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Los Angeles Police Department Press Conference. AP Photo.
Los Angeles Police Department Press Conference. AP Photo.

'You take my breath away,' The outrageous George Floyd Valentine's card that has LAPD in the crosshairs

The Los Angeles police department opened an internal investigation to locate the officers involved in distributing the card mocking the death of George Floyd.

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Last weekend, an LA police officer reported the circulation of a Valentine's card with a picture of George Floyd and the message "You take my breath away."

The event has generated outrage from Floyd's family, the district attorney, and the police union.

Police Chief Michel Moore confirmed that an officer had reported the distribution of an unsavory Valentine's Day greeting and that the officer who filed the complaint would be interviewed Monday to track down those involved and discover where and how the image made its way to the police department.

"Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations and at the same time reinforce our zero-tolerance for anything with racist views," Moore said.

George Floyd was yet another victim of racist police abuse and brutality in the United States. He lost his life at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, who had him pinned to the ground, and despite posing no threat, the officer pressed his knee to his neck as Floyd tried to say, "I can't breathe."

The news went around the world and sparked massive protests around the country over racial injustice and police brutality.

"This is beyond insult upon injury: this is injury upon death. This is an insult to our mourning, an insult to his death. The level of the callousness of soul necessary to do something like this is beyond comprehension and indicative of a much larger problem within the culture of the police department. We demand that all involved be held accountable for this disgusting conduct and that an apology be issued immediately to the family," said Crump, attorney for the Floyd family.

So far, the police department has assured on its official accounts that it has not identified "any postings" as described by the officer, nor have they found evidence that any of the officers had created the insensitive card.

Moore also confirmed that the department is investigating two anonymous Instagram accounts possibly linked to department personnel, including an account called "Blue Line Mafia."

For its part, the board of directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League said in a statement that the union "repudiates this abhorrent image" and that any officer who "feels the need to be part of any online group that engages in, promotes and/or celebrates this type of activity should rethink their career choice because they clearly do not have the judgment, nor the temperament, to be a member of law enforcement."

It is important to understand and dimension the danger of legitimizing racist acts from the very authorities that should take care of the citizens. In a way, it would be giving carte blanche to this type of behavior to continue.
 

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