Philly Police Investigate Officer Shown In Photo Wearing Blackface And An Afro

In 2018, we STILL have people unaware of the disrespect Blackface holds for African Americans. A Philadelphia police officer is currently on desk duty after a photo of him in blackface surfaced on social media and is under investigation….. for the authenticity of the photo.

Officer Hung Nguyen, a 22-year veteran of the police force, posted a photo to his #Facebook account wearing an Afro and in blackface. Of course, the picture sparked outrage online. The police department became aware of the image shortly after and confirmed it was Nguyen in the photo. But despite knowing it was Nguyen in the picture, they are now working to determine who “created” the image.

Philadelphia Police Captain Sekou Kinebrew said, “We don’t know the nexus of the photo. It could have been some sort of computer graphic that we see, or it could be something he physically applied on himself. That’s something we are looking to ascertain.”

According to NBC10, Officer Nguyen made a statement to their reporter stating he was hurt and upset. When asked if he put on blackface, Nguyen said it’s still under investigation and then hung up the phone.

The head of the Guardian Civic League, which is a group of active and retired minority officers who work to bring neighborhoods and police together, told NBC10 she was disgusted by the image. Rochelle Bilal said, “If he is the one who put the blackface on and the bush and put all of it out there, then he shouldn’t be a police officer. I don’t know authentically if it’s his image but you put it on your page and you left it there, for everybody to see.”