A police department in Oklahoma is coming under fire after making controversial posts on social media promoting racial stereotypes about Black people to spread the word about a community blood drive.
The posts were made by the Owasso Police Department in Owasso, Oklahoma, a city roughly 14 miles north of Tulsa.
The agency’s official Facebook account shared two now-deleted posts to publicize a local blood drive on July 30.
One of those posts featured the official poster for the event alongside a pair of white hands making the Bloods gang sign. The caption said, “BLUD! Give it up! We need blood to help OBI’s emergency stock. Help us beat the FD in the battle of blood! Stabbed – No. JABBED – Yea,” adding more details about what time and where the event will take place.
Less than two weeks later, the police department took to Facebook again with another post about the drive, which included a screenshot image from the adult comedy satire and cartoon series, “South Park,” that showed a group of Black men wearing red shirts, sweatshirts, and bandanas.
This time, the caption read, “Whut up bluuud! We need it! Owasso Community Blood Drive. We won’t ‘jump you in’, it’s just a little jab.”
The posts triggered backlash across the Owasso and Tulsa communities.
A pastor based in Tulsa took to social media to publicly condemn the posts and the decision to share them, stating that they were “deeply racist, offensive, and utterly disgraceful.”
“Let’s be clear there is no excuse for public servants to perpetuate harmful stereotypes or make light of the pain and injustice that communities of color continue to face every single day,” Pastor Chaz Glover of the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church wrote on Facebook. “That post wasn’t a mistake or a joke it was a reminder of the ugly truth: racism is still alive, embedded in systems of power, and still being defended in plain sight. The Owasso Police Department should be ashamed.”
Other community members voiced similar sentiments.
“You’re especially targeting people of color. And you think it’s a funny joke. That’s not. It’s insensitive, disrespectful, and just not classy,” Sultana Xiong told KJRH. “Especially with our mayor being African-American, I would think to some extent there would be some type of public apology and accountability that goes with this.”
After backlash ensued, the police department reportedly posted an apology that they later deleted, stating they “apparently offended a few people,” adding, “apologies if you were offended.”
Days later, the department posted a more formal and lengthier apology from the city of Owasso, stating that the posts don’t “represent the culture and values” of the city or the police agency.
“There will be an investigation into this incident, and accountability will be sought for any employee who violates our standards of conduct, particularly in this matter,” the post reads. We are committed to maintaining a respectful and trusting relationship with our community and will take the necessary steps to ensure this never happens again.”
Community advocate Dr. Tamecca Rogers said the posts chip away at the trust that the police department is supposed to cultivate with the community.
“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,” Rogers told KOKI. “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.”
Our Blood Institute, the organization that partnered with the city of Owasso for the drive, said they had no part in making or sharing the posts.
“Our Blood Institute was not involved in the creation of the social media post promoting the upcoming blood drive with the Owasso Police Department,” the organization wrote in a statement. We remain committed to working with community partners to support the local blood supply and focus on what matters most — saving lives through donation.”
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