The Dallas Police Department is investigating a memorabilia coin sold by one of its officers on Facebook, which featured what Chief Eddie García called an “insensitive and racially offensive” depiction of a southern Dallas neighborhood.
On one side of the medallion, a Pillsbury Doughboy stands above a house with money in one hand and a firearm in the other. The character has black eyes and a gold grill in its mouth.
Next to the reimagined Doughboy is a cop car and a purple car with massive gold rims. The Dallas city skyline serves as the backdrop to the menacing character, and “Big ‘T’ Plaza” and “South Central” are emblazoned across the coin.
The other side of the coin commemorates the South Central Dallas Police Division’s 15 years of service, from 2007 to 2022.
The Black Police Association (BPA) of Greater Dallas condemned the coin, calling it racist. Terrance Hopkins, president of the BPA, suggested that the figure depicted on the coin was related to rapper-actor Ice Cube’s character Darrin “Doughboy” Baker in the 1991 film Boyz N The Hood.
Additionally, “Big ‘T’ Plaza” refers to a Southern Dallas store that Hopkins said serves a majority black community.
Chief García, in a statement, said the coin “does not represent the beliefs or ideals of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department as a whole.”
“We will not tolerate this type of conduct,” García added.
García did not reveal the identity of the officer who created the coin but said the officer’s chain of command was notified. The issue is being dealt with “swiftly and sharply as this is not the standard for our department moving forward,” García said.
The officer was placed on administrative leave as Internal Affairs investigates the issue.
In a statement, Mike Mata, the head of the Dallas Police Association, said he wanted to “apologize to any person who was hurt or offended by the post.”
He also vowed, “to be more diligent in [his] duties to ensure that this organization and the media sites within it respects all members.”
Dallas City Councilmember Carolyn King Arnold, whose district includes parts of southern Dallas, spoke at a news conference Wednesday with Chief García.
Arnold said the officer that created the coin should be fired immediately and that this coin has fractured the bond between police and the Southern Dallas community.
However, many commenters on Twitter claimed that the coin is not racist.
Juan Gomez, a Dallas resident, responded to the news on Twitter, suggesting, “Nothing racist about it … for years everyone and I mean everyone knows what the dough boy represents in the streets.”
An Urban Dictionary entry from 2005 defined “dough boy” as “a rich drug dealer, dealing anything from marijuana to coke.”
“I see nothing racist. It’s a coin. Stop being so sensitive about everything,” wrote Twitter user Patricia.
Another commenter, James Edward, responded, “Do your research and find that white, black and other race officers were voting on the design.”