Plan to name horse after Bristol Bus Boycott leader scrapped
Avon and Somerset Police have apologised after complaints from the black community
A plan to name a police horse after a leader of the Bristol Bus Boycott has been scrapped after complaints from the black community.
Avon and Somerset Police were running a competition to re-name a horse after one of those who helped inspire the UK's first ever Race Relations Act.
A vote was announced earlier this month as part of the Boycott's 60th anniversary celebrations.
However, in a statement a spokesperson for the police says the idea has now been dropped.
Chief Inspector Victoria Hayward Melen says: “Our intention had been to honour the pioneers’ achievements and be part of Bristol’s 60th anniversary celebrations marking this momentous civil rights moment.
"However, we are now aware that the competition has caused some distress within our communities, which was wholly unintentional.
"For this we are truly sorry."
The competition was created in partnership with the group Curiosity Unlimited, an independent "Think and Do Tank" for Racial Justice.
The group has also written an open letter apologising.
"At Curiosity UnLtd, we recognise that this renaming initiative has caused unintentional distress among some sections of our community; therefore, we unreservedly apologise," the letter reads.
"We have heard, listened and can announce that this horse renaming initiative has been withdrawn.
"Going forward we will be apologising to all the families.
"We will embrace the learnings and to work more closely with the community to co-create better ways to honour the boycotts legacy.
"As part of this we have reached out to convene a meeting between the Police and Black Think Tank UK."
In their own statement the police say they will learn from the incident.
"Whilst in this situation we recognise that we haven’t got it right, we will take this as an opportunity to reflect and continue conversations with our communities which is so important as we work towards becoming an anti-racist police service," Chief Inspector Melen said.
“As part of our Race Matters work we’re currently consulting with our communities on changes to policies and procedures which aim to reduce disproportionality and build back the trust and confidence of people who have been harmed by years of traumatic interactions with the police.
"The learning and feedback we have taken from this situation has only strengthened our resolve and focus to do this work in collaboration with communities we serve.
“The Bristol Bus Boycott pioneers were striving for positive change and we will best honour their legacy by owning our mistakes and committing to a better future.”
If you want to learn more about the Bristol Bus Boycott, click on the tag below.