A Georgia police department is under fire after images of several all-white shooting students using pictures of a Black man as target practice were posted on its social media. While the police chief insists the department uses people of all races, concerned citizens and the mayor say officers should have known the jarring images would spark outrage.
The pictures were from the Villa Rica Police Department’s Firearms Safety Class on June 17, 2023.
While the police department said the earlier target was a white man, the one posted on its Facebook resembled a middle-aged Black man with a skullcap, a gun, and a menacing scowl.
The social media team’s post prompted a response from various civil rights organizations and activists, including a local NAACP chapter.
“I started getting tagged from all the residents and organizations pertaining to the silhouette target of just this individual black man, who in my opinion had been dressed to look like a thug,” Dominique Conteh, president of the Carroll County NAACP branch, said to Atlanta News First. He also addressed the impact those images subconsciously have on the shooters.
“What you start to do is condition people to think this race or these individuals I’ve trained on them, I’ve used them as targets,” Conteh continues.
Outrage also spilled over to social media.
“Really sucks (but not surprised) to see the area where I grew up in training cops to kill people like me. Villa rica is probably the most mellow, safest areas you can live in Georgia but I’ve seen most investments in police and surveillance than basic infrastructure,” one person tweeted.
“I been to villa rica. No mistake. That’s how they are out there,” another person added.
“Nothing says open season on black men like the Villa Rica police department in GA having target practice on pictures of black men of course being portrayed as criminals,” a Twitter user posted, before adding, “Not even…
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