MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – A Merrillville City Councilman has apologized after photos of him in blackface at a Halloween party recently surfaced online.
Councilman Jeff Minchuk, who is also a Lake County Sheriff’s Department police officer, apologized on Facebook.
“…There was and still is, no ill intent and this absolutely does not portray who I am…I blame no one else for what happened, it was my decision and a poor one at that.
For those of you who have viewed these pictures and have questions, I assure you again, there were no bad intentions or do they reflect the person my friend or I am then, now, or ever. You have my deepest apologies for any confusion this may have caused, and I have certainly learned and grown due to this experience,” Minchuk wrote.
One photo of Minchuk, obtained by The Times of Northwest Indiana, shows Minchuk in brown face paint, a black wig, and a shirt reading “Kill Whitey.” He is seen standing next to a person in Ku Klux Klan robes.
Minchuk said on Facebook that the costumes were based on a skit from “The Dave Chappelle Show”.
The photos were reportedly taken around 2003.
