I’ve never been a gang member or a white supremacist before, but apparently hand gestures come along with the territory. But while I rarely hear of anyone losing their job for being affiliated with the Crips or Bloods, unless you’re the president of the United States, blatant racism is typically grounds for immediate termination.
To that end, the D.C. Fire Department might have a racist, or seven, among their ranks and, according to WUSA, the department has launched an investigation into whether or not their new recruits are flashing white power symbols in a picture that’s surfaced on social media.
Wanna see it? Here you go!
“The department has immediately initiated an interview review of the photograph, which may include interviews with everyone pictured in the photograph,” D.C. Fire and EMS chief communications officer Doug Buchanan said.
While racism has breathed down our necks for centuries, only recently have white folks expressed their disdain for all things black and beautiful by using hand gestures. The Anti-Defamation League pinpoints 2017 as the year our unseasoned oppressors exchanged middle fingers for white power symbols and they’ve been happily showcasing their racist sign language ever since.
Last month, officials concluded that West Point cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen who were caught on camera flashing similar gestures were actually playing a popular game among teenagers called “the circle game”—allegedly.
So in the interest of fairness, all might not be as it seems as it pertains to the D.C. Fire Department recruits.
We’ll see how this plays out.