LAPD investigating ‘You take my breath away’ George Floyd-themed Valentine photo
Chief Michael Moore announced the investigation Saturday after an officer reported the photograph was circulated among the police force
Valentine’s Day took a twisted turn in the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) this weekend.
LAPD Chief Michael Moore announced Saturday an investigation into his department over accusations that a photograph of George Floyd with an insensitive caption was circulating among the force’s ranks, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The outlet reports an LAPD officer filed a complaint about the alleged picture. Moore said the image was being “passed around” the offices as a Valentine card with the caption: “You Take My Breath Away.”
Floyd was a Black man killed last May by a Minneapolis police officer who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while other officers held him to the ground.
A video of the incident captured Floyd crying out, “I can’t breathe,” repeatedly as the officers held him down. The phrase has been a rallying cry for Black Lives Matter demonstrators dating back to the choking death of Eric Garner by police on New York City’s Staten Island in 2014.
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Moore said the investigation seeks to uncover the origin of the edited photo and if LAPD personnel was involved in creating and/or circulating it.
“Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations while also reinforcing our zero tolerance for anything with racist views,” Moore said.
Moore continued by insisting that “people will find my wrath” if the investigation confirms that LAPD officers were involved. The complaining officer is set to be interviewed on Monday, he said.
This is the latest incident in which a law enforcement officer used insensitive language during a holiday season.
As previously reported by theGrio, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama came under fire last December for posting a Christmas tree with “thugshots” — mugshots of suspects — adorned like ornaments.
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Mobile Sheriff’s spokesperson Lori Myles stated that the photoshopped “thugshots” was part of their weekly “Thug Thursdays” initiative where the office posts photos of people wanted in the area.
Although the photo was removed from the department’s Facebook page, they received criticism for it being offensive.
The president of the Alabama chapter of the NAACP, Bernard Simelton, called the incident “despicable behavior.”
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