NABLEO Blasts Boston Police for Tweet Honoring Celtics’ Auerbach During Black History Month
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
The Boston Police removed the tweet and issued an apology.
NABLEO released the following statement:
Black History Month is a time during which the nation takes pause to recognize the achievements, contributions, and accomplishments of the many African American citizens who have made this country what it is today. It is a celebration not only of our culture but a recognition of the heritage that belongs to every African American citizen from coast to coast. It is a heritage that has generated leaders like the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. Dubois, Malcolm X, Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, and the 44th President of the United States of America, the Honorable Barack H. Obama.
Yet today, the Boston Police Department has chosen to denigrate that heritage by praising the accomplishments of a white male solely because he hired a Black man. While the sports acumen and accomplishments of Red Auerbach are, indeed, legendary, they do not qualify him for the honor of being recognized during Black History Month. Even the deletion of what may only be considered as an ill-conceived tweet cannot pretend to make amends to a community that is constantly battling issues of discriminatory treatment by what some have described as an offending force. And what is more perplexing about this sad affair is that the Boston Police Department is headed by an African American Chief of Police who should have known better.
The Board of Directors and Membership of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers expresses their amazement and dismay at this offensive announcement, and call upon Superintendent-in-Chief William Gross to personally apologize for this affront, not only to the members of the Boston community who have been rightly and righteously offended, but to the many men and women of color who serve both with and under his command, as this has no less slandered their service as well. The city deserves nothing less and, quite obviously, much more.
BPD realizes that an earlier tweet may have offended some and we apologize for that. Our intentions were never to offend. It has been taken down.
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
Statement from Police Commissioner William B. Evans, "On behalf of the Boston Police Department, I offer my sincerest apologies for last night's social media post on Black History Month. The tweet was insensitive and does not reflect the values of the Boston Police Department."
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
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