West Linn cop s blackface clown painting removed from school February 10 2021
The West Linn Police Department issued a statement that the painting has been removed; school district says it should never have been displayed.
A post in the West Linn Open Forum community Facebook group has sparked the removal of a velvet painting depicting a clown in blackface from a school resource officer s office wall at West Linn High School.
The officer, Jeff Halverson, said the painting was used as an icebreaker to make students more comfortable talking to a police officer. It s not something the kids are used to seeing a painting of a clown on a police officer s wall … Same thing with staff. Like, Why do you have a velvet painting of a clown? Why wouldn t I, you know? he said. It was a good icebreaker to make people more comfortable. They were talking to a police officer; some of them hadn t done that before.