The very problematic NYPD 67th Precinct, which is located in East Flatbush, is under fire after the Gothamist published an alarming story after racist “Fort Jah” challenge coins went viral online.
Racist “Fort Jah” challenge coins goes viral online right before Labor Day weekend 2020.
Here’s an excerpt from the Gothamist, originally published on August 30th, 2020 below:
The NYPD is defending the use of the nickname “Fort Jah” by officers in the 67th Precinct in East Flatbush, after a 2017 fundraising “challenge coin” featuring the term surfaced on an auction website. A department spokesperson also professed ignorance of the origin and meaning of the nickname for a precinct that encompasses one of the city’s largest West Indian communities.
According to NYPD spokesperson Detective Denise Moroney, the coin was produced by members of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) as a fundraiser for injured Officer Dalsh Veve and sold in the precinct headquarters in the Summer or Fall of 2017.
At least four other challenge coins listed online and bearing 67th Precinct markings also feature the “Fort Jah” nickname. Two of those other coins also feature racist imagery, like a depiction of a black man with dreadlocks being “hunted” by white police officers, along with a quote from Ernest Hemingway celebrating the “hunting of man.” One example features an image of an eagle holding a skull with dreadlocks.
According to Moroney, only one challenge coin listed for auction could be confirmed as part of a precinct fundraiser, and denied that the other coins have any link to the department.
Moroney said neither she nor the commander of the 67th Precinct, listed on the precinct’s webpage as Elliot Colon, knew what the term “Fort Jah” referred to, though she acknowledged that “Jah” is a term for God in the Rastafari faith.
Read the full NYPD “Fort Jah” Challenge Coins story HERE.
According to the Gothamist, the precinct is also home to Sergeant David “Bullethead” Grieco, one of the most-frequently sued officers in the NYPD.
Former #HEADwithJB guest, Haitian-American activist, NYC City Council hopeful and active NYPD Lieutenant Edwin Raymond, published his thoughts on his Instagram account:
The Legal Aid Society has slammed the NYPD’s 67th precinct for it’s blatant racism for depicting dehumanizing images of Black people, the same black people in the community they are meant to protect and serve.
“Not only are they making fun of the religion and the beliefs and the culture of the people whom they have committed to protect and serve,” said Anthony Posada, a supervising attorney for the Community Justice Unit at the Legal Aid Society, “they’re saying you are the hunted. You are the savages.”
Here Are NYC’s Most Sued Cops Who Are Still On The Job
According to Buzz Caribbean – Just two years ago, the 6th Precinct was the target of a lawsuit by former NYC Council member Kendall Stewart In 2018, Stewart alleged widespread discrimination against the West Indian community in East Flatbush.
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