Vehicle wrapping can be done for many reasons. Some do it because they can give their own car a unique design in a style they love. Companies do it to carry their brand and livery. But others can do so because they have a cause they wish to support.
The latter is the case for the police department in Miami, Florida. It has unveiled a police car wrapped in the Pan-African colours, complete with an image of raised fists and Kente Cloth, to mark February’s status as Black History Month.
It was unveiled at a ceremony in the city attended by a number of former black police officers in a ceremony designed to recognise Miami’s history of segregation and the historic efforts made to racially integrate the police force.
The wrap was sponsored by the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association, which represents black officers in the police department.
Speaking about the process of integration in the force, mayor of Miami Francis Suarez said: “Today we continue to take that a step further by doing this beautiful artistic rendering on our car and also the badge,” adding that this symbolism is “incredibly important because we wear it on our chest.”
However, not everyone has been happy with the wrap, with some accusing the police of being tone deaf following the recent death in Memphis of Tyre Nichols, who succumbed after a beating by officers. Both he and all five policemen involved were black.
The use of wrapping to help the police and other organisations support causes has also been used in the UK. Some forces have done this to add rainbow colours to mark Pride Month in June and similar events, as a means of highlighting ‘hate crime’ issues concerning LGBT minority groups and encourage members of such communities to report incidents to police when they take place.
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