Kamloops RCMP officer under fire for apparent blackface posts

A Kamloops RCMP officer is under fire following a pair of controversial social media posts.

Recently, Cst. Rupert Meinke allegedly took to Instagram where he posted a pair of photos in what appeared to be a charcoal face mask.

How is it that @rcmpgrcpolice officers don’t understand privacy settings on their social media?
Take Rupert Meinke of the @KamloopsRCMP - despite everything going on in the world, he thinks these public posts are appropriate.

Nope, no issues in the RCMP...🤷🏻‍♂️#DefundPolice pic.twitter.com/HShllPi0IF

— Chad Haggerty (@Chagg164) July 3, 2020

In one post, Meinke captioned the picture "Blackface session. It's suppose to help my looks. I don't think it's working."

That post was followed up by another photo where the constable asked "Is my skincare racist? Microaggressions matter."

Since the posts started circulating on social media, Meinke has changed his account to private. The long-time officer, who has also reportedly worked at Thompson Rivers University, has not released a public statement regarding the controversy.

The university mentioned in a statement on Sunday that they would be looking into the issues. They added that Meinke is not currently employed with the university.

"TRU appreciates this concern being brought to our attention and are looking into it," wrote a spokesperson for TRU. "Our commitment is to create a university where everyone belongs, where we show our respect for one another through our actions and in our words."

"While we won’t be providing further comment on this matter, we can confirm the individual has taught courses part-time at TRU in the past. Those who teach on a part-time basis are on what is referred to as sessional contracts. The teaching and contract occurs based on demand for a particular course. The individual is not working at TRU at this time.”

NowMedia has reached out to RCMP for further information.