Photo Credit: WSVN
Miami Gets Heckled For Unveiling of Black History Month-Themed Police Cruiser
The city of Miami was mocked on social media on Thursday after Mayor Francis Suarez unveiled a Black History Month-themed police cruiser.
The joke was on Miami on Thursday (February 2) after a new police cruiser decorated with Africa-themed imagery was unveiled. To celebrate Black History Month, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez attended the unveiling ceremony at the city’s Black Police Precinct and Courthouse Museum, where Miami police chief Manuel Morales was also present.
“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.”
Spray-painted on the vehicle are the Black History Month flag colors of red, yellow black and green. On the cruiser's rear windshield is a quote from the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., reading, "Be the peace you wish to see in the world."
\u201cToday we honor and celebrate Miami Police Black History with unveiling of our new Black History vehicle. Among all of the officers who were in attendance to commemorate the unveiling were some of our very first black police officers. #BlackHistoryMonth\u201d— Miami PD (@Miami PD) 1675368975
During the ceremony, Suarez also referenced police brutality against Black Americans, namely Tyre Nichols, who was deadly beaten at the hands of five Memphis police officers in early January.
Obviously we’ve seen some things across the country that are shocking, that we hope and know will never be repeated in our jurisdiction,” Suarez said at a Thursday press conference, according to Miami New-Times.
“But I think part of the reason why it won’t is because we embrace our history,” Suarez continued. “We know where we came from. We understand what the struggles were.”
Check out more reactions to the police cruiser below.
\u201cNow Miami police can remind people it's black history month while harassing, robing, imprisoning, and beating them!\u201d— \ud83e\udd40_Imposter_\ud83e\udd40 (@\ud83e\udd40_Imposter_\ud83e\udd40) 1675376513
\u201cThank you Miami for this amazing contribution to #BHM \u2026 \ud83d\ude12 A black history month police car is just what we wanted. Racism has been resolved.\u201d— D\u2019Wayne, Wayne (@D\u2019Wayne, Wayne) 1675382952
\u201cIn honor of Black History Month Miami Mayor Ponzi Postalita Francis Suarez just unveiled a Black History police cruiser with images of Africa all over it.\n\nI guess it makes sense considering the demographic of most of their passengers.\u201d— iamyesyouareno (@iamyesyouareno) 1675403166
\u201cI could be wrong, but I think the Miami police department missed the mark for #BlackHistoryMonth this year. \ud83d\ude33\n\nLet\u2019s not forget about slave patrols. \ud83d\ude0f\u201d— Ryan Pinesworth\u2122\ufe0f (@Ryan Pinesworth\u2122\ufe0f) 1675403464