Alabama police officers suspended for making hand gesture linked to white power

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Hill


BY JOHN BOWDEN - 07/17/18 04:47 PM EDT



Four Alabama police officers have been suspended without pay after the city's mayor says they made a hand gesture associated with white supremacist movements in an official photo.

Local news station ABC 33 reports that four officers in the Jasper Police Department were suspended on Tuesday after a photo appeared in the Daily Mountain Eagle showing the four men making an "OK" gesture with their hands, which some say is meant to look like the letters "WP" for "white power."

"That's contradictory to how we run our city. That's not our mindset. That's not the way we do things and they used poor judgement," Jasper Mayor David O'Mary told ABC News, adding that the concern was first raised by citizens.

Others say the symbol is simply a reference to the child's prank known as the "circle game," which tricks victims into looking down at a circular gesture near the prankster's crotch. Local residents identified that game when shown the photo, according to ABC, and O'Mary says he did not ask what the officers meant by the gesture.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/397509-alabama-police-officers-suspended-for-making-hand-gesture

[PSPS]

1. Even without the nazi signing, there's plenty to be disturbed about in that picture

[marble falls]

17. Looks like a white power militia.

[C Moon]

2. Look at how they feel the need to hide it. He he! We're so cute doing our little sign!

No better than the slime of a dead lake.
I hope there's a hell, and that jackass losers like this burn in it for eternity.

[TeamPooka]

3. The Bubba Patrol

[Laffy Kat]

4. Suspension?

Um, how can they enforce laws if they are racists? Need to be ousted, IMMEDIATELY.

[canetoad]

5. At least four of them

Three others have black gloves, can't see their hands.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Morphed

this is a hand gesture that was acceptable, really always used, by the WWII generation to symbol "OK" - good, acceptable - but the hand was always held upright, with the fingers pointing skyward.

My parents used it, I've used it in my life. It's taken a bit of self-reminder to delete it from behaviors. Really don't like it being co-opted to mean something other than 'good' or 'no problem'.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. I grew up with that as the "ok" symbol as well

but I have noticed that this has been pretty much replaced with the "thumbs up" hand gesture/symbol to mean the same.

[bucolic_frolic]

8. Thanks for the reprogramming help

Thumbs up seems so 70s to me, don't know why. Have they stolen "V" for Victory yet?

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Oh yeah, you might recall that the "V"

became the "peace" sign and when slightly modified (tilted) when following a chest pound by the fist (in urban vernacular), became "peace out" (which would conclude a conversation where the person who made the sign would then exit).

I expect co-option of the "V" victory (which relates to "war" ) was a natural reprogramming by war protestors to mean "peace".

[bucolic_frolic]

11. I didn't know any of that

Thanks!

I thought "O.K." had its origins in presidential campaigns for Martin Van Buren from Kinderhook, N.Y. He was old for his day, and was referred to as "O.K." for "Old Kinderhook".

Seems Smithsonian Magazine has a different idea:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-word-ok-was-invented-175-years-ago-180953258/

[BumRushDaShow]

12. Yes - I have seen the various "origins" of the term

and it seems to still be up in the air although they claim it was "orel (all) korrect" (something I had always heard growing up).

[Racerdog1]

10. ISIS is alive and well in Alabama

Hard to tell if this pic is in Alabama or the middle east.

[CottonBear]

13. This is a paramilitary force not a police force.

That local police department has morphed from Mayberry to paramilitary.

[safeinOhio]

14. Doesn't trump use that in

about every speech all the time?

[Runningdawg]

15. Not sure if the symbol alone makes them WS

But considering how rare it is to be suspended from a police dept these days, there is certainly more to this story than we know.

[ProfessorGAC]

16. What's With The Camo?

Obviously, they're in a picture, so we can see them. The camo ain't working boys!

Also, what's with the face coverings? If those were muslim garb, these same guys would be having a fit.

[blugbox]

18. Umm I'm seeing at least three different camo pants patterns...

Stupid fucking tacticool bubba morons

They don't look like they are serving and protecting the community. They look like ISIS terrorists

[Sunlei]

19. camo pants, black jackets & masks- the darth vader-'hunter' uniform should be banned

[Wuddles440]

20. Nothing to see here folks....

it's just a bunch of fun-loving men being immature and juvenile. Really??!! That's almost as believable as The CONald's clarification of his 'double negative" regarding Russia. In this case, I WOULDN'T believe the explanation of them engaging in the "circle game", but WOULD believe with 100% certainty that they are white supremacists. Fucking POS.