Raleigh Police Officer Daniel Clay Twiddy is facing criticism for making offensive statements about Juneteenth (the federal holiday commemorating the Union troops enforcing the Emancipation Proclamation in Galveston, Texas, ending slavery for people there.) Twiddy referred to the history day as “a made-up holiday.” Local activists are sounding the alarm.
“I just wonder when his reign of terror is going to end,” questioned social justice activist Kerwin Pittman. Pittman is one of the many people reacting to a post circulating online by Raleigh officer D.C. Twiddy.
Twiddy is currently on administrative leave while this matter is being investigated. The Raleigh Police Department claims that it is committed to instilling and building trust in the community we serve, but according to Pittman, “Until we see tangible actions, such as bad apples being removed from the department, those are just mere words.”
Twiddy was a defendant in Emancipate’s 2022 lawsuit against RPD around bad search warrant practices. He has also been part of officer-involved shootings. Pittman said, “When it comes to the no-knock raid, he was on the SWAT team that executed the warrant in the Omar Abdullah case.”