close
close

SDSU responds to controversial Halloween costume social post – NBC 7 San Diego

Posted on by Pranco
SDSU responds to controversial Halloween costume social post – NBC 7 San Diego

A Halloween costume controversy making national headlines has raised questions at San Diego State University. A social media post shows two people dressed in offensive costumes with blackface.

SDSU is now investigating the photo and said the two individuals photographed are not confirmed SDSU students.

“Oh my god! Is that someone’s costume?’ A trio of students said as they looked at the photo.

A man in blackface, apparently dressed as Sean “Diddy” Combs for Halloween, is seen with a female companion dressed as Baby Oil.

“Just the fact that I had blackface made me angry just because it looked like they wanted an excuse to do that. It doesn’t even look like a real P. Diddy costume,” said student Alijah Hunter.

“Because I’m black, I don’t take it to heart,” Angelos Salzar said. “Some things you can tell are not malicious.”

“I think everything about that is wrong, especially with the allegations,” student Maja Howard said.

The costumes reference the sexual assault charges filed against the embattled music mogul is facing a host of sex trafficking and racketeering chargesand probably used baby oil during sex parties.

“I don’t think that’s acceptable for Halloween or any day of the week. These are real stories. It’s not a costume,” said student Carina Virta.

“I feel like that’s wrong because there are a lot of people who have gone through traumatic experiences, and they may not want to come forward because people will mock them and think it’s a joke,” said student Natash Ngonzo.

In a statement, SDSU said in part:

“The use of blackface and any actions that make light of sexual assault are deeply offensive and have no place in our community. The individuals photographed are not confirmed SDSU students. Our team is working to confirm information including the location and identity of those involved.”

The university says it is too early to determine whether there were any behavioral violations. The two individuals photographed are not confirmed SDSU students and the individual account that posted the photo online is incorrectly identified as one of the individuals in the photo itself. SDSU continues to collect additional information, including the location, names and preferences of all individuals involved.

If someone is identified as a student, the university says it has the discretion to use a number of educational interventions, programs and other efforts to help members of the campus community understand the harm caused by such actions.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to indicate SDSU is investigating the matter.