As peaceful and violent protests continue to occur around the country in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, actors Stephanie Beatriz and Griffin Newman, respectively best known for their roles on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Tick, have each donated $11,000 to the Community Justice Exchange. Their donations will be distributed to local bail and bond funds to assist with the release of arrested protesters, with the duo also encouraging actors who portrayed police officers on television to do the same. “I’m an out-of-work actor who improbably played a detective on two episodes of Blue Bloods almost a decade ago,†Newman wrote on social media. “If you currently play a cop? If you make tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in residuals from playing a cop? I’ll let you do the math.†Hours later, Beatriz — who portrays a detective on the Fox sitcom — matched Newman’s big donation and thanked the actor “for leading the way.†She also encouraged TV cops to donate.
Newman has since been RTing subsequent donations to the Community Justice Exchange, which ranged from $1,500 for “playing a cop in a Troma movie†to $30 for “playing a cop in my 8th grade class play.†Beatriz also urged her followers, actors or otherwise, to donate whatever they can.