A social media campaign designed to spark conversation about community policing in Cleveland went astray this week when the city’s community relations board invoked violence in Baltimore to ask residents whether they thought the town should “be burned down.”
The community relations board’s executive director, Blaine Griffin, wrote Monday on the city’s website that the #OurCLE campaign encouraged residents to voice their thoughts on police and community relations ahead of the verdict in the trial of Cleveland Police Officer Michael Brelo. Brelo was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2012 fatal shooting of two black suspects.
Following widespread looting and violence in Baltimore on Monday night, a tweet sent from the board’s account asked residents whether they thought Cleveland should be “burned down”:
Remarkably inappropriate and poorly conceived tweet by @CRBcleveland. There are far better ways to build #ourcle! pic.twitter.com/DbTrC0zrEm
— Eli Auerbach (@EnergyPlanners) April 29, 2015
After those tweets received some pushback, another tweet was sent out from the board’s account that read “@CRBcleveland wants to make a clarification. We have always asked for us to build up #ourcle not tear it down,” according to Cleveland.com.
Those tweets were all deleted by Tuesday morning, according to the news website. Later Tuesday, the board’s twitter account issued an apology:
Our intention with the #ourcle campaign was to create a conversation online surrounding community and police relations. (1 of 3)
— Community Relations (@CRBcleveland) April 28, 2015
We apologize for recent inappropriate #ourcle tweets sent from this account. They were not in the spirit of what we intended to do. (2 of 3)
— Community Relations (@CRBcleveland) April 28, 2015
We’ll continue pushing for dialogue between you and the city. Please follow #onecle for updates and to share your thoughts. (3 of 3)
— Community Relations (@CRBcleveland) April 28, 2015
Cleveland residents weren’t having it, though:
@CRBcleveland your idea of pushing dialogue is suggesting to burn down Cleveland and then ask for more followers? This is disgusting.
— Matt Koman (@MKoman0927) April 29, 2015
@CRBcleveland #onecle #ourcle This is not a dialog. This is a city’s plea for action falling on deaf ears. Do something.
— brit (@oh_em_gee_britt) April 29, 2015
It wasn’t clear who was running the community board’s account, according to Cleveland.com, and a city spokesman did not return a request for comment from the website.
