New Orleans Police Yank Diverse Ad After Flood of Hate

The New Orleans Police Department pulled an inclusive recruitment ad from social media an hour after it was posted because of a flood of hateful reactions. “The video was removed because we did not want anyone to be offended by the negative commentary,” spokesperson Reese Harper told NOLA.com. The 30-second ad, directed by local filmmaker Crista Rock, featured a rainbow of Mardi Gras characters dancing around an officer under the caption: “Everywhere Else Is Cleveland.” Rock said “the immediate reactions were just hate—horrible, slanderous, makes-your-heart-sink type comments, like, ‘The NOPD doesn’t hire sissies. Why are these grown men shaking ass?’” It’s not clear how the ad will be used now.