In a post taken straight out of a 1920s minstrel show, Owasso Police Department (OPD) drew attention to an upcoming community blood drive by demonizing the Black community.
“Whut up bluuud! We need it! Owasso Community Blood Drive We won’t ‘jump you in’, it’s just a little jab. Owasso Community Center – Wednesday, July 30th 11AM to 6PM,” OPD posted to Facebook Saturday.
A predominantly white police department with the cultural sensitivity of a freshman frat bro decided reinforcing harmful stereotypes about the Black community was the appropriate way to advertise a community event.
Owasso is a city in Oklahoma where Black people make up less than four percent of the population. Not only does the joke land like a Ku Klux Klan comedy show, it also adds to a powderkeg of distrust at a time when people are taking matters of police misconduct into their own hands.
Police officers with the power and authority to kill people used racism as a cheap tool for social engagement.
Black residents are over three times more likely to face arrest for low-level, non-violent offenses than White residents. Owasso Police should be working to build trust, not break it. Increasing animosity among the communities it’s meant to serve puts its own officers in harm’s way. It spreads the kind of hate and racial bias that led to 74 unarmed mostly Black people being killed by police in 2024.
“Apologies if you were offended” – Owasso Police Dept. posts non-apology
The criticism from comments online was swift and incriminating. OPD’s response was as remorseless as the profession that kills over 1,000 Americans each year.
“Well that got out of hand quickly! Our last blood drive post apparently offended a few people, certainly no intent to offend anyone, so apologies if you were offended,” OPD posted hours later after community backlash led them to deleting their initial post.
Where to start? It’s racist by associating Black people with gang activity. It’s insensitive to the many lives, families and communities broken by gang violence. And it was a desperately failed attempt to be funny.
Decades of gang violence have broken Black families
OPD’s senseless post ignores the real history of gang activity.
The Bloods originated in 1970’s Los Angeles as a response to the Crips, which were terrorizing the community. Sets of Bloods formed to protect themselves from the lawless violence of the Crips. In a nation where police officers failed to protect Black victims and where society failed to provide Black youth with resources, opportunities, or a feeling of belonging, gangs grew.
Ultimately, both groups of gangs have caused devastating and deadly impacts on Black America. It’s difficult to determine an exact number of gang-related deaths due to different reporting methods, but Black Americans by far suffer disproportionately.
Black Americans die from gun violence at 2.7 times the rate of white Americans, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. Roughly 13,000 Black people die from gun violence each year, including innocent bystanders in communities large and small.
OPD’s ignorance and lack of understanding prove why DEI is important in a society where police were created to round up enslaved people of African descent. OPD’s post was despicable and cruel.
But even if you don’t think Owasso Police Department’s post was racist, even if you don’t think it was insensitive and even if you do find it funny, one thing is certain: We live in a time when people are growing tired of police officers abusing their authority.
Making jokes targeting communities that already hold justifiable distrust of police is ignorant and dangerous. It’s all fun and games until an officer is targeted.
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Amerikkka has always been racist because they are jealous , full of hate and small in many places including their minds.
And just like so many they supported someone who let cop beaters walk, another batch of ignoramuses who voted against their own interests.
You should have pity on them instead of being angry because they are sad.
What else would you expect from people who ancestors were criminals from Europe. Out of cave’s before that, who come from us the original people.
We live rent free in their narrow minds.
Find out who their sponsors are and dont spend your money there, don’t make a big deal about it just do it.
You already know they’re ignorant, why else in this day and age would they be cops? Because it doesnt take much to kill people when your evil.
And dont give them any ink, it’s what they want. You are feeding babies.
God has you!
People have to do a better job keeping tabs on their children, these gangs are killing more of us than the racist police.
The self hate and easy way out mentality has to stop.
It’s so much easier to make a ton of money LEGALLY with the tools available today. Instead of using social media to incriminate their dumb selves how about using it to educate and prosper oneself.