The Miami Police Department unveiled a new police vehicle decorated to honour Black History Month, but despite the city’s mayor celebrating the vehicle as a "beautiful collaboration," not everyone is impressed by the new cruiser.
The police department unveiled the cruiser — which includes an outline of the African continent, the words "Black History Month" on the passenger side door, and the red, yellow, and green colour scheme associated with pan-Africanism — on Friday.
The city’s mayor, Francis Suarez, and Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales held an event unveiling the new vehicle, according to local broadcaster WSVN.
“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,” Ms Suarez said. “This is Black history.”
That is not a sentiment shared by all.
Writer and educator Dwayne David Paul commented on a video of the vehicle being revealed that there is "no Black history in schools but on police cars instead ... perfectly captures the United States."
Former South Carolina representative Bakari Sellers wondered "who asked for this?!" on Twitter.
Another user, Lana Lovehall, called the vehicle’s design a "complete mockery."
"This is so disrespectful," she wrote. "A complete mockery. That’s how bold they’re getting."
The cruiser was revealed a week after the Memphis Police Department released bodycam footage of five police officers beating Tyre Nichols, a Black man, after a traffic stop. Mr Nichols died in the hospital three days after his encounter with police. A sixth police officer, as well as an EMT and an ambulance driver, were also disciplined for their parts in the encounter.
The footage led to protests in numerous cities.
"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," MSNBC legal analyst Charles Coleman Jr wrote on Twitter. "This type of tone deaf performative action is what provokes a ‘war on wokeness’ when we are made to accept the unacceptable."
Anthony Clark, who ran for Congress in Illinois’ 2020 Democratic Primary, said "up next... cops beating your a** to death in kente cloth," alongside an image showing police in riot gear resembling the African textile.
The Independent has reached out to the police department for comment.
