PHOTO Miami Police Department uses Jay-Z as gang violence poster child

The Miami Police Department wants you to report gang activity, and by “gang activity” they mean selling over 50 million albums worldwide, becoming CEO of a major record label, starting a fashion line and marrying one of the most respected (and lusted after) musical superstars on the planet. In other words, MPD wants to know if you see Jay-Z.

That’s the message they sent by using artwork featuring Jay-Z on a banner ad for their gangs unit. Here is the art from the banner ad followed by a screen capture of the entire page:

The man in front as well as the one on the left both seem to have been inspired by Shawn Corey Carter (better known as Jay-Z). The great folks at Miami New Times Blogs tracked down the original photos that the artist must have been working from:

I flipped the next image so you can see the likeness clearly:

The Miami Police Department has not responded to inquiries about the banner, but have since removed it from their site and replaced it with the text “REPORT GANG ACTIVITIES” in a stencil font.

Granted, 40% of the gang members are Jay-Z but I find it surprising no one is complaining about the use of Gary Sinese, Angelina Jolie and Conan O’Brien!