Clown in Obama Mask at Missouri State Fair Banned, State Officials Investigate Incident
In response to the outcry over a Missouri State Fair rodeo clown who wore a President Obama mask, officials in the state have banned the clown in question from participating in future state fairs and are reviewing the state's contract with the fair's organizers.
The rodeo was organized by the Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association and was told that from now on the association's personnel and performers must undergo sensitivity training.
Representatives from the association issued a statement wishing to "extend a sincere apology for the inappropriate act during the Bull Riding at the Saturday performance of the MRCA Rodeo."
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A picture of the spectacle was posted on Facebook and has since gone viral. The event even led to the state's second highest-ranking official, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, to respond to the uproar on Twitter.
"We are better than this," Kinder posted to his account on Sunday.
State Fair officials said the show in Sedalia was "inappropriate" and "does not reflect the opinions or standards" of the event. "We strive to be a family friendly event and regret that Saturday's rodeo badly missed that mark," officials said in a statement Sunday.
Perry Beam, who attended the fair, felt the display was inappropriate given that the event is a state-sanctioned event that receives state funding.
Beam revealed that when the announcer directed attention to the rodeo clown wearing the mask the crowd began to cheer and applaud in approval.
"This isn't the Republican Missouri State Fair," Beam told The Associated Press. "It was cruel. It was disturbing. I'm still sick to my stomach over it. ... I'm standing here with a mixed-race family. My wife's from Taiwan, and so was the student (his family was hosting). I've never seen anything so blatantly racist in my life.
"It was at that point I began to feel a sense of fear. It was that level of enthusiasm," Beam added.
