The Los Angeles Police Department initiated an internal investigation into the sharing of a hideous Valentine’s Day-style meme that mocked the death of George Floyd.
More specifically, more than one of the officers and employees allegedly passed along a meme that featured Floyd’s face along with the caption ” You Take My Breath Away” as a sick Valentine’s Day joke.
A personnel complaint has been initiated and we are pursuing each allegation including interviewing the department member who brought it to our attention.
— LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) February 14, 2021
LAPD brass confirmed an unidentified officer reported the meme up the chain of command.
“Our investigation is to determine the accuracy of the allegations while also reinforcing our zero-tolerance for anything with racist views,” Police Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Times.
The newspaper confirmed the perturbing meme was being “passed around” casually and that the “culprits will find my wrath” if the probe leads to them.
Floyd became a cause célèbre after he was killed on Memorial Day 2020 when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his kneck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Floyd, along with Louisville’s Breonna Taylor and Georgia Ahmaud Aubrey, became the catalyst for an international uprising decrying incessant police brutality and social injustices against minorities.
Chauvin, along with three other ex-cops, has been indicted as a result of Floyd’s death with Chauvin facing second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. He has been released on a million-dollar bond with the trial scheduled for March 8, 2021.
