The retired officer responded by blasting the head of the Providence NAACP and threatening to sue his detractors for defamation. Lepore, who retired from the Providence Police Department in 1989, has been directing traffic with dance moves since 1984. [...] city officials told Lepore last month they were letting him go after he organized a small protest outside a coffee shop where a worker wrote "#blacklivesmatter" on another officer's cup. Officials in neighboring East Providence then invited Lepore to perform, but that sparked a protest attended by dozens of people, including Providence NAACP President Jim Vincent.