After a photograph of a slain police officer went viral, students at the University of California, Davis took to Facebook to express their disgust.
In the photo, 22-year-old Officer Natalie Corona posed in a royal blue dress with a Blue Lives Matter flag flying in the wind.
UC Davis students leading the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission suggested that the photo of the slain officer was racist and demanded that people stop circulating the image.
On its now-deleted Facebook page, the Associated Students, UC-Davis Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission wrote: “The flag is blatantly anti-Black and disrespectful. We see it necessary to call-out all community members who continue to post and disseminate images of the Blue Lives Matter flag online. We would like to directly address that this flag represents an attempt by law enforcement to undermine the Black Lives Matter movement.”
The group offered to help students “triggered by this event and the circulating images of a flag that has been popularized by the ‘Blue Lives Matter’ crowd. Flashing lights, sirens and increased police presence can be triggering to many Black and Brown people.”
Corona, a rookie cop, was killed in the line of duty last week when she was ambushed by a gunman.
When Corona posted the now viral photo to her Facebook in 2016 she wrote, “I would like this photograph to serve as my gratitude for all of those law enforcement men and women who have served, who are currently serving, and those who have died in the line of duty protecting our liberties in this great country.”
UC Davis did not return my request for comment.
Lauren Cooley (@laurenacooley) is a free speech advocate and higher education contributor to Red Alert Politics.
