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USA: Criticism for patrol car campaign for Black History Month

2023-02-04T20:18:48.106Z


In honor of black people in the USA, for Black History Month in February, the US police in two cities have come up with something special: a new patrol car design. But it doesn't go down well at all.


Enlarge image

US police car of the city of Charlottesville in the state of Virginia (icon image)

Photo: Mike Kropf / dpa

The design of new police patrol cars in Columbus, Ohio and Miami, Florida has drawn criticism on social media.

In celebration of Black History Month, police in both cities wanted to show their support for African Americans, but the attempt apparently failed.

Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States every February since 1976 to honor the achievements of black Americans and their role in US history.

The Columbus Police Department posted a video of the new police car on Twitter – accompanied by a speech by well-known US civil rights activist Martin Luther King.

The words »Dreams«, »Freedom« and »Equality« sprayed on a wall can be seen, followed by the new car »History 1«.

The colors of the Black History Month flag are applied to the side on a white background: red, black, green and yellow.

A quote from King is emblazoned on its rear window: "Be the peace you want to see in the world."

The black squad car in Miami is decorated even more symbolically.

It features the outline of the African continent and raised clenched black fists - a Black Lives Matter and Black Panther symbol.

"Miami Police Department Supports Black History Month," reads the rear window.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said at the unveiling of the new vehicle, "This is a beautiful collaboration to commemorate black history and Black History Month, as well as the history of African Americans and our police department and our city.

This is black history.«

Many on Twitter criticized the design of the patrol cars as insulting and tactless, due to police violence in the USA, which is disproportionately directed against blacks and repeatedly ends in death, as was the case recently with Tire Nichols.

Jane Coaston, a New York Times journalist and African-American, noted that the black community has very different demands on police.

She tweeted: "'We'd like police reform, please.'

›I see, here are some SEO-MLK quotes on some police cars.‹«

The Police Scorecard website tracks police violence and police racial incidents nationwide in the United States.

According to the website, the Columbus Police Department has a higher rate of police-related fatalities than 99 percent of police departments in the United States.

Between 2016 and 2021, 4,174 complaints about police misconduct were received and only ten percent of the cases were decided in favor of the citizens.

Almost 60 percent of all arrests between 2013 and 2021 involved non-violent, minor crimes.

Miami's local police death rate is 20 percent higher than other US police departments, according to the Police Scorecard.

Between 2018 and 2021, 288 people complained about police misconduct, with citizens winning fourteen percent of the complaints.

More than 75 percent of all arrests between 2013 and 2021 were for minor, non-violent crimes.

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Source: spiegel

All life articles on 2023-02-04

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