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EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — More than two dozen protesters attended a scheduled appearance of a retired Providence police officer known as the "Dancing Cop," but the ex-officer himself did not show.
Tony Lepore has been drawing heat after he protested outside a Providence coffee shop in October because an employee wrote "#blacklivesmatter" on a cup of coffee before giving it to a police officer. Lepore, who retired from the Providence Police Department in 1989, wanted the employee to be fired.
Following Lepore's protest, Providence officials told him they were letting him go from his decades-long gig directing holiday traffic with exaggerated dance moves. Lepore has received national attention for his routine, which he began in 1984.
Police Commissioner Steven Pare said Lepore gave the inaccurate impression that he represented the position of the Providence Police Department and called his actions a "disservice to the department."
Over the weekend, Lepore said he had been hired to direct traffic in East Providence, across the river from Providence. But on Sunday he said he decided not to attend a Christmas tree lighting in that city after Mayor Thomas Rose told him about the planned protests.
Lepore wrote on his Facebook page that he was concerned about the safety of children and their families and still planned to direct traffic outside East Providence City Hall in December.
"Believe me, I am not backing down to them," he wrote.
On Sunday, the Black Lives Matter protesters stood outside the tree lighting and said they didn't understand why the city would want to be associated with Lepore.
Rose did not immediately return a message seeking comment on Monday.
The city council plans to vote Tuesday on Lepore's hiring. Several protesters said they planned to attend.
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