Twitter reacts to unveiling of Black History Month police cars: "Racism has been resolved"

Angel Saunders
·3 min read
17
Police officers
Police officers

Black History Month is officially here, and although it’s been around since 1976, some still have difficulty finding proper ways to commemorate the annual celebration. While we’re only three days into the month, social media is already stunned by how two organizations decided to pay tribute.

This week, two police departments chose to honor the sacrifices of African Americans in this country by unveiling Black History Month cop cars. The gesture was quickly slammed on social media. “Thank you, Miami, for this amazing contribution to #BHM. A Black History Month police car is just what we wanted. Racism has been resolved,” one person tweeted. Another shared their version of how they believed the conversation went during the planning process: “Everyone: Can you stop killing unarmed people? Cops: [The] best [we] can do is a Black History Month car.” But the Miami Police Department wasn’t the only force to show off a questionable cruiser.

On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Columbus Ohio Police Department showed off its recent edition to the fleet. “Introducing ‘History 1’ — our newest cruiser to celebrate the achievements of African Americans [and] recognize their roles in our history. Be on the lookout for ‘History 1’ in your neighborhood [and] at community events during February. #BlackHistoryMonth #ColumbusPolice #ColumbusOhio,” the organization posted on Twitter along with a video of the vehicle. One individual who wasn’t feeling the new whip tweeted, “DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH Y’ALL USE OUR REPARATION MONEY ON A POLICE CAR?”

Others wondered why money was spent to create decked-out patrol car themes instead of on education. “No Black history in schools but on police cars instead perfectly captures the United States,” a post read. A tweet echoing the disapproval added, “​​Miami PD likes to rebrand itself as racially progressive [with] their ‘PanAfrican Patrol’ cars during Black History Month, but [never] forget, they’re the police [department] where the notorious phrase ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts’ derives from. Stop playing in my ancestors’ faces.”

See what others are saying about the Black History Month cop cars below.