Delaware representative resurfaces controversial meme as family and friends grieve loss of state trooper killed in line of duty

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Delaware lawmakers approved an annual Senate Concurrent Resolution recognizing Jan. 9 as “Law Enforcement Appreciation Day” on their first day back in session.

But nothing was routine during this week’s vote on the resolution.

As friends and family are still grieving the killing of State Police Cpl. Matthew “Ty” Snook days before Christmas, a Facebook meme showing police officers wearing white Ku Klux Klan hats has drawn outrage from the Delaware Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police, as well as other elected officials about its message and timing.

“At a moment when the law enforcement community and the family of a fallen trooper were grieving a senseless act of violence, this imagery served to dehumanize an entire profession and to inflame division rather than promote healing or understanding” a joint statement from DACP and FOP said.

City Councilwoman Shané Darby, who represents North Wilmington, reposted the 2021 meme on Jan. 9, Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, on social media. But state Rep. Bryan Shupe, R-Milford, dug up and reshared the five-year-old post last month as a way to comment on Snook’s death.

Darby said she posted the meme in 2021 to argue that the institution of policing stems from slave patrols and the KKK, a white supremacy group formed after the Civil War. It drew considerable criticism and she said she endured years of harassment and intimidation after that.

A Facebook post from Shupe on Dec. 29, less than a week after Snook’s murder, shows the 2021 meme and his comment “that a culture of hostility toward law enforcement continues to exist in our communities.” Shupe’s post also references the December arrest of a University of Delaware student who was charged with possessing a machine gun and allegedly planning to attack UD’s campus.

WHYY News left several messages asking Shupe for comment and received no response.

Darby said she started receiving harassing messages and threats after Shupe’s viral post. She said she reposted the meme again this year on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in an act of defiance to show the mostly white people calling her racist and misogynistic slurs that she would not be cowed.

“They’re trying to intimidate me, they’re trying to bully me and I’m not scared of no white folks,” Darby said. “It’s not the 1800s anymore. I’m reposting it because what y’all going to do? It’s facts, there is nothing you can do to me.”

Darby is currently running for the House District 1 seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha. She says she’s not concerned that the controversy will affect her campaign.

Members of the state House and Senate thanked law enforcement officers for their service during Tuesday’s vote on the resolution, with some highlighting the positive strides police departments have made in shedding old ideas and moving with the times.

“Understanding that a change was needed,” House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris said. “Focusing more on the person, understanding trauma, community policing. All of these things have made a difference.”

Delaware State Police Col. William Crotty said they’ve accomplished those goals by having conversations and demonstrating their values.

“Over the last several years together, we have chosen professionalism, we’ve chosen unified standards and we’ve elevated best practices to better serve our community,” he said. “We’ve accomplished these things by listening, learning, building trust and transparency with all the members of our community.”

State lawmakers also honored Snook’s service and life during Tuesday’s vote. Senate Secretary Ryan Dunphy, a member of Snook’s family, offered a stirring remembrance of the fallen officer.

“Going through fatherhood at the same time as him was so much fun and that’s just one of the things I’m going to really miss,” he said. “But my son will always know love and be connected to his uncle Ty, who is watching over him as his guardian angel. And we will always, always be there for his little girl.”

The state Senate passed the concurrent resolution unanimously. The House approved the measure through a voice vote.