A former Baltimore police officer planned to perform an Al Jolson routine in blackface in Maryland to benefit the officers indicted in the death of Freddie Gray, but the venue said no way.
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Berger said he performed in black face with the late heavyweight champ Joe Fraizer, singing along with him.
Still, nearly every party in the Freddie Gray case is steering clear of Berger’s fundraiser, to which he claims he’s already sold over 600 tickets for at $45 a piece.
However, a representative for Michael’s Eighth Avenue told Sputnik that a contract for the event was never signed. This policy will be carefully and thoughtfully reviewed.
Bobby Berger, 67, was canned by the department in the 1980s after complaints from the NAACP.
Alicia White. White’s attorney, Ivan Bates, who is also black, told the Sun, “My client will not participate”.
“This is the type of racist behavior that we do not need and do not want”, the lawyer said.
The NAACP says with all the things happening in Baltimore, this is just salt in the wound.
Davey said FOP President Gene Ryan reached out to other FOP lodges, telling them that the city police union is not supporting the event.
Berger could not be reached for comment after the event was cancelled, and it’s unclear what will be done for ticket holders.
Berger’s character of choice for his racist performances is Al Josen, a white entertainer from the 1920s known for his blackface performance of the song “Mammy”.
When asked why he has to do the fundraiser in black face, Berger said, “I’m not a racist guy”.
“I’ve been through what they’re going through and I know they need the help”, he said.
Freddie Gray was killed in April in the back of a police van from “high-impact trauma”, similar to an injury one might see from diving into the shallow end of a swimming pool. On the day of his funeral, rioting, looting and arson broke out. Mosby brought charges against the officers ranging from misconduct in officer to second-degree murder.
All six have pleaded not guilty. Trials are scheduled for October.
Complicating matters are that three of the six officers charged in Gray’s death are black, including Sgt. The following year, a performances at a downtown hotel led to protests by the NAACP.
Berger was ordered by the department to stop performing in blackface in 1981, and subsequently sued with the help of the ACLU.
In 1991, a federal appeals court overruled the previous ruling, stating that it violated Berger’s First Amendment rights. He settled more than a decade later for $200,000.
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Later Wednesday, Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, where Berger meant to hold the event, said on its website that the fundraiser will not be hosted there. “That’s what captured me”.
