DC Fire investigating recruits’ hand gestures in photo

WASHINGTON – A photo of fire department recruits possibly using a racist hand gesture has become the subject of an internal investigation by District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services.

DC Fire and EMS said in a statement it was made aware of the photo Wednesday, news outlets reported. It shows some recruits in a group picture flashing a possible “white power” hand gesture similar to the OK hand sign.

The photo is attached to a recruit class that graduated in April 2019, and is believed to have been taken in March 2019, according to the DC Fire and EMS statement.

The investigation comes about a month after military officials said hand gestures flashed by West Point cadets and Naval Academy midshipmen during the televised Army-Navy football game were not racist signals. Officials said the students were participating in a “circle game” in which someone flashes an upside-down OK sign below the waist and punches anyone who looks at it.