Columbus police's Black History Month cruiser drawing criticism

A Columbus police cruiser that has been outfitted with special trim colors and a decal in honor of Black History Month during February has drawn largely negative community reviews, though the department says it's received mixed feedback.

"History 1," a decommissioned cruiser not used on regular patrols, was introduced to the public by the Columbus Division of Police on Wednesday evening and was met on social media with criticism from people who questioned whether the cruiser was tone-deaf.

The cruiser has a multi-colored decal, as well as a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on a rear window.

Many people, including local writer Saeed Jones, former ESPN personality and contributing writer for The Atlantic Jemele Hill, social activists and writers from across the country, have said the Columbus police cruiser is appalling to be presented as it was, with a 90-second video including audio of King's "I Have a Dream" speech and photos of inspirational words before the cruiser is shown.

On Friday, Jones told The Dispatch he couldn't think of a "more pointed metaphor."

"People in the community reasonably demand that the Columbus Police Department corrects its decades-long pattern of abuse, violence and killing and the department's response is to paint over the problem," he said.

The cruiser also drew the attention of MSNBC's Zeeshan Aleem, who penned an opinion essay for the news channel's website calling the cruiser, as well as one outfitted by Miami police, "shockingly tone-deaf."

Aleem's essay asks whose idea within the Division of Police the cruiser was, something a police spokesman said Friday was a "collective idea."

Sgt. David Scarpitti said the special Columbus police cruiser, with a license plate of "History 1," will have the Black History Month decals through the month of February and will be present at several community events. Finalized dates for those events and appearances were not available Friday, he said.

After February, the special cruiser will be outfitted for future occasions. He said the cruiser's decal and trim work is one of several the police division has done in the last seven months, beginning with Pride month in June 2022, a cruiser outfitted for breast cancer awareness and one for Veteran's Day.

Scarpitti said he did not know how much the special Black History Month decal and trim cost the division.

Several community members have approached police with positive feedback about the cruiser, Scarpitti said.

"We use it as part of the community engagement and we want to, of course, celebrate causes. Black history is an important one for us," Scarpitti said.

Columbus police have a complex history with the Black community that has included fatal shootings of unarmed Black men, such as Donovan Lewis in August, and a response to 2020 protests in the wake of George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis. A 2019 study also found police used force disproportionately against Black residents.

The unveiling of the cruiser on social media came days after camera footage showing the police beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis was released and the day after the family of Lewis, a 20-year-old unarmed Black man, called for swifter action to be taken in the investigation into Lewis' August death. Lewis was shot by Columbus police K9 officer Rickey Anderson, who remains on paid administrative leave five months after the shooting.

The unveiling also came as another federal lawsuit has been filed against Columbus city and public safety officials involving allegations of racial discrimination within the division.

The quote on a rear window of the special cruiser, which reads "Be the peace you wish to see in the world," also drew criticism online as some questioned whether or not the quote was incorrectly attributed to King. However, King did say the line in question, which is often confused with a paraphrased quote from Mahatma Gandhi.

In an interview, Gandhi had made several statements about not waiting for the world to change to act. Those comments were later paraphrased and attribute to Gandhi as "Be the change you wish to see in the world," according to The New York Times.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police Black History Month cruiser getting criticized online