(AllHipHop News) Bernard “Bun B” Freeman does not hold his tongue or curb his thumbs when it comes to addressing racism. He has been out in the streets protesting against police violence, and his Instagram page is filled with information about ongoing social issues like the killing of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky.
On June 29, Bun B uploaded what appears to be a screenshot from a Houston police officer’s personal Facebook page. The image is a meme that likens African-Americans to wild monkeys.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCCeRL7gM01
“Ok, officers #TeeTruong #VuongVu and #DavidNguyen… you think it’s funny comparing black people to monkeys? We know you work in Houston at the Westside Command Station,” wrote Bun in the caption of his IG post. “Let’s see what your commanders think about this. And the other Asians on this group chat in the comments? Keep that same energy. No apologies will do. Black people are tired [of] being treated like animals!”
TMZ interviewed Bun about the racist meme and the three Houston Police Department-associated individuals allegedly involved in the situation. The UGK member explained that one officer is no longer on the force, but two others are still employed by the city of Houston.
“The officer that originally posted this resigned about a week before this post went up. So, he was no longer a member of HPD when this post went up,” said Bun. “But the other two officers, who are in the comment section, are still active Houston Police Department officers right now. They work out of the Westside Command Station in Houston.
Statement from Police Chief @ArtAcevedo: pic.twitter.com/Xj0IWTzfBa
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) June 30, 2020
The Rice University professor of Religious Studies continued, “I’ve been told by the assistant police chief, deputy police chief, that they’re gonna be dealing with this expeditiously.” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo issued a statement on June 30 saying an investigation has been initiated to determine if any current HPD employees were involved in the matter.
In addition to addressing his hometown’s law enforcement, Bun B also placed blame on the racial tension in America on the current President of the United States. In the last few weeks, Donald Trump retweeted a video of one of his supporters shouting “White Power,” called Black Lives Matter a symbol of hate, and defended Confederate symbols being displayed in public spaces.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of people have comprised their well being, the job they have, the community they live in, in order to pronounce their racism, to be bold about it,” said Bun B. “I think a lot of them, to be quite honest, are looking at the actions and the words coming from our current White House administration, and they’ve been emboldened by the behavior and the actions taken by our president.”
