The captain of the viral New York City Police Department dance team has responded to online backlash generated by footage of the team performing, arguing the squad is “not looking to be professional.”
Footage of the team performing on the news went viral on social media, resulting in the NYPD clarifying that taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund this team. In response to the pushback generated by the team’s performance, the team’s captain, Autumn-Raine Martinez, argued there are other sports teams as part of the NYPD.
“We’re not looking to be professional dancers,” Martinez told PIX11. “Some of us have never danced before. Some of us have danced our whole lives. But we have to have choreography that’s fit for everybody so that everybody feels comfortable doing what they want to do.”
Martinez added that she and the other dance team members have been “leaning on each other” amid the online pushback, stating that being a police officer is hard but that they are receiving backlash “for doing something we love doing.”
In response to the dance team controversy, New York City Mayor Eric Adams similarly pointed out that the NYPD has multiple sports teams, including boxing, football, hockey, and others. He also indicated that the pushback was generated from people “just to be mean-spirited.”
“That is part of what I perceive as people just wanted to find reasons, just to be mean-spirited,” Adams said.
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Among the dance team critics was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who questioned how many school programs were defunded to create the dance team.
Last September, Adams announced a 5% budget cut for all city agencies due to the influx of immigrants who have come to New York City seeking asylum. The cost of the dance team has not been made public.
The Washington Examiner contacted the NYPD for comment.