In one of the derpiest moments in modern memory, an Air Force base in Georgia failed to connect the inappropriateness of a poster for their “fun shoot” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with the fact that MLK was assassinated by a gunman in 1968. The base was planning on a skeet shoot to memorialize the greatest civil rights leader in United States history, but have since pulled the poster and any connection to the event and King.
The base released a statement filled with huge regret:
We’re deeply sorry for any offense or harm caused by our insensitivity and failure to provide appropriate oversight of our marketing process. The flyer does not represent the values, opinions or views of the Department of Defense, the Air Force or Robins Air Force Base leadership and its employees.
We realized the inappropriateness of the advertisement several days ago and immediately began removing the flyer. There was no malice of forethought in the flyer’s creation and it was never the base’s intention to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a negative light. It was an honest mistake, to which we’ve personally counseled the parties involved and will provide them with remedial training and appropriate oversight to prevent this sort of inattention from occurring in the future.
Air Force officials pulled this provocative MLK Day “Fun Shoot” flyer: https://t.co/F65HoNYfwu #gapol pic.twitter.com/trss95PIcJ
— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) January 14, 2016
Roland Leach, a representative for the base, made it clear this would never happen again:
“There was no malice of forethought in the flyer’s creation and it was never the base’s intention to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a negative light. It was an honest mistake, to which we’ve personally counseled the parties involved and will provide them with remedial training and appropriate oversight to prevent this sort of inattention from occurring in the future.”
The “honest mistake” could be real on Leach’s part (he likely didn’t make the poster), but would a fun shoot happen on Lincoln’s birthday or the anniversary of JFK’s assassination? It’s especially unfortunate when one considers how MLK’s bravery has been misrepresented many times before. Remember when the Seahawks tweeted this?