- TikTok Cop Who Mocked LeBron Fired
- Police Officer Blames Cancel Culture
- Cop Threatens Legal Action
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Nate Silvester, the Idaho police officer who made a name for himself on TikTok for mocking LeBron James, has been fired from his job because of the viral video. The Bellevue mayor said the TikTok cop was fired for “continued policy violations,” but Silvester believes his termination is a result of cancel culture.
In late April, Silvester posted a satirical video poking fun at LeBron James, specifically for the NBA player’s attempt at telling law enforcement how they should handle life-threatening situations.
After the TiKTok video went viral, the Bellevue Marshals Office suspended Silvester without pay. His police officer’s friend set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the suspended cop, which had garnered over $531,000 in donations in three weeks.
The Bellevue Marshals Office denounced the video, “This is NOT how we expect our Deputies to act on duty or use city time. This is a personnel issue that is being dealt with internally.”
Silvester was fired on Thursday.
Bellevue Mayor Ned Burns said Silvester was terminated for “continued policy violations” after he already had a “last chance agreement” with his superior officers.
“The decision was solely made by the command structure within the Bellevue Marshals office and was not influenced in any way by me or by the City Council,” Burns insisted.
“He was not terminated for the content of his speech; he was terminated for his failure to follow clearly laid out and well established policy,” the city said in a statement.
Silvester insists that his videos were meant to “humanize the badge.”
“None of my other videos that depicted me in my uniform or involving body camera footage, none of those mattered,” Silvester told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night. “They didn’t care about those. It wasn’t until my LeBron James TikTok struck a political nerve that they started to pay attention and complain about it and came up with forms of discipline.”
“I am the latest target of cancel culture, Sean. That’s all it is,” the former Bellevue deputy marshal said during his appearance on Hannity. “None of my other videos that depicted me in my uniform or involving body camera footage, none of those mattered. They didn’t care about those. It wasn’t until my LeBron James TikTok struck a political nerve that they started to pay attention and complain about it and came up with forms of discipline.”
“I am still trying to wrap my head around that. I was just fired this morning,” Silvester said.
Silvester said that he received job offers from other agencies and elected officials from “across the country.”
He added that he is speaking with his attorney to weigh legal action against the Bellevue Marshals Office.