TV writer Craig Gore has been fired from the upcoming “Law & Order” spinoff starring Christopher Meloni.
Gore was terminated from his position on the series, reportedly called “Law & Order: Organized Crime”, after threatening to “light up” looters near his West Hollywood home in a now-deleted Facebook post that included a photo of him holding a large gun. He captioned the shot, “Curfew…” in reference to the ongoing protests in Los Angeles and nationwide.
In a subsequent comment, Gore wrote, “Sunset is being looted two blocks from me. You think I won’t light motherf**kers up who are trying to f**k with my property I worked all my life for? Think again…” The posts came amid calls for criminal justice reform after George Floyd’s death in police custody.
Ayy @Chris_Meloni your new showrunner is a proud boy pic.twitter.com/FUb8NYc7aW
— drew janda (@drewjanda) June 2, 2020
In response to Gore’s social media remarks, “Law & Order” franchise creator and executive producer Dick Wolf released the following statement: “I will not tolerate this conduct, especially during our hour of national grief. I am terminating Craig Gore immediately.”
Meloni also addressed the situation after he was tagged in a post by another member of the entertainment community. He reacted by sharing a brief message of his own on Twitter, explaining that he did not know Gore and was unaware of any affiliation he had with the show.
— SWATWritersRoom (@SWATWritersRoom) June 2, 2020
Gore’s prior television credits include “Chicago P.D.” and “S.W.A.T.” On the same day as his controversial comments, the writers’ room for the latter released a statement via Twitter urging law enforcement to “deescalate conflicts, not exacerbate them.”
It read: “When S.W.A.T. began three years ago on CBS, as writers we examined the intersection of black communities and law enforcement through the eyes of Daniel ‘Hondo’ Harrelson, an African-American cop who has one foot firmly planted in each world.”
“Since then, we have continued to tell stories that have explored themes of race and policing in minority communities. We also asked questions about what is required to build trust and bridge these two worlds. We are watching recent events in horror and sadness along with everyone else and will continue to mine the truth about these issues in the writing of our upcoming season as we all work towards a fairer, better system.”
“In the meantime, we encourage protesters to express their frustrations peacefully and implore law enforcement to deescalate conflicts, not exacerbate them, as people work through their understandable anger and grief.”
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