Current:Home > FinanceGeorgia police department apologizes for using photo of Black man for target practice-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Georgia police department apologizes for using photo of Black man for target practice
View Date:2024-12-23 16:16:25
A Georgia police department has issued an apology after photos and video shared by the department showed officers using shooting targets with photos of a Black man during a gun safety class.
The images, shared by the Villa Rica Police Department on Saturday, June 17, showed that every single target was covered with a photo of a Black man.
The images appear to have been removed from the department's Facebook page, but the initial posts and comments remain. Many in the comments questioned the targets, calling them "offensive and disrespectful" and calling for an apology from the department.
On Tuesday, the department shared an apology on Facebook, saying that they strive "to be conscious of how our relationship with our community members has a direct impact on our effectiveness within the community we serve." According to 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 42.6% of Villa Rica, a city of about 18,000, is Black.
"The targets utilized in our recent firearms class depict realistic human images and were part of a package which included target images of people from various ethnic groups," the department said. The apology did not explain why the only images shared showed Black men. The department has not responded to a request for comment from CBS News.
The department said that it was "never" their intention "to be insensitive, inflammatory or offensive to anyone."
"However, we respect the honest opinions of our fellow citizens and apologize for any offense we may have caused," the department said. "We invite everyone to attend one of our next citizen firearms classes and share in a positive experience along side us."
The apology was quickly criticized, with commentators asking why the targets only featured a Black man despite the package allegedly including multiple ethnicities. The Carroll County NAACP also issued a response on Wednesday.
"The 'apology' statement from your department via Facebook displays a lack of sincerity, sensitivity toward minority residents and makes it abundantly clear that your department lacks the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that all local officials should strive to participate in," wrote Dominique Conteh, the president of the Carroll County branch, in a letter shared on Facebook. "We believe that DEI training would've given more insight as to the reasoning as to why those targets are 'unacceptable and deemed racist.'"
Conteh said the NAACP is requesting a meeting with the department's police chief, the Villa Rica mayor, the city manager and city councilwoman. There has not been any update from the organization since the request was issued.
- In:
- Georgia
- Carroll County
Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.
veryGood! (5157)
Related
- Voters in Oakland oust Mayor Sheng Thao just 2 years into her term
- Jeremy Allen White Reveals the Story Behind His Comment on Alexa Demie's Lingerie Photo Shoot
- The View's Ana Navarro Raises Eyebrows With Comment About Wanting to Breast Feed Maluma
- Blinken, senior diplomats seek G7 unity on Israel-Hamas war and other global crises
- What Just Happened to the Idea of Progress?
- Barbra Streisand regrets rejecting Brando, reveals Elvis was nearly cast in 'A Star is Born'
- The View's Ana Navarro Raises Eyebrows With Comment About Wanting to Breast Feed Maluma
- What's the best way to ask for a flexible telework schedule? Ask HR
- Mike Williams Instagram post: Steelers' WR shades Aaron Rodgers 'red line' comments
- Say what? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis honors transgender woman who leads diversity seminars.
Ranking
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Lawsuit alleges ‘widespread’ abuse at shuttered youth facility operated by man commuted by Trump
- Go digital or else: Citibank tells customers to ditch paper statements or lose digital access
- Russian troops shoot and kill a Georgian civilian near the breakaway province of South Ossetia
- Alexandra Daddario shares first postpartum photo of baby: 'Women's bodies are amazing'
- New Beauty We’re Obsessed With: 3-Minute Pimple Patches, Color-Changing Blush, and More
- The Eagles have the NFL's best record. They know they can't afford to ignore their issues.
- 'Awe-inspiring:' See 5 stunning photos of the cosmos captured by Europe's Euclid telescope
Recommendation
-
32-year-old Maryland woman dies after golf cart accident
-
Chile president calls for referendum on new constitution proposal drafted by conservative councilors
-
Jeremy Allen White Reveals the Story Behind His Comment on Alexa Demie's Lingerie Photo Shoot
-
New Apple Watch will come with features to detect hypertension, sleep apnea: Report
-
Here's Your First Look at The White Lotus Season 3 With Blackpink’s Lisa and More Stars
-
How does a computer discriminate?
-
Chrishell Stause Shares If She’d Release a Song With Partner G Flip
-
Senator proposes plan that lifts nuclear moratorium and requires new oversight rules