School pulls boxing club’s ‘Punch a cop’ fliers

Folsom High School officials said they were forced this week to remove “Punch a Cop” fliers for a youth boxing program after residents raised concerns.

The flier, which featured a drawing of a muscular bulldog donning boxing gloves, read, “Learn to box. Get in shape. Punch a cop without going to jail!”

The flier was an advertisement for an after-school youth boxing program sponsored by the Folsom Police Department.

But some residents of the Sacramento County city didn’t like the fliers and raised concerns about the message it was sending to teens.

Resident Roy Luchier told Fox 40 he thought the fliers were offensive and anti-law enforcement.

Daniel Thigpen, spokesman of the Folsom Cordova Unified School District, told The Times the fliers were “intended to use humor to continue attracting students to the boxing and fitness program.”

“However, we understand and are sensitive to concerns raised by some community members in recent days and have removed the three fliers that remained on campus as of Monday,” he said.

District officials, he said, asked that different language be used in any future advertisement.

The flier was created by a well-known school resource officer, who leads the program. School officials approved the flier in October.

The officer is responsible for coordinating the program, which has served dozens of students for years, Thigpen said.

The program is similar to other law enforcement-run youth boxing activities, which are “intended to provide engaging activities for students and to promote positive interactions with local law enforcement,” he said.

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