It was shocking, to say the least.

Last Friday, the Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA), made-up of about 13,000 active and retired NYPD sergeants and led by Ed Mullins, attacked soon-to-be congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

The since-deleted tweet was in response to an address Torres made that morning, in which he addressed issues regarding the NYPD’s decline in gun-related arrests.

“The NYPD is making fewer gun arrests, solving fewer gun cases, responding more slowly to gun crimes in progress. The dramatic increase in gun violence can be best explained by the dramatic decrease in gun enforcement,” Torres said at his address. 

“That’s why we are calling for an investigation to examine whether there is, in fact, a work slowdown and to what extent has the work slow down driven the growth in violence in New York City,” he continued.

Reasonable, but it was enough to spark the wrath of SBA’s Ed Mullins, who later issued the hate tweet in question.

In doing so, the nation was introduced to  SBA’s demeaning tactics. Responses to the tweet were nearly all negative. It even got the attention of former democratic presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, who called it “racist and homophobic.”

But this was not an isolated event, Torres noted. 

The SBA has a history in such racist, misogynist and homophobic remarks, and now Torres is calling for Mullins’ resignation.

“Calling a black NFL player a “wild animal.” Calling a Latina Health Commissioner a “bitch.” Calling an openly LGBTQ Afro-Latino a “first-class whore.” There is NOTHING benevolent about the bigotry of the @SBANYPD. Ed Mullins must resign.” Torres wrote.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing benevolent about the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, which has become a hate group in disguise. The SBA has a clear pattern of directing hate speech toward public figures of color. The head of the SBA has referred to the former health commissioner as the “b” word and now has referred to an openly-LGBTQ elected official as a quote “first class whore.” This is unacceptable behavior from a so-called public leader,” he continued.

He then defended his comments on gun enforcement made on Friday. 

“I had legitimate concerns about a slow-down. My position is that the increase in gun violence is best explained by the decrease in gun enforcement. The under-policing of gun violence is putting communities like mine at risk,” he said. “And as a policy maker, I have an obligation to speak-out against it.” 

Before becoming the target of hate, Ritchie Torres had all-but secured his seat in Congress to represent New York’s 15th district in the South Bronx. He will be the first Afro-Latino LGBTQ congressman in United States History.