A police officers’ group in Columbia, Mo., proclaimed “Darren Wilson Day” on Sunday, the one-year anniversary of the officer’s fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.
It did not go over well.
In a Facebook post published Sunday and removed on Monday, the Columbia Police Officers’ Association referred to Mr. Wilson as an “innocent, but persecuted, officer.” The group said in the post that its support for the officer had nothing to do with race,
according to The Columbia Daily Tribune.
The effort to recognize Mr. Wilson attracted condemnation from local officials, including the chief of Columbia’s police department.
“I found the post offensive, and I thought I needed to stand with the community and say what the police department thinks about it,” the chief, Ken Burton, said on Monday at a protest in front of police headquarters, The Daily Tribune reported. “It was insensitive at best, and provocative at worst.”
In a statement, the police department said the post “has served to inflame the emotions of some in our community.”
“The Columbia Police Department will not allow a statement such as this to hinder our constant efforts to open the lines of communication with all people in our community,” the statement said.
Robert McDavid, the mayor of Columbia, called the post “
insensitive and divisive.”
The officers’ association attempted to clarify its stance in
a follow-up post published on Monday.
“The CPOA’s post on Sunday regarding Darren Wilson was interpreted in a manner that was not the intended message,” the post said. “In an effort to resolve the confusion, the CPOA wants to say this plainly: CPOA supports Officer Darren Wilson and all law enforcement officers who endure similar situations.”
