More than 100 police officers across the US have faced official repercussions after a study uncovered thousands of racist, Islamophobic and violent posts on Facebook. The Plain View Project, founded by lawyer Emily Baker-White, examined public posts from eight police departments over 18 months, compiling a database of over 5,000 troubling messages.
In Pennsylvania, Philadelphia police placed 72 officers on desk duty following the findings, with the city's police commissioner expecting several to be fired. The posts included one officer congratulating George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin, a black 17-year-old, and others encouraging violence against leftwing protesters.
Other departments responded similarly. Phoenix police removed 12 officers from enforcement assignments, while in St Louis, the circuit attorney permanently barred seven officers from bringing cases to prosecutors and temporarily barred 15 more. Denison, Florida, fired one officer and disciplined another.
The posts ranged from making light of police violence to endorsing vigilantism and driving cars into crowds. One officer posted a photo of a dog with the caption “Hold on I got a black lives matter movement going on right now,” while another referred to Muslims as “turd goat humpers”. Baker-White said she was surprised and disappointed, noting the posts seemed part of a larger narrative encouraging violence and discrimination.
