Alabama police officers suspended for making hand gesture linked to white power (OK hand sign)

The Hill ^ | 07/17/18 | John Bowden

[yesthatjallen]

Four Alabama police officers have been suspended without pay after the city's mayor says they made a hand gesture some associate 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, adding that the concern was first raised by citizens.

Others say the symbol is 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.

"It's a kid game. Going around and hitting everybody when you see it," one town resident told ABC.

The four officers, part of the city's drug enforcement task force, will be suspended for two weeks without pay. O'Mary defended his decision to the news station by reporting that two senior African-American officers on the city's police force spoke with him after it was made, saying they agreed with the suspensions.

"We talked to two senior African-American law enforcement officers that are on the City of Jasper's payroll and they think it's fair and that's a pretty good sounding board."

The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks hate groups and hate speech, has said that the "OK" gesture is not necessarily linked to white supremacist movements.

[Rio]

https://www.adl.org/blog/no-the-ok-gesture-is-not-a-hate-symbol

The “OK” hand gesture hoax originated in February 2017 when an anonymous 4channer announced “Operation O-KKK,” telling other members that “we must flood Twitter and other social media websites…claiming that the OK hand sign is a symbol of white supremacy.” The user even provided a helpful graphic showing how the letters WP (for “white power”) could be traced within an “OK” gesture. The originator and others also suggested useful hashtags to help spread the hoax, such as #PowerHandPrivilege and #NotOkay. “Leftists have dug so deep down into their lunacy,” wrote the poster, “We must force [them] to dig more, until the rest of society ain’t going anywhere near that s***.”

[Rio]

[Magnum44]

[FrankR]

The rest of the police force should walk out until those four are re-instated.

The “OK” signal is older than me (72), and having been white all my life, I’ve NEVER heard that it means anything other than “OK”.

It’s quite a stretch to say it looks like “WP”...especially the “P” part.

The mayor should have told them that it means “OK”, and that’s it.

Just because the tribal bunch makes up these things doesn’t make it apply to anyone else.

Now, they’ll find something wrong with everything white officers do, or say.

They love making us crackers dance to their tune.

[Rio]

[MissEdie]

ARGGGHHHHH! I need eye bleach after that one!!

[I want the USA back]

The f*ckheads turned a normal sign into a reason to fire a White. Doesn’t matter if the White means ok by it. He’s White.
Hate crime laws were created to criminalize anything a White says or does.

[Chode]

[NonValueAdded]

Oh, for the Sake of Pete.

[healy61]

I would had a hearing. My attorney would have gathered every photo of the okay sign by known people. On the stand, I would have testified to knowing each by sight, and identifying each giving the okay sign. I would have continued until the other side admitted the okay sign. Review of suspensions by co-workers. Indeed.

[frank ballenger]

I’ve got a hand gesture for them....

---

If Antifa mobs you and threatens to have you arrested , tell them it is half a peace sign.

Like John Lennon and Abbie Hoffman. You know. Innocent.

Maybe the index finger is a little arthritic from years of writing tax payment checks for welfare bums. So stiff.

[frank ballenger]

Sorry. Off to jail.

[OldMissileer]

I head the term “Gear Queer” used once.

It refers to donut munchers and their need for cop gear, accessories, equipment and etc.

At my local indoor pistol range there is this dweeb who shows up always wearing tactical cloths and a tactical vest loaded with who knows what and magazines sticking out everywhere. He then proceeds to fire his pistol at a silhouette at 15 feet, then leaves.

[Scram1]

I now understand why those 4 Russians visiting for a specific problem in our manufacturing cereal process were so upset about being gestured that way by an American as to run up to the plant manager immediately to complain.

https://tinyurl.com/ybbl6ru9

[frank ballenger]

I love your plan.

We all may have to give up on any innocent hand gestures.

Instead, fold all fingers together with the thumb enclosing them into a clenching, tensed circular design and test it out by driving it toward the bad guy’s face in a muscular forward motion from the shoulder area outward.

[Secret Agent Man]

When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

[octex]

They serve on the drug enforcement task force, so may often be undercover.

[MosesKnows]

after the city's mayor

The city's mayor should be watched, he is the problem, not the police.

[MosesKnows]

after the city's mayor

The city's mayor should be watched, he is the problem, not the police.