Idaho Officer Who Mocked LeBron James In Viral Video Has Been Fired From Job
The mayor of Bellevus, Idaho, posted to Facebook on Thursday morning that Nate Silvester has been fired from his job for “continued policy violations.”
“Friends of officer Nate Silvester believe that the city had been looking for an excuse to fire him due to political pressure,” The Gateway Pundit reported.
Silvester was featured in a small compilation video of another police officer who also mocked Lebron James by asking how to do their job.
“Silvester was suspended for a week over his viral TikTok video responding to the basketball player’s threat against the cop who was involved in the fatal shooting of an armed teenager who was in the process of trying to stab another girl,” the outlet previously reported.
Bellevue Idaho posted to Facebook, “During the week of May 20th, while on shift Deputy Marshal Silvestor violated several clearly established City of Bellevue and State of Idaho Policing policies. After his previous policy violations Deputy Marshal Silvester was placed on probation and was on, what is called, a “last chance agreement” with his superior officers. Because of his continued policy violations, the Marshal has terminated Mr.Silvester effective May 27th, 2021.”
The mayor confirmed the ‘firing of the phone call’ with KTVB.
After the officers TikTok video went viral, the Bellevue Marshal’s Office released this statement:
“The statements made do NOT represent the Bellevue Marshal’s Office. The Bellevue Marshal’s Office always demands that our Deputies engage with our citizens in a friendly and professional manner,” the office said.
“A GoFundMe that was made in the deputy’s name has now raised more than $521,000. Silvester says the money raised will go to the First Responders Children’s Foundation and he plans to use another portion to create a scholarship fund for displaced police officers,” the outlet reported.
“Silvester’s best friend, Gannon Ward, started the fundraiser to try and raise a few bucks so that his friend would not be out any pay over the joke. People rallied and raised over a half million dollars for him and his family. He subsequently landed a book deal about life as a police officer in these crazy times,” The Gateway Pundit found.
Gannon Ward alerted the Gateway Pundit about the firing of his best friend Silvester.
“The policy violations have nothing to do with the tone or the tenor of his speech that he posts online. He was not terminated for the content of his speech; he was terminated for his failure to follow clearly laid out and well established policy,” the Facebook post from Bellevue Idaho.
“The decision was solely made by the command structure within the Bellevue Marshals office and was not influenced in any way by me or by the City Council. We were informed of the decision, and as in the previous incident, left the final decision making to the Marshal and Deputy Marshal. The City Council and I respect the way the Marshal runs her department, and we are supportive of the decision that was made in regards to consequences for not following policy. We wish Mr. Silvester the best, and we ask for calm and understanding. Mayor Burns,” the post concluded.
“Ward does not believe those claims,” according to Gateway Pundit.
“Nate has known since the LeBron James TikTok that his job was in jeopardy. He’s heard through the grapevine that the mayor was coming from his job, and wanted him fired. So really it was just a matter of time. Honestly, neither of us are that surprised it happened, just really upset that they were able to do something about it and blame something as trivial as using company equipment,” Ward told Gateway Pundit.
“Obviously we were really hoping it didn’t get to this point. But that’s why I started a go fund me in the first place,” Ward also stated.
Ward told the outlet that Bellevue, where Silvester is an officer that, “is literally one of the only blue towns in the entire state of Idaho.”
“Nate and I were talking on the phone this morning, and our honest opinion is that this is all over politics. Just because he supports policing, and police force in general. Nothing he has done deserves getting fired over,” Ward said to Gateway Pundit.
