Former Cop Organizes ‘Blackface’ Performance to Raise Funds for Officers Charged in Freddie Gray Death
Bobby Berger, a former Baltimore police officer, is currently selling tickets to his blackface performance, which is scheduled for November 1st. Funds raised by the performance will benefit the six police officers who were indicted for the murder of Freddie Gray.
Though blackface is widely considered racist, Berger said in an interview that he doesn’t believe there is anything racist about his routine. Berger claims that it is all coincidence and that “There’s no racial overtones to the show. There’s nothing racial to the show.” Berger said that 610 tickets have been sold in eight days at $45 each for the Nov. 1 fundraiser in Glen Burnie.
Baltimore is just now beginning to heal from the protests that swept the city over the past several weeks. Freddie Gray was black and he was the victim of police brutality. To have a former Baltimore police officer raise funds for those officers indicted in Gray’s death by performing in blackface shows a complete lack of judgement, common sense, and respect for the community.
Berger, who has perfomed his blackface routine for years, was fired from the Baltimore Police Department in the 1980’s because of it. He was later reinstated to his former position after he appealed his termination and retired a few years later. He also won a $200,000 settlement for wrongful termination.
Below is a video clip of Berger taken in the 1980’s during one of his ‘Blackface’ performances.
