Georgia police department faces backlash for reportedly using images of a Black man as a target during a firearm safety class
A Georgia police department is under fire for reportedly using posters featuring a Black man as a target during a firearms safety class.
Today (June 23), CNN shared that officers with the Villa Rica Police Department held a safety class earlier this year. Videos and images from the class allegedly showed civilians firing at posters with a Black man’s face on them.
Although the post with the clips and photos has since been removed, the department has still received backlash for the class. In an interview with WSB TV, Villa Rica Police Chief Michael Mansour said, “The perception of it looks like we have people just shooting at Black guys, and that’s not at all what it was.” During the discussion, Mansour alleged the class began with using a target of a white man wearing a face mask. But when they ran out of that target, he claimed they began using posters of a Black man.
On Tuesday (June 20), the police department released a statement online regarding the social media post. “The targets utilized in our recent firearms class depict realistic human images and were part of a package, which included target images of people from various ethnic groups. It was never our intention to be insensitive, inflammatory, or offensive to anyone,” the statement read.
Villa Rica Mayor Gil McDougal also released a statement, calling the post “offensive” and shared he is “personally embarrassed.” “This administration will be asking our human resources director and the city attorney to select an outside organization to review how this entire incident came about, not just the post itself,” he stated.
The Carroll County NAACP affiliate called out the police department’s apology for reportedly lacking “sincerity and sensitivity” toward their minority occupants. “This target is extremely offensive to many Villa Rica and Carroll County residents,” the organization said. “These types of targets have been used by other police departments within the U.S. and have been deemed racially inappropriate and unacceptable.”
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