City of Aurora introduces custom-designed Juneteenth flag police car
AURORA, Ill. (WLS) -- The City of Aurora unveiled a custom-designed police squad car to honor the Juneteenth holiday.
The vehicle features the Juneteenth flag image and colors, and the city said it is the first of its kind in Illinois.
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The car is a collaboration between the Aurora Police Department, the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board, and the City of Aurora.
Mayor Richard Irvin said the Juneteenth squad car is part of an effort to acknowledge the troubled history between the Black community and law enforcement.
Irvin said that Black officers in the Aurora Police Department brought up the idea of a squad car to represent Juneteenth.
SEE MORE: How people came to celebrate Juneteenth in the United States
The mayor said the car would "educate, empower and unite" the Aurora community through "conversation and community policing," an opportunity Irvin "did not hesitate to approve."
The squad will be a part of several upcoming Juneteenth events and will travel around Aurora on regular duty.
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Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19, the day marking the emancipation of enslaved Africans in the United States.
