February 3, 2023
Miami Police Department Reveals ‘Tone Deaf’ Police Cruiser to Celebrate Black History Month
There are so many creative ways for people to celebrate Black History Month, but some just get it wrong.
The Miami Police Department decided to decorate a police cruiser with Africa-themed imagery for the month of February. Revealed on Twitter on Feb. 1, Miami’s mayor, Francis Suarez, told Fox News it was “beautiful.” “This is a beautiful collaboration to commemorate Black history and Black History Month and the history of African Americans and our police department and our city,” Suarez said. “This is Black history.”
#BREAKING: In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth Miami Mayor Ponzi Postalita Francis Suarez just unveiled a Black History police cruiser with images of Africa all over it. #BecauseMiami pic.twitter.com/Mo5QYHeUVU
— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) February 2, 2023
News 7 Miami reported the ceremony took place at the Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum along Northwest 11th Street. Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales was also present. Reporter Joshua Caballos tweeted that he spoke with Black police union president Stanley Jean-Poix, who said the union approved the car design before the unveiling. “It celebrates our African ancestry,” Jean-Poix told Caballos.
I just spoke to Black police union (@mcpba1946) president Stanley Jean-Poix. He said Mayor Suarez's office had nothing to do with the design of the car, and the design had the full approval of the union before it was unveiled.
"It celebrates our African ancestry" he said. https://t.co/lRzJPoWLaK
— Joshua Ceballos (@JoshCeb) February 2, 2023
Social media did not hold back on expressing how they felt regarding the design. Sherrilyn Ifill, former President & Director-Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, used three words – “THIS CANNOT BE.”
Some pointed out the fact the the police don’t have the best reputation with the Black community, and the design is in bad taste.
Now Miami police can remind people it's black history month while harassing, robing, imprisoning, and beating them! pic.twitter.com/xzwjkJEaH2
— 🥀_ Imposter_🥀 (@Imposter_Edits) February 2, 2023
One Twitter user called for Miami Police to “read the room.”
https://twitter.com/ThaCaptionKing/status/1621252582772465667
MSNBC legal analyst, Charles Coleman, called the car “tone deaf” and said it showed that the Miami Police Department doesn’t have any diversity, equity, and inclusion experts on staff.
1. Because Florida
2. Tell me you don't have a D&I person without telling me you don't have a D&I person.
3. No, you don't get credit for just trying.This type of tone deaf performative action is what provokes a "war on wokeness" when we are made to accept the unacceptable. https://t.co/IURT4MyT5E
— Charles Coleman Jr., Jedi Knight (@CFColemanJr) February 2, 2023
In the wake of the Tyre Nichols case and similar cases across the country, Twitter users posted memes and videos, showing that some police don’t really know how to respond.
“There’s been a lot of police brutality going on. What do you guys plan on doing about it?”
Miami Police Department: pic.twitter.com/pr5hqRpHHB
— Mekka Don (@MekkaDonMusic) February 2, 2023
Unfortunately, other Twitter users took the opportunity to point out police cruisers are not created to celebrate everyone’s history, claiming if they did, it would be racist.
when do we get a "white" history police car ?….oh wait that would be "RACIST"
— Michael (@gurutimes2) February 3, 2023
Other Twitter users took the opportunity to point out how wrong the police department was, from a historic place. “They’re the police dept where the notorious phrase ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’ derives from,” one user tweeted.
Miami PD likes to rebrand itself as racially progressive w/their ‘PanAfrican Patrol’ cars during Black History Month, but nvr forget, theyre the police dept where the notorious phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” derives from. Stop playing in my ancestors’ face.
— Unapologetically African🌍✨ (@Liberation_Blk) February 3, 2023
NPR reported that the Miami police Chief Walter Headley used the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in 1967 after crimes erupted during the civil rights era.