Thursday , March 28 2024

See Racist Christmas Tree That Led To Romoval of Police Chief In Minneapolis

While the world is celebrating Christmas with special Christmas trees set up to lighten up the mood for the season, some other persons are busy playing expensive pranks with the tree not realizing that it will end up offending the public. This prank played by some police officers has landed their boss in trouble.

The commander of a Minneapolis police precinct, Inspector Aaron Biard, has been replaced following uproar over Christmas tree decorations that the mayor said amounted to a “racist display.”


The Christmas tree at the Fourth Precinct station on the city’s north side was decorated with items such as Newport cigarettes, police crime tape, a can of malt liquor and a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen cup.

Minneapolis Police spokesman John Elder confirmed Monday that inspector Biard had been removed as commander of the precinct. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement that Assistant Chief Mike Kjos will be responsible for the precinct’s day-to-day operations until a replacement is found.

Kjos previously served as the precinct’s commander, the Star Tribune reported. Two Minneapolis officers were placed on paid leave Friday for their apparent involvement in the decorations.

Mayor Jacob Frey called the decorations “despicable” and said they amounted to a “racist display.” A picture of the tree circulated online before the items were removed.
Frey initially called for the officer involved to be fired by day’s end, but later recognized that a process has to be followed. Instead, the two officers were placed on paid leave while the department investigates.

That investigation continues, Elder said Monday. Minneapolis NAACP President Leslie Redmond said Friday the incident was proof of a problem with the culture within the Minneapolis Police , CBS station WCCO-TV reports..

“I believe that there are a lot of people working in Minnesota to actually produce justice, but I also think there are many forces working against it, and we have to recognize that this is a systemic issue, and it’s not just good enough to fire the individual who put the decorations up,” Redmond said. “We need to look into how many officers actually walked past this and was OK with it.”

In a statement Monday December 3, Frey said he supports the chief’s decision to remove the precinct’s commander and said “it reflects his resolve to make meaningful change.” Arradondo has called the display “racially insensitive.”

“I am ashamed and appalled by the behavior of those who would feel comfortable to act in such a manner that goes against our core department values of trust, accountability and professional service,” Arradondo said in an earlier statement. A message left for Biard at the precinct was not immediately returned Monday.

The city’s north side has a fractured relationship with police. The precinct was the site of more than two weeks of protests after the 2015 fatal police shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man.

The Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar, a group formed after Clark’s shooting, has called for the immediate termination of those involved.

Source: wdef

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

About Chinenye Nwabueze

Nwabueze is a writer with passion for cutting-edge news

Check Also

Male humpback whales caught on camera having s3x

Two humpback whales have been caught on camera engaging in homosexual s3x. A just-published study …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

%d bloggers like this: