Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges came under seriously ridiculous racially-charged scrutiny this week when local police chastised her for making this gesture with a young man involved with a Twin Cities charity. As you can see in this video, the hand sign was clearly the result of an awkward "how do I pose" sort of moment. Local TV station KSPT had another story: That the mayor was intentionally making a "gang sign" with the volunteer, a former felon.

The other twist in the story? Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau was just off camera during that entire photo shoot, on the far left here:



Something seems fishy here, beyond mere ignorance and hasty sensationalized news reporting. The best response so far has come from the mayor's husband, Greg Cunningham:

For those that can't quite see it: "Racial profiling saves lives." Though the police were sure Chris Kantos had doctored the photo himself, they later admitted to the fault and apologized saying someone of "unknown origin" placed the bumper sticker on their vehicle.