University of Missouri cop fired after blackface picture dressed as Flavor Flav surfaces
Officer Marcus Collins of the MU Police Department, was fired after a photo of him dressed as the member of the popular 90s rap group Public Enemy with a clock around his neck, and his skin darkened to resemble Flavor Flav.
A white University of Missouri police officer apparently missed the memo and soon learned that painting his face black and dressing up as rap star Flavor Flav was an offensive affront that definitely made the public servant a public enemy, The NY Post reports.
On Tuesday, Officer Marcus Collins of the MU Police Department, was fired after a photo of him in costume dressed as the member of the popular 90s rap group surfaced showing Collins decked out in a larger than life clock around his neck, and his skin darkened to resemble the group’s hype man.
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An anonymous source reportedly sent the newspaper The Columbia Daily Tribune the photo.
“Once we were able to verify it was Collins in the photo and Collins acknowledged that, shortly after a discussion with top university officials, he was terminated,” spokesman Christian Basi told the newspaper.
“This type of behavior is not tolerated at Mizzou, and we understand how this impacts our entire community profoundly,” Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said in a statement. “Racism, hate and insensitive behavior have no place on our campus. We are committed to our values of respect, responsibility, discovery and excellence, and to making our campus a place where everyone feels welcome and protected.”
Basi said Collins was hired by university police in January 2018.
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Baton Rouge Police Blackface controversy
There’s been a swell of blackface scandals and just last month, a blackface controversy hit the Baton Rouge police department after decades-old pictures surfaced of undercover cops rocking darkened faces and costumes for a drug sting, the New York Daily News reports.
At issue are two officers; Crimestoppers coordinator Lt. Don Stone and now-retired police Capt. Frankie Caruso, who posed as “Soul Brothers” in pictures that appeared in a 1993 Baton Rouge Police Department yearbook. Now the department is apologizing for the photos in light of the perpetual blackface controversies that have taken flight over the past few weeks, most recently involving the governor of Virginia.
“Blackface photographs are inappropriate and offensive,” Police Chief Murphy Paul said in a statement. “They were inappropriate then and are inappropriate today. The Baton Rouge Police Department would like to apologize to our citizens and to anyone who may have been offended by the photographs.”
In the words of Public Enemy, Shut em down.
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