A Maine middle school principal was forced to apologize after dressing as an ICE agent for Halloween, claiming the choice was made ‘in a lighthearted spirit.’
James Black, principal of Mount Blue Middle School in Farmington, came under intense scrutiny after a viral photo showed him dressed as an ICE agent.
Black was snapped while celebrating Halloween at a private family gathering last week that was shared to Facebook and then to Reddit.
In it, he is wearing an officer-style vest with a patch reading ‘POLICE ICE’ and a hat labeled ‘ICE’ with an American flag patched on the side.
The ensemble extended to a blue-and-black stars-and-stripes face covering and zip ties strapped to his hip.
Another photo, later shared on TikTok, appeared to show the principal in the same costume, but this time holding an assault-style rifle.
The damning image spread rapidly online, with many saying he was mocking students and stoking fear within the immigrant community.
‘Absolutely terrible judgement,’ one user wrote on Reddit. Another said, ‘I’m more concerned that the costume is so convincing. Literally anyone can say they are ICE.’
James Black, principal of a Maine middle school, was captured in a now-viral photo wearing an officer-style vest with a patch reading ‘POLICE ICE’ and a hat labeled ‘ICE’
Black’s (pictured) apology letter was released on Thursday, which stressed that his costume choice was made ‘in a lighthearted spirit’ and not meant to ‘offend or target’ and individuals
Community members have also joined the outcry over Black’s costume, insisting that the Superintendent and school board act if he has not resigned.
Emily Angela of Franklin County, the second person to post the images, told The Sun Journal, ‘This man has international students. It’s really tone-deaf.’
‘How would they feel safe, especially if they’re a student of color, and they see that’s how their principal is dressing, or what they represent?’ she added.
Following a week of growing outrage, Superintendent Christian Elkington of Regional School Unit 9 released an apology letter from Black on Thursday.
‘I want to express my sincere regret that this image has caused concern or discomfort within our community,’ Black wrote, according to The Portland Press Herald.
‘It was never my intent to create harm, offend, or target any group or individual,’ he added.
‘The costume was chosen in a lighthearted spirit, without consideration for the broader implications it might have, and I recognize now how it could have been perceived differently by others.’
Black explained that ‘work with students, families, and colleagues has always been grounded in the belief that every child deserves a safe, supportive and equitable learning environment.’
He also stressed his long-standing dedication to inclusion and respect, noting his active involvement in the community.
Another photo, later shared on TikTok , appeared to show the principal in the same costume, but this time holding an assault-style rifle (pictured)
In his apology letter (pictured), Black stressed his long-standing dedication to inclusion and respect at RSU 9, noting his active involvement in the community
‘As a longtime educator, coach, and community supporter in RSU 9, I have always strived to model integrity, inclusion, and respect,’ Black wrote, according to the outlet.
‘Every student in our district deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued and I remain deeply committed to that mission as an educator and member of this community.’
Both local and online communities have voiced further disappointment with school officials, who emphasized civility but failed to clarify whether Black had been suspended.
The controversy initially ramped up when Emily Angela was asked by a friend to post images of Black’s costume online.
The friend, who was the first to share the photos, had to remove them after facing death threats and threats to report her Latino spouse to the federal agency, according to The Sun Journal.
‘Within 12 hours, it had gotten about 250,000 views,’ Angela told the outlet. By noon on Monday, it had reached half a million views. ‘Posting it, I did not know what to expect, but I wasn’t expecting this,’ she added.
Responses started piling up almost instantly.
‘There’s no good reason for a public school principal to normalize ICE terrorizing children and families, and dress up like an ICE agent like it’s a big joke’ one comment read.
Community members have since joined the outcry over Black’s (pictured) costume, insisting that the Superintendent and school board act if he does not resign
‘I bet there are kids in his school who don’t think it’s funny that he’s dressing up as the people who are destroying their families,’ it added.
Another said: ‘Even setting all opinions on ICE aside, not sure how an adult could think this is a good idea.’
Even with comments backing her decision to expose Black, she faced a wave of death threats.
‘They made memes, putting my face on gorillas,’ Angela, who is a person of color, told the outlet. ‘They’ve been sending death threats. It was getting to the point where this was affecting my mental health.’
On Monday afternoon, Black’s own family posted a video to Facebook addressing his costume, noting that the photos were never intended for public viewing.
Melissa Black Canty and Carrie Lancaster, Black’s sisters, said: ‘Regardless of your personal views, ICE is a federal agency just like DEA, FBI, right down to our local law enforcement.’
‘Here’s some facts that are important based on the erroneous comments that we are receiving on social media. The picture circulating was taken at our family home. James did not wear that costume in public or to the middle school,’ they added.
They explained that the family has endured ‘heinous things’ since the images surfaced and stressed that anyone familiar with them knows they are a highly diverse, multi-racial family.
Melissa Black Canty and Carrie Lancaster, Black’s sisters (pictured), posted a video to Facebook addressing his costume, noting that the photos were never intended for public viewing
Black’s (pictured) sisters said that the family has endured ‘heinous things’ since the images surfaced and stressed that anyone familiar with them knows they are a highly diverse, multi-racial family
Black’s family urged supporters to email school board members and Elkington to share how he has personally affected them and to ‘come together and support each other.’
Elkington issued a statement Thursday recognizing the community’s concerns from the past seven days and emphasizing the district’s focus on respect and inclusion.
‘This has been a challenging week for many members of our community,’ he wrote, according to Portland Press Herald. ‘Your words and voices matter.’
‘As we move forward, let’s welcome different opinions and disagreements with civility, listening, and responding with respect, remembering that we are one community and that our students are watching and learning from us all,’ he added.
Meanwhile, many have still said they plan to write letters to the board and attend its next meeting on November 18 if Black does not resign.
