Evangelical Pastors Tell Florida Police to Stop Using Black Mugshots for Target Practice through #UseMeInstead Campaign

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: Jan 28, 2015

Evangelical Pastors Tell Florida Police to Stop Using Black Mugshots for Target Practice through #UseMeInstead Campaign

Evangelical pastors from across the globe have spoken out against a Florida police department who made headlines for using mugshots of black males for target practice. 

Pastors from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) began posted photos of themselves wearing clearical robes on social media with the caption #UseMeInstead. The hashtag campaign soon went viral, with clergy members from numerous denominations urging the police department to use their photos instead of the photos of black men. 

Many photos also included the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.

Rev. Joy M. Gonnerman told The Washington Post that she andthe other ELCA pastors began the campaign as a “service to Christ and His call to love our neighbors.” 

Pastor Bruce Reyes-Chow said he participated in the campaign because he wanted “to make a public statement about the ways in which police treat and perceive the African American community.

Police Chief J. Scott Dennis maintains that the department uses mugshot photos featuring people who are black, white and Hispanic. 

Publication date: January 28, 2015



Evangelical Pastors Tell Florida Police to Stop Using Black Mugshots for Target Practice through #UseMeInstead Campaign