Our Purpose

The purpose of this project is simple:

We want the Yakima police department to stop using the image of a Native American person in a headdress or warbonnet on it's uniform badge and as it's official logo.

We want to educate the City of Yakima officials and the community more broadly about why this is a problematic racist image that shouldn't be used. 

It is call for the City of Yakima to do better and to be held to a higher standard.

It is not meant as an attack on the police department or law enforcement. Nor is it a statement about the work they do or don't do. Those are conversations for another forum at another time, perhaps.



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Getting closer to pinpointing when the logo changed

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I got a great email today from the Yakima Library letting me know they think they've narrowed down the time frame for when the logo probably changed. The photos below show uniforms in 1923 & 1948 without the logo and one in 1955 with the logo so it was changed sometime in that 7 year time frame. This is the most info I've gotten so far about when the logo changed and I was excited to see these photos. It is possible it changed in 1950 when the police department moved from their old location to their new one, but we are still researching to see if that is the case. Photo below from 1923 in the newspaper on 12-23-1970. No evidence of the badge or anything similar on their uniforms. Photo below from 1948 in newspaper from 12-29-1970. The badge is not visible on any of the uniforms and shows no evidence it is there. Photo below from the newspaper in 10-23-1955 clearly showing the badge with the current logo. The irony of the article content and the photo description in relation
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No, I don't like the Ypd logo - responses

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These are the 38 no responses so far that were posted in the Other section to the question "Do you like the YPD logo?" that were beyond the choices of 1) It is offensive; 2) It is racist; 3) The YPD log does not honor the Yakama Tribe; 4) All of the above. No editing has been done to the comments and they are listed in the order they were given. It makes a stereotype of a group. All of the above, I think it is a disrespectful depiction of the Yakima Nation/Tribe Yakama people don't live here. Because we forced them elsewhere. They have their own law as a result. Seems like your department could find its own image? This one doesn't seem honorific. It seems to glorify theft. Not appropriate imo Not their culture, disrespectful and blatant cultural appropriation. Twisted and sick considering the USAs bloody history Not tasteful It has nothing to do with the police, nor the Yakama Nation. Time to change! cultural appropriation, etc
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Yes, I like the Ypd logo - responses

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All of the Yes responses to question 1 so far - Do  you like the YPD log - Yes or No? These are the 6 yes responses so far that were posted in the Other section to the question "Do you like the YPD logo?" that were beyond the choices of 1) It best represents the police force; 2) It suits us; 3) The YPD log honors the Yakama Nation/Tribe; 4) It is appropriate; 5) All of the above. No editing has been done to the comments and they are listed in the order they were given.   " It’s all I know. I don’t think of it as offensive. I may not choose it if we were a brand new Police Station, getting a brand new logo. But we are not. And we need our Police Force. Not new uniforms or logo’s." " Leave it alone. Do not spend ANY money chafing it at this time!" " Need new on"  " Highly inappropriate" " Not every depiction of native Americans is automatically disrespectful." " Because it represents the history and foundation of th
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