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Meme About Chicago Police Gets Downstate Chief In Hot Water

By Kelly Bauer | November 2, 2017 3:54pm

DOWNTOWN — A meme about the Chicago Police Department has landed a Downstate police chief in hot water.

The chief, David Morris, posted the meme — which is an image with words frequently shared on the internet — in the comments of a Facebook post by another member of the department, according to The Southern Illinoisan newspaper.

The meme shows a Chicago Police car and says, "BREAKING NEWS: The Chicago Police Dept has replaced all sirens with the National Anthem, to force suspects to stop running and take a knee."

The meme apparently references black athletes who have taken a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality against people of color.

Harrisburg community members spoke out against Morris' post during a city council hearing, with some calling the image racist, according to the Southern Illinoisan. The city's mayor apologized.

Morris told the paper the post has "nothing to do with race."

"There's not a racial bone in my body," Morris told the newspaper.

Chicago Police declined to comment on the image.