Yes

Not even the Joker had a perp walk of this magnitude. pic.twitter.com/INQMii6RAn

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) December 19, 2024

This is like a painting by Raphael

Did the NYPD's perp walk of Luigi Mangione backfire?

This has been another episode of simple answers to simple questions.

Nice to see the little bit of NYPD sadism blowing up in their faces.

Also, it appears that Eric Adams was there, probably to practice for his inevitable perp walk:

It was the perp walk that launched a thousand memes.

Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old charged in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was brought to New York City on Thursday via helicopter, clean shaven and wearing an orange Department of Correction jumpsuit.

He was promptly escorted off the helipad, the Hudson River behind him, by close to two dozen people including NYPD officers, federal officials and Mayor Eric Adams. Thompson’s killing sparked a national debate about the animosity many feel towards health insurers, with some praising Mangione for the alleged murder. The scene of him arriving Thursday resembled something more out of an action movie than a routine prisoner transfer.

Typically a perp walk is designed to shame the suspect and celebrate the police department’s work. Arguably no one engages in the practice more than the NYPD, who have paraded around everyone from small-time gang members to John Gotti. But the practice has been criticized by many for harming the reputations of people who have only been accused, not convicted of a crime.

In the case of Mangione’s perp walk, at least on social media, the optics appear to have backfired on the NYPD and the mayor. Many noted that the mayor himself has been criminally charged for corruption and bribery. On the morning of Mangione’s arrival, the mayor’s closest adviser Ingrid Lewi-Martin surrendered to authorities on criminal charges of bribery. She was herself perp walked later in the day.

But the overriding theme on X, Instagram, Facebook and elsewhere was that Mangione’s perp walk made a man accused of premeditated murder seem sympathetic.

Generally, I do not approve of murder as a means to resolve disputes.

That being said, I understand why people are inclined to be supportive of Luigi Magione, and the fact that the NYPD did not get that when they engaged in this stunt is not going to reflect well on them.