Small Alabama Police Department Dissolves After Racist Text Surfaces

A small town in Alabama is making national headlines this weekend for dissolving their police department over a racist text sent between an officer and an unidentified party. According to The New York Times, the three member force is under investigation after a screenshot of the text was posted to social media. The Vincent, Alabama City Council suspended both the police chief and the assistant chief at a meeting last Thursday, after which the remaining member of the department also resigned.

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Vincent, which is about 30 miles southeast of Birmingham is home to 392 Black residents, with a total population of around 2,000. President of the Shelby county NAACP Reverend Kenneth Dukes told The Times that this was just the “tip of the iceberg,” and that there are long standing issues of racism within the community.

“I think now the Council, along with the mayor, see that this is totally unacceptable and that the people have said, ‘No more,’” he said.

Mayor James Latimer stated the officers have been suspended with pay during Thursday’s city council meeting, and that the council has approved a resolution to terminate the police chief and the assistant police chief.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/small-alabama-police-department-dissolves-after-racist-text-surfaces/ar-AA10pizf