Turtle Power gets a radical upgrade in the Robot Chicken episode “Hopefully Salt.” The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ resident nerd, Donatello, invents the aptly named Pizza Thrower using a surplus tank from the military.
“Congress passed a bill that sends army weapons to law enforcement and assorted vigilantes,” he explains.
The law is in reference to the 1033 Program created by the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 1997. More than $5.4 billion in military equipment has been transferred to law enforcement agencies to date. The program gained national attention when Ferguson police used armored vehicles during protests in response to the shooting of an unarmed black man.
The parody also addresses the racial component to the story. The turtles are accused of committing a hate crime against Asians when the hot-headed Raphael tases the Shredder to death. Leonardo dismisses the charge since ninjas are Asian. Michelangelo claims they’re Italian due to their names.
“You’re fucking turtles!” Master Splinter points out.
