An Alabama town disbanded its police department after messages between officers joking about slavery surfaced on social media. “This has torn this community apart,” City Councilman Corey Abrams said during a council meeting Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “It doesn’t matter what color we are, as long as we get it right by the people.” Vincent, Alabama Mayor James Lattimore confirmed that Vincent Police Chief James Srigley and Assistant Chief John L. Goss were fired after text messages allegedly sent between city police officers contained a joke about a pregnant slave. ESCAPE OF KIDNAPPING VICTIM, 12, PROMPTS DISCOVERY OF TWO DECOMPOSING BODIES IN ALABAMA MOBILE HOME An American flag and the Alabama state flag are displayed near an underpass in Vincent, Alabama. (Vincent City) “What do you call a pregnant slave?” requested a text message from someone identified only as “752.” An unknown respondent responds with a “?” in a message and “?? in a second, before “752” replied with “BOGO Buy one get one free.” The texts later surfaced on social media, with Lattimore on Tuesday saying “appropriate action was taken” against the officer allegedly behind the text. By Thursday, the city council had voted to disband their police department. Officer Lee Carden, the only other officer employed by the city, reportedly submitted his resignation shortly after the vote to disband the department. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office was texted Friday, along with a promise to stand by the city and provide “emergency law enforcement services to the citizens of (Vincent) at this time.” The city, located in central Alabama, has a population of just under 2,000 as of the 2020 census. The city of Vincent’s website includes a section with information about the city’s police department, but as of Sunday the page was empty. A Fox News request for comment from the city was not immediately returned. Michael Lee is a writer at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee
