Brooklyn 99 cast donates $100K to bail relief fund for protestors

The cast and showrunner of NBC’s popular police comedy Brooklyn 99 donated $100,000 to the National Bail Fund Network – and urged their fans to do the same.

The cast and showrunner of NBC’s popular cop comedy Brooklyn 99 are putting their money where their mouths are when it comes to fighting police brutality, donating $100,000 to the National Bail Fund Network in the wake of the nationwide protests over the death of George Flloyd at the hands of police officers.

Showrunner Dan Goor, as well as cast members Terry Crews, Stephanie Beatriz, Andy Samberg, and Andre Braugher, all took to Twitter earlier this week to share the news of the gift. They also condemned the actions of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter for kneeling on Flloyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

“We encourage you to look up your local bail fund: the National Bail Fund Network is an organization that can lead you to them. #blacklivesmatter,” the statement says.

The National Bail Fund is run by the Community Justice Exchange, and the organization spans sixty community bail and bond funds across the country.

The donation was organized after some on social media called for actors who have played police officers to do more to support the protest, given that their day jobs involve helping shape public perception of law enforcement and how viewers expect the police to behave.

Beatriz has taken things a step further, encouraging any actor who makes money off playing a police officer to donate to community justice groups, bail funds for protesters, or other groups fighting for social justice reform.

While Brooklyn 99 is a lighthearted police series, the comedy does frequently depict more complex social issues that are directly related to community and diversity, such as profiling, violence, toxic masculinity and homophobia.

You can find out more about the National Bail Fund at communityjusticeexchange.org