break them,” 31-year-old Shoshana Akins told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He went down all my bottom knuckles, and he started on my top knuckles, and he did this in about 20 seconds. So fast.”

Now, the Philadelphia Police Department has suspended Bologna and announced it intends to fire him, as he faces a charge of aggravated assault and an upswell of outrage on the Internet, where his name has become a symbol of harsh police tactics against peaceful protesters.

But amid that blowback, Bologna has also garnered unreserved support from the police union, which has bashed his arrest as political and even started selling “Bologna Strong” T-shirts to back the officer.

The controversy in Philadelphia mirrors similar incidents that have unfolded nationwide during the past two weeks of protests on police brutality and systemic racism, highlighting deep rifts between officials who support greater accountability and those who believe officers accused of misconduct are simply performing the job they were hired to do.

At least one New York officer was charged with assault for shoving a protester after calling her a “b—-,” and prosecutors are reportedly mulling charges for other officers filmed roughing up peaceful protesters. At a Tuesday news conference, the NYPD police union railed against officials calling for reforms, demanding critics “stop treating us like animals and thugs and start treating us with some respect.” Officers have also been suspended, fired or criminally charged for violent altercations in Atlanta; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and St. Louis among other cities.

Bologna was charged Friday with aggravated assault for allegedly cracking the Temple University student’s head open and leaving him with a gash that required about 10 staples and 10 sutures to close. On Monday, the officer turned himself in, cheered on by supporters gathered outside the union headquarters who clapped and shouted “good job” as he passed.

On Tuesday, Philadelphia Police Chief Danielle Outlaw announced in a one-sentence statement that Bologna had been suspended for 30 days and she will move to fire him afterward, following the filing of criminal charges against him.

Bologna did not immediately respond to a request for comment through his attorney late Tuesday.

On one side of the political battle over Bologna’s conduct stands Philadelphia’s reform-minded district attorney, Larry Krasner, a former defense lawyer who has gone toe-to-toe with longtime law enforcement leaders, fired more than two dozen prosecutors in his first week on the job and decriminalized marijuana possession and some prostitution offenses. Now, he has charged a high-ranking police officer for beating a protester.

“This moment demands a swift and evenhanded response to violent and criminal acts based on the facts and evidence,” Krasner said in a statement Friday. “Americans are taking to the streets to demand a remaking of political, economic, and legal systems that serve the powerful at the expense of citizens’ health, welfare, and lives. There can be no safety or peace without justice.”

Opposing Krasner is the city’s outspoken police union, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5. Union President John McNesby has already denounced the criminal charge against Bologna, calling it part of Krasner’s “anti-police agenda.” Over the weekend, the union began selling $20 shirts decorated with the union logo and the slogan, “Bologna Strong.”

Bologna “was engaged in a volatile and chaotic situation with only milliseconds to make a decision,” McNesby said in a statement Friday. “Along with arsonists, looters and thieves, Krasner is complicit in the destruction of our great city.”

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia police told the Inquirer that Bologna’s suspension was a procedural measure taken whenever an officer is charged with a crime. The department did not say whether Bologna’s status would change if the charges were later dropped or if a jury found him not guilty.

Outlaw said several internal investigations are underway and voiced support for holding officers accountable for any actions deemed criminal.

“Some of the images are disturbing,” she said at a news conference Friday. “I am deeply concerned.”