A Philadelphia Police Commissioner Apologizes for Wearing the Rodney King T-Shirt



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Acting Police Commissioner of Philadelphia, Christine Coulter, apologized for wearing a t-shirt that joked about the notorious beating of Rodney King in 1991, which sparked racial riots in Los Angeles. Angeles.

Coulter appeared before the Philadelphia City Council Tuesday after a photo of her dating from the 1990s was released last month. The picture showed Coulter, about 30 years old at the time, wearing a shirt with the inscription "L.A.P.D. We treat you like a king".

The shirt was alluding to the high-profile beat of King by King, a construction worker, by the Los Angeles police.

"It's clear that it was a bad decision on my part and I would not wear this shirt today," Coulter told city council. "Certainly last week and the injuries it caused to people who matter to me, in communities that matter to me, I should have known."

Philadelphia Councilor Cindy Bass responded to Coulter's apology by calling for the resignation of the acting police chief.

"I do not think interim Commissioner Christine M. Coulter can effectively manage the external relationships needed to address the police and community tensions that are absolutely required of a commissioner," Bass said, reading a letter. that she had sent to the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney.

When the photo surfaced last month, Coulter said she did not know what the t-shirt was referring to and that she thought the t-shirt was making a generic reference to the LAPD. The photo was taken at a police rally in Jersey Shore.

Kenney's office continued to support Coulter. The mayor agreed with Coulter's explanation of the jersey while acknowledging that Coulter's slogan was shocking.

The picture surfaced shortly after Coulter was named to the top of the Philadelphia Police Department, the first woman to hold the position. Coulter's promotion comes after the brutal resignation of former police chief Richard Ross on August 20.

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