Marcus Collins, a police officer at the University of Missouri, found himself in some hot water after going viral for all of the wrong reasons. Collins, who has since been fired from the Missouri University Police Department, according to the Columbia Daily, had his name thrust into the spotlight after a photo showing him in blackface went viral.
Collins was dressed up as Flava Flav in the photo and was immediately fired once it went viral.
“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.”
Collins was initially hired by the university police department in January 2018. There is no word on when the photo was initially taken, but it is believed to have been from before Collins became a member of the police department.
Stephen Graves, director of undergraduate studies in the MU Black Studies Department, also commented on the matter.
“Any time you have gotten a photo by 9 a.m. and by 11:30 that person is fired, it had to have been a hell of a conversation,” Graves said. “I think you do society a disservice when you don’t allow for conversation and the police officer involved to explain himself. That person needs to step in front of a camera and explain the behavior, the who, what, where, why and when.”
Collins has not publicly commented on the matter.