According to DNAinfo, “Chicago’s leading hyper-local news source,” an unmarked Chicago Police Department squad car that was escorting a “Black Lives Matter” protest to a “die in” on Saturday blared “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd while driving behind protestors.
In response, some of the protest’s organizers are now calling the move blatantly racist, while others are saying it was little more than a Crimson Tide fan showing support for Alabama on the day of the SEC Championship game.
“It didn’t makes sense to me,” said a local photographer participating in the march. “It was [either] a horribly ironic joke that desensitized cops were playing, or it was intentionally disrespectful and intimidating.”
Another man can be heard in the video taking the criticism of the song a step further.
“That’s called terrorism,” he says.
And apparently the Chicago Police Department is taking it seriously enough that spokesman Martin Maloney said the incident was “under investigation.”
“As a Department, we are committed to community policing and fostering stronger relationships, based on trust and understanding, with the communities we serve,” Maloney told DNAinfo in an email. “With respect to the peaceful protests, as you have seen over the past week, CPD is dedicated to protecting residents’ right to free speech and peaceful assembly.”
Watch the video below and let us know what you think in the comments below.
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