Facebook user Divine Diva was appalled to see a ‘racist’ stuffed monkey toy in the back of a cop car being driven by a white officer. Winston-Salem Police Department have since apologized and removed the toy from use (Pictures: Winston Salem PD/Divine Deva)

A police force has apologized for using a ‘racist’ monkey stuffed toy with dreadlocks to comfort traumatized children.

Winston-Salem Police Department in North Carolina came under fire after driver Divine Deva spotted the Rastafarian hat-wearing toy in the window of a cruiser on Monday.

Deva called the toy ‘the most racist thing I’ve ever seen,’ after spotting it being driven around by a white officer.

She added: ‘It makes me question his intent toward the black men in my community.’


Sharing a video on Facebook, Deva continued: ‘It’s To Early For This.





Itâs To Early For Thisð¤¯Iâm So Pissed ð¡ And The Worst Part Was My Son Was The One That Pointed It Outð¤¬This Is Way To Close To Homeð³ð¨Yâall Share This So People Know The Truth About How They Really Feel!! #F12 #WinstonSalem #NC #IâllProtectMyself #DontTrustThem #WhyAMonkeyTho #ProtectYourYoungKings Geplaatst door Divine Deva op Maandag 21 oktober 2019

‘I’m So Pissed… And The Worst Part Was My Son Was The One That Pointed It Out



‘This Is Way To Close To Home…

Ukrainian cadet jumps from a plane before crash kills 26 passengers

‘Y’all Share This So People Know The Truth About How They Really Feel!!

‘#F12 #WinstonSalem #NC #I’llProtectMyself #DontTrustThem #WhyAMonkeyTho #ProtectYourYoungKings.’

Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson has said sorry for her officer’s use of the toy monkey.

The monkey was spotted amid ongoing concerns over police brutality towards African American people (Picture: Divine Deva)

The word ‘monkey’ has long been used as a racist slur against black people, with the toy spotted amid ongoing protests over police brutality suffered by African-Americans at the hands of white officers.

The police chief added that the toy is no longer used, and that steps are being taken to avoid a similar blunder being made in the future.

Thompson told the Winston-Salem Journal: ‘In the future, we will confirm our stuffed animals are not offensive.

‘I apologize to any community member that found this circumstance to be offensive.’

Thompson said that the toys were donated to her force from various organizations

She explained that they were used as part of a 20 year-old ‘successful initiative’ to comfort children exposed to traumatic scenes such as a fire, or violence.

Thompson said the stuffed animals were placed on a ledge behind the front seats of cop cars to give officers easy access to them if needed.

Winston-Salem City Council Member Vivian Burke hailed Thompson’s swift action.

She added: ‘I would hope that would be one of their No. 1 duties, to make sure their cars would not be carrying anything to offend anyone. Sometimes something like that can create a problem if we are not careful