John Oliver says 'f---ing let' police officers who resist vaccine mandates quit
Oliver argued resistance to vaccine mandates 'sums up' the core issue with American police
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver took aim at police officers who have yet to get the COVID-19 vaccine, encouraging them to "f---ing" quit if they don't want to comply.
"The police are supposed to be keeping the public safe," Oliver said. "That is the point of their jobs. Yet some don't seem to give much of a s--t about that."
The liberal host singled out the Chicago and New York Police Departments as falling under that category. CPD officers, he noted, resisted uploading their vaccination statuses to a portal. Over 20 officers are on a no-pay status for refusing to comply and face possible termination, the Chicago Sun-Times has reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He also shared video of a pair of NYPD officers who were seen removing a commuter from the subway while they themselves were unmasked.
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Oliver used the examples to say the police's shirking of mask mandates "sums up" the core issue with American law enforcement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The constant refrain we hear from cops every time they kill an unarmed, Black person is, ‘They should have complied with commands,’" Oliver said. "Because as long as you comply, things will supposedly go well. But that only seems to work one way. Because when officers are asked to follow simple rules or face consequences, a not insignificant amount of them flip their s--t."
"If an officer wants to quit over this, f--king let them," Oliver continued. "Let the individuals who clearly don’t care about public safety stop being in charge of public safety. It is really that simple."
John Oliver arrives at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, U.S., September 19, 2021. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Vaccine mandates have become more popular throughout the country in recent months, and employees who have refused to comply for a variety of reasons have often been fired.
President Joe Biden appeared to agree with Oliver that officers who don't comply with vaccine mandates based on his answers at a CNN town hall last week.
"Should police officers, first responders be mandated to get vaccines? And if not, should they be mandated to stay at home, let go?" moderator Anderson Cooper asked. "Yes and yes," the president replied.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Protesters rallying against COVID-19 vaccination mandates gather in the street outside the Barclays Center before an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Two dozen Republican attorneys general threatened to sue the administration over the mandate in a joint letter on Sept. 16.
"From a policy perspective, this edict is unlikely to win hearts and minds – it will simply drive further skepticism," the letter read. "And at least some Americans will simply leave the job market instead of complying."