GOSHEN – Orange County Legislature Democratic Caucus Leader Genesis Ramos is calling out the Orange County Sheriff’s Police Benevolent Association (PBA) for promoting an alternative “All-American Halftime Show” on Facebook on Super Bowl Sunday.
The PBA was referring to Turning Point USA’s halftime program. Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny performed at the official Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clarita, Calif. The post generated more than 400 comments with opinions from both sides.
“Labeling a competing program as “All-American” suggests that some Americans and cultures are less American than others,” said Ramos, who represents Newburgh. “The official halftime show, headlined by Bad Bunny, an American citizen, celebrated the diversity that defines our country. In Orange County, where roughly one in five residents is of Hispanic heritage, these framing risks real harm to police–community trust.”
Ramos said that on Tuesday, she and Matt Fascaldi, the Chairperson of the Legislature’s Public Safety and Emergency Services Committee, asked Sheriff’s PBA president Christopher Tulp to remove the Facebook post and issue an apology. While receipt was acknowledged, no response or corrective action has followed, Ramos said.
Tulp did not return a message seeking comment for this story.
Turning Point USA presented its event, headlined by Kid Rock, as a reaction to conservative outrage over the NFL’s choice of Bad Bunny, an artist known for performing mostly in Spanish who has also criticized U.S. immigration enforcement.
The Turning Point program drew more than 5 million concurrent viewers on YouTube and streaming platforms. While more than 100 million fans tuned into Bad Bunny’s halftime show, he actually suffered a historic TV ratings drop, seeing a 7 percent dip at halftime compared to the peak viewership numbers in the first half.
Ramos said that she “supports law enforcement officers who carry out their duties with professionalism, fairness, and respect for all residents.” However, she noted “as a labor organization operating under a 501(c)(5) designation, a PBA’s mission must focus on wages, benefits, and working conditions.”
“Promoting content tied to nationally recognized partisan political organizations, including Turning Point USA, blurs the line between labor advocacy and political activism,” Ramos added. “Cultural or political signaling unrelated to public safety, especially when it marginalizes members of the community undermines the neutrality effective policing requires.”
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