California Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. David Shelby received a lot of unwanted attention after playing “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift to prevent activists from posting footage of a protest online.
Shelby pulled the stunt during a protest outside of the Alameda County courthouse on June 29, reported The Washington Post.
Shelby talked to James Burch, leader of the Anti-Police-Terror Project, about the placement of protest signs when he randomly whipped out his phone. After a few taps, the phone started blaring “Blank Space,” a 2014 song by Taylor Swift. The interaction was filmed by another member of Burch’s organization.
“Are we having a dance party?” asked a confused Burch.
Burch and the person filming, identified as Rebecca, continued to question Shelby until he admitted why he played the song.
“You can record all you want. I just know it can’t be posted on YouTube,” Shelby told them.
Shelby played the song so Rebecca’s footage could be hit with a copyright strike and taken down. YouTube’s algorithm has an automated system that flags and removes videos that use copyrighted material, like songs, without permission.
Shelby’s idea backfired because the footage was uploaded to YouTube and Twitter, where it went viral. The video has been viewed over 690,000 times on YouTube and retweeted more than 4500 times.
Alameda County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly told The East Bay Times Shelby didn’t violate any policies but admitted playing the music was a bad move.
“Yeah, it’s really not a good look,” Kelly said.
He also confirmed the incident is under investigation.
“It’s unacceptable,” Kelly added. “It’ll be going to internal affairs. It’s not a trend within our office. It’s not something we feel is occurring. … He’s very remorseful. The backlash that he’s received personally has been extraordinary. I’ve seen officers go through that when they become the target of social media. It’s not a fun place to be. He let the moment get the better of him.”
Burch’s group was outside of the courthouse that day to observe the pre-trial hearing of former San Leandro Police officer Jason Fletcher, per The East Bay Times. Fletcher is charged with voluntary manslaughter for the shooting death of Steven Taylor.
Fletcher fatally shot Taylor, clutching a metal bat inside a Walmart store in April 2020. Last week, a judge upheld the manslaughter charge and ruled he would stand trial for the killing, per The Mercury News.
