Chicopee resident Charles DiRosa, whose Dec. 21 Facebook post “Put Wings On Pigs” landed him in trouble with the city’s police department, attended a show-cause hearing held at Chicopee District Court on Jan. 12.
The wording of the post by DiRosa, which a concerned citizen shared anonymously with the police, closely resembles a social media post made by Ismaaiyl Brinsley one day earlier, right before he shot and killed two NYPD officers in Brooklyn. The Chicopee Police Department was seeking a criminal complaint against DiRosa for threatening to commit a crime.
At the hearing, DiRosa agreed to perform community service. Details of the proceedings at show-cause hearings are not made publicly available, but the Chicopee PD’s public information officer Michael Wilk has stated that DiRosa will need to complete his community service by March 16, at which time the case will be dismissed.
“As far as the PD is concerned, the matter has been settled,” said Wilk. “We respect the decision.”
DiRosa was not available for comment.
On Dec. 22, the Chicopee Police Department posted a public alert about DiRosa on Facebook spotlighting his use of the phrase “Put Wings On Pigs,” which the department took to be a threat against police officers. Since then, Wilk, who manages the department’s Facebook page, has seen a tide of written responses accusing the police of overreacting.
The department, Wilk said, respects citizens’ First Amendment rights; “however, we cannot be neglectful when a possible crime is reported to us. We have a job to do, and that is to investigate matters, in our jurisdiction, and take appropriate action.”
To read the Advocate’s coverage of the controversy, check out the article, “Is That A Threat?” at valleyadvocate.com.•
