Chance? Social media sleuths wonder if artist hired to decorate NYPD cruiser in honor of Pride month subtly slipped into anti-police message
- It was posted to Commissioner Keechant Sewell’s Twitter page on Friday and showed the cruiser adorned with rainbows
- The slogan ‘All Colors are Beautiful’ was written on the side of the car and can be shortened to ACAB, which is also an anti-police acronym
- Social media users quickly spotted the acronym on the design, though it’s unclear if it was intentional
An image of a New York Police Department car with a design to celebrate Pride Month has people wondering if the artist snuck an acronym against the police.
It was posted to Commissioner Keechant Sewell’s Twitter page on Friday and showed the cruiser adorned with rainbows.
The slogan “All Colors are Beautiful” was embossed on the side of the car under a “Happy Pride Month!” icon.
The words can be shortened to ACAB, which is also an anti-cop acronym commonly used by those protesting police brutality and stands for “All Cops are B******.”
Social media users quickly took notice of the design, though it’s unclear if it was intentional.
An image of a New York Police Department car with a design to celebrate Pride Month has people wondering if the artist snuck an acronym against the police
The slogan ‘All Colors are Beautiful’ was written on the side of the car and can be shortened to ACAB, which is also an anti-cop acronym used by those protesting police brutality
A photo of the NYPD’s fresh design to celebrate Pride Month was shared on social media with the caption, “Happy Pride Month!”
Over the years, @GOALny has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to promoting universal acceptance and inclusion for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Their remarkable contributions to this city and the department define New York’s Finest.”
But eagle-eyed users noticed that the slogan “All Colors are Beautiful” can be shortened to ACAB, the acronym used by anti-police protesters.
“What’s going on with the subheading ACAB,” one wondered.
While others thought it was funny that the acronym ended up on a police car, one quipped, “All Colors Are Beautiful is an excellent slogan.” It should be a hashtag, or maybe an acronym.”
“Congratulations to the artist who managed to get the NYPD to put ACAB on their own vehicles,” one user wrote.
“It brings to mind some other possible examples of sabotage by graphic designers.”
Another said, “The NYPD commissioner tweeting their fake pride police car with a hidden ACAB warms my cold heart.”
A third added, “Whoever actually made the NYPD cars say ACAB is the hero of our time and I want to buy them dinner.”
“Whatever artist or public relations manager let ACAB slip on the slogan of the NYPD patrol car, I salute you,” another joked.
One person commented, “One person commented, ‘I love that you all didn’t notice that the artist hid an #ACAB reference on the car.”
One user praised the artist and said, “”All Colors Are Beautiful” lol whoever the artist is, they are a hero.”
The controversial acronym ACAB has gained popularity in recent years in the US during protests against police brutality and on signs, clothing and graffiti.
It is used by those who oppose current police standards and advocate reform.
Eagle-eyed social media users noticed that the slogan “All Colors are Beautiful” can be shortened to ACAB and taken lightly about it
The phrase is said to have originated in England in the 1940s from striking workers and was ‘All Coppers are B********’.
But it didn’t become popular until 1970 when the Daily Mirror headlined the phrase in a story about how police busted a teenager who had the phrase on his jacket.
He claimed he thought it stood for ‘All Canadians are Bums’ and was fined £5 at the time.
It also found a home in punk music, where it was used as a rallying cry for the anarchist and anti-authoritarian movement.
But ACAB has now peaked in popularity and has appeared regularly in the American movement against police brutality.
It was used on a Portland, Oregon billboard in 2018 to highlight police brutality.
“Portland, is your white vulnerability visible?” read the board. “Yes it is.” And it was tagged with the acronym ACAB.
The phrase came back to prominence after George Floyd’s death and was seen across the country in the massive protests that followed.