An investigation has determined there was no racist intent in the hand gestures made by three DC Fire and EMS recruits in a photo that went viral in April 2019.
A release issued by DC Fire and EMS says the probe found that the "OK" hand symbol displayed by three recruits in the photo, which has been associated with white power ideology, had no racist intent and was deemed part of a "circle game" the recruits played with each other. In the game, anyone who would glance at the hand gesture being held below the waist would be punched by the one forming the hand sign.
All 22 recruits in the photo were interviewed individually, and all of them stated they believed there was no racial or hateful undertone to the gesture made by the tree recruits in question, who all regretted any hurt they had caused and were apologetic during the probe.
According to DC Fire and EMS, an African-American recruit in class 387 said, "Given what I learned about them, I don't think they would ever intend for that hand gesture to mean anything racist. They are the kind of guys that would help anyone. They had a spirit of helping and encouraging others, irrespective of whether you are black or white."
