Boys from a private school in Kentucky just went to a basketball game went in blackface, and none of the adults sent them home. The other team had several black players. Yet, when a 49-year-old adult in public office does it, there is no excuse. Here is what happened to the Florida secretary of state.
Mike Ertel was a Florida county supervisor of elections at the time he was caught on camera dressed in blackface. The Daily Beast tweeted that he was mocking “Hurricane Katrina victims:”
‘Florida’s Republican secretary of state resigned Thursday after photographs were unearthed of him dressed in blackface, lipstick, and fake breasts to mock Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005’
Ertel had just been elected secretary of state for the Governor Ron DeSantis administration when the photos came to light. He had been at a private Halloween party in 2005 when they were taken, according to USA Today.
The photos were sent to DeSantis’ office, and shortly afterward he released a statement:
‘The governor accepted Secretary Ertel’s resignation.’
The pictures had been shot two months after Hurricane Katrina blasted through New Orleans. After the levees broke, hundreds of people died, and much of the city was flooded.
In the photos, Ertel was wearing blackface, a New Orleans Saints bandanna, and lipstick. He wore a purple t-shirt with “Katrina Victim” written on it and false breasts.
The governor appointed Ertel to replace the former governor’s secretary of state. Ken Detzner was with former Governor Rick Scott from 2012 until the new governor appointed Ertel at the end of 2018.
Twitter world went nuts. Check out some of our favorites below:
Featured image is a screenshot via The Daily Beast’s Twitter page.
