An LASD deputy is recovering from hurt feelings after finding a cartoon pig on his coffee cup.

John Pork is calling, and he wants to speak to your manager.

You ever get your feelings so hurt that your boss puts out a press release about it? That's what happened when an Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy found a drawing of a pig on his Starbucks coffee cup.

In a press release, the department said on January 9th, a deputy was given a coffee cup that included a cartoon pig drawn on its side. The statement continues, saying the hard-drawn pig was meant to demean the deputy, and that disrespect further erodes community trust and public safety.

The cartoon at the center of this outrage?

The cartoon is a reference to this unsettling meme:

The deputy initially shared a photo of the cartoon on his private Instagram account with the caption, “It felt discouraging and disrespectful, especially after a long day of serving the community. All I wanted was caffeine, but instead I left feeling uneasy.” He says he immediately spoke to the manager, who said the matter would be investigated.

When the department found out about it, they escalated the situation as cops typically do and reached out to the Starbucks corporate security team to aid the department in their investigation and to hold the barista accountable.

Sheriff Luna called to check-in afterward to make sure the “uneasy” deputy was recovering okay. It's unclear if the deputy will take paid time off to recover from the meme incident. He's likely to remain feeling uneasy and hurt if he logs onto social media, where the comment sections are full of people making fun of him and the department.

KTLA shared a statement from a Starbucks' spokesperson, who condemned the employee’s actions.

Starbucks employee delivers coffee to L.A. deputy with hand-drawn pig on cup

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is speaking out after one of its deputies was served a cup of coffee from an employee of a Norwalk Starbucks with a hand-drawn image of a pig on it.…

KTLAJosh DuBose

“This was unacceptable. We have reached out to the customer several times and leaders in the Sheriff’s Department to apologize,” the Starbucks’ spokesperson said. “We have a deep appreciation for law enforcement who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe. We immediately launched an investigation and are taking swift action.”  

Unlike when police investigate themselves, the Starbucks investigation may result in discipline and the barista losing their job over the meme. If you're going to lose your job over coffee cup graffiti, make it count by writing “Google LASD gangs” on the cup instead of a cartoon. The ensuing outrage would've brought awareness to the department's history of deputy gangs who've enacted violence on the communities they supposedly serve. Or “Google LASD Men's Central Jail lawsuit,” where the public can learn about the deadly jail the department runs in downtown Los Angeles. That way, the public will be better informed to decide what's a bigger threat to their public safety—LASD or hand-draw pig memes on coffee cups and a deputy's hurt feelings.

Thin Skinned

It's best to approach these types of stories with a degree of skepticism. Police often lie, and they often lie about fast food workers or baristas tampering with their food or drink.

In 2020, an LAPD officer reported finding a tampon in his blended Starbucks drink. FOX LA reporter and ICE's in-house stenographer Bill Melugin amplified the story, resulting in a sternly written statement from the department's police union that said, "This disgusting assault on a police officer was carried out by someone with hatred in their heart and who lacks human decency."

Any regular person would have known it wasn't a tampon, but it took an LASD investigation and a review of the security footage to figure out it was a dishrag. The rag somehow got into the blender and ended up in the officer's drink.

“Tampon” Found in Cop’s Drink Was Actually Cleaning Cloth | Law & Crime

An investigation concluded that the “tampon” an LAPD officer claimed was put in his drink was actually a cleaning cloth which “unwittingly” wound up in the beverage.

Law & CrimeJerry Lambe

Stories like the pig cartoon reaffirm the public's perception that police are big babies who, by the possession of a badge and gun, demand an unearned level of respect not given to other workers. Being mean to police is framed as a threat to public safety and not an act protected by the 1st Amendment.

Nor is it a death sentence.

When Trump was asked if the shooting of Rebecca Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross was necessary, he said both she and her friend were disrespectful to the ICE agents and that the agents shouldn't “be in a position where they have to put up with this stuff."

The police don't have to be in a position where they have to put up with this stuff; they could quit and become functioning members of society. They could avoid the hatred by no longer working a job that requires them to attack clergy outside detention centers or beat up protesters in the streets. Police officers should quit their jobs if it means they exist in a perpetual state of self-imposed victimhood that makes them immune to having a sense of humor or self-reflection.

There's no shortage of jobs that serve the public. We could always use a few more baristas in the world. Drawing skills aren't required, but you'll need a thick skin to survive working food service. Just know there won't be a press release from your boss when a customer hurts your feelings.