Boston police take down tweet honoring Red Auerbach for Black History Month
Mayor Marty Walsh called the post "completely inappropriate."
Boston police apologized early Monday morning for a post from their Twitter account Sunday paying tribute to former Celtics coach and president Red Auerbach in honor of Black History Month.
BPD realizes that an earlier tweet may have offended some and we apologize for that. Our intentions were never to offend. It has been taken down.
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
Later Monday, Police Commissioner William Evans said in a statement that the tweet did not reflect the values of the department.
Statement from Police Commissioner William B. Evans, “On behalf of the Boston Police Department, I offer my sincerest apologies for last night’s social media post on Black History Month. The tweet was insensitive and does not reflect the values of the Boston Police Department.”
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
The since-deleted tweet commended the late Celtics legend for being the first NBA coach to draft a black player, fielding the league’s first all-black starting lineup, and hiring its first black coach, Bill Russell. However, it was quickly panned for lauding the accomplishments of a white man in honor of Black History Month, in addition to playing into the perception of Boston as a racist city.
In #Boston we honor a white man for #BlackHistoryMonth. #bospoli pic.twitter.com/E7Jef8lL55
— Heshan de Silva-Weeramuni — Bluesky: @heshan🗳️ (@wheresmyporsche) February 12, 2018
https://twitter.com/KrangTNelson/status/962839679174397958
Only in #Boston do the @bostonpolice honor Red Auerbach for #blackhistorymonth. So we already have the shortest month and now this. Please file this under Hell Nah aka Not Having it aka Not Ok. #bospoli #Boston #mapoli https://t.co/Jv38uutK0e
— Tito Jackson (@titojackson) February 12, 2018
In a statement Monday morning, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the department’s tweet was “completely inappropriate and a gross misrepresentation of how we are honoring Black History Month in Boston.”
“We are celebrating the accomplishments and limitless contributions of the Black community to our city and the entire country, from Harriet Tubman to great leaders of today such as Chief Justice Ireland, artists like New Edition and Michael Bivins, powerful activists including Mel King and Superintendent Lisa Holmes, the first African-American woman to lead the Boston Police Academy training program,” Walsh said.
The mayor added that black leaders and activists should be honored with “the respect they deserve” not just in February, but every month of the year.
Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who is running for Congress, called the tweet “tone deaf and offensive, and a perfect example of what happens when there is a lack of diversity around decision making tables.”
“This is about much more than an offensive Black History Month tweet,” Pressley said. “This is about how we as a City and Commonwealth move beyond celebrating the simple act of tolerating diversity to truly achieving adequate representation.”
The police force has been criticized in the past for being disproportionately white compared to Boston’s population, though the department says it is trying to increase its diversity.
Yesterday’s BPD tweet about Red Auerbach was tone deaf and offensive, and a perfect example of what happens when there is a lack of diversity around decision making tables. Whether at the BPD, in a corporate boardroom or in government, where there isn’t diversity… https://t.co/IkdEHUuru8
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) February 12, 2018
…Without broader perspective and input, we risk more than an offensive tweet. We risk allowing implicit biases to influence the police department’s policies and practices, and further erode the relationship between the BPD and the communities they are sworn to protect.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) February 12, 2018
In a series of tweets Sunday night, former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson said he appreciated Auerbach’s contributions to race relations and the work he did to help provide opportunities to people of color. However, Jackson said the issue with the tweet was that “there are so many untold, unacknowledged black people in history that need to be acknowledged and understood.” Black History Month provides a chance to do just that, he said.
I appreciate Red Auerbach’s work, his legacy and his contributions. In fact he is one of my favorite parts of the Celticd history. The issue is that there are so many untold, unacknowledged black people in history that need to be acknowledged and understood.
— Tito Jackson (@titojackson) February 12, 2018
We do celebrate many people in Boston and Red is rightfully one of them. We don’t often hear about many others though and Black History Month, Women’s History Month ans Hispanic Heritage Month give a chance to add other heroes and sheroes in the mix.
— Tito Jackson (@titojackson) February 12, 2018
As of Monday morning, Boston police had sent out one other tweet this month in honor of Black History Month, a Feb. 3 post honoring Russell, another Celtics great. After deleting their Auerbach tweet, the department reposted the tribute to the 84-year-old Hall of Famer.
#ICYMI: In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth we pay tribute to Bill Russell, one of the greatest @celtics of all time and the first African-American head coach in the history of the NBA when he was named @celtics coach on November 15, 1966. pic.twitter.com/gKX7zpcUQt
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) February 12, 2018
In previous years, the department has recognized current and former Boston police officers in honor of Black History Month. In each of those tributes, the officers were black.
