Blackface controversy over 25 year old photo of Baton Rouge police officers

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Photo credit USA TODAY

There is a blackface controversy in Baton Rouge.  It surrounds a decades old picture that was posted to social media.

The police chief and mayor of Baton Rouge have issued public apologies after a photo surfaced from more than 25 years ago showing two white police officers dressed as black men as part of a narcotics sting.  

In a statement, Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said that blackface "invokes a painful history in this country and it is not appropriate in any situation."

She's been mayor for two years and often talks about unity.

She has said that "bringing people together" is her guiding principal to "heal and progress past the hurt that we have seen."

The picture of Lt. Don Stone and retired Capt. Frankie Caruso shows the men in 1993 with dark makeup on their faces and hands.  It is captioned "Soul brothers."

“The photo shows two officers in dark makeup and a costume, with the caption "Soul Brothers." One officer said they took the photo after his wife had them 'done up' in makeup so they could appear black for a narcotics operation.”https://t.co/MkoeAiAOSd

— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) February 12, 2019

Police Chief Murphy Paul said, "Blackface photographs are inappropriate and offensive."

"They were inappropriate then and are inappropriate today," he added. "The Baton Rouge Police Department would like to apologize to our citizens and to anyone who may have been offended by the photographs."