Officials in one Oklahoma city are apologizing for a post promoting a community blood drive that got attention for all the wrong reasons. According to Tulsa’s News Channel 8, the Owasso, Oklahoma Police Department dropped a Facebook post to announce a Boots and Badges Blood Drive scheduled for July 30. The post includes a screenshot from a South Park episode that depicts Black gang members with a controversial caption.
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“Whut up bluuud! We need it! Owasso Community Blood Drive We won’t ‘jump you in,’ it’s just a little jab,” the post reads.
Although some thought the now-removed post was just a joke, others, like Tulsa resident and mother Dr. Tamecca Rogers told Fox 23 that there’s absolutely nothing funny about cartoons that are rooted in racism, especially in the current climate.
“We have no trust with the police. And once we try to rebuild this trust, and you continue to put images out there and stereotype us and make us feel like that’s how you truly feel about us. We can’t trust you. That’s a public forum for people who are supposed to protect and serve; there’s no way we can trust you when you put out those stereotypical images,” she said.
The city and the chief of police released a joint statement apologizing for the offensive post and announcing an internal investigation to determine who should be held accountable, writing in part:
“On Saturday afternoon, the City of Owasso was made aware of an inappropriate post on Owasso Police Department’s Facebook page. We want to sincerely apologize and recognize the concern and offense this has caused. This post was removed and does not represent the culture and values of the City of Owasso or the Owasso Police Department.”
But Dr. Rogers says the apology doesn’t do much to undo the damage, adding that there was a much better way to encourage Black people to donate blood.
“How about we talk about sickle cell in our population? How about we portray our Black men as leaders and heads of households bringing their family to come give blood?,” she told News Channel 8.
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