LOS ANGELES (AP) – A report that Los Angeles police officers distributed a photo of George Floyd with the words ‘you take my breath away’ in a Valentine-like format led to an internal investigation and the conviction of Floyd’s family, the district. lawyer and the police union.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said on Saturday investigators will try to determine how the statue may have entered the workplace and who was involved, the Los Angeles Times. report. Moore said the officer who filed the complaint will be questioned Monday.
“Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations, while also reinforcing our zero tolerance for anything with racist views,” Moore said.
Floyd, a black man, died last May after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck when Floyd repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” His death has sparked huge protests across the country over racial injustice and police brutality.
Ben Crump, a lawyer for Floyd’s family, said Monday the family is furious.
” It’s insulting above and beyond death. ‘The kind of numbness and cruelty within one’s soul that is required to do such a thing eludes understanding – and is an indication of a much bigger problem within the culture of the LAPD,’ Crump said.
“We demand that everyone involved be held accountable for their rebellious behavior and that the family apologize immediately.”
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon condemned the image, saying he would investigate the case to see if any of his cases were “possibly compromised by biased police work.”
The board of directors for the Los Angeles Police Protective League said in a statement that the union “rejects this heinous image” and that any officer who “feels the need to be part of any online group involved in, promotes and / or promotes or celebrate these kinds of activities should quickly reconsider their career choice because they clearly do not have the judgment or temperament to be a member of law enforcement. ”
If the internal investigation confirms that LAPD officers are spreading the image, people will find me angry, the police chief said.
The Times reports that Moore also confirmed that the department was investigating two anonymous Instagram accounts allegedly linked to department staff, including one called the ‘Blue Line Mafia’.