STOCKTON — San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar apologized Tuesday for a skit staff members performed during a Halloween office party last week that seemingly mocked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Salazar said the skit occurred Oct. 31 during a lunchtime celebration in the multipurpose room at the District Attorney’s Office in the downtown Stockton courthouse. One staff member dressed as Snow White appeared to snort a white substance off a mirror while others were dressed as dwarves in black-and-white prison stripes and one held a sign that said “Dwarves Lives Matter.”

Verber Salazar addressed the situation after a whistle-blower sent photos to ABC 10 News in Sacramento. Verber Salazar said disciplinary action was taken against a number of employees and members of her staff will be required to complete sensitivity training. She said state law and civil service rules prohibit her from discussing what disciplinary action was taken and which employees were subjected to it.

“During the employee lunch hour, a Halloween skit was performed by a few members of the office,” Verber Salazar said. “Those actions were not authorized nor do they reflect the beliefs of my administration. As soon as I realized how inappropriate the material was, I took corrective measures. Disciplinary action has taken place and future training will emphasize appropriate office behavior.”

Verber Salazar and Deputy District Attorney Robert Himelblau acknowledged that some in the Stockton community might find the skit offensive. Black Lives Matter protesters and other community activists have held numerous demonstrations in Stockton in response to dozens of officer-involved shootings in recent years. A white woman and her two teenage daughters were attacked during a demonstration in September and several protesters were arrested during a march in October.

“There’s a serious matter out there and it involves social justice and it involves people who have been killed,” Himelblau said. “When you say White Lives Matter or Dwarves Lives Matter or anything other than Black Lives Matter, you’re diminishing that particular movement even if that isn’t your intent. I think what we recognized was, regardless of whether there was intent, it diminishes Black Lives Matter, and that in itself is the insensitive part.”

Himelblau said Verber Salazar addressed the issue in an email to staffers the following day that characterized the skit as “wrong” and “insensitive.” Verber Salazar said she also contacted certain individuals in the community to explain what happened and what she was doing in response, but she declined to identify the people she spoke to, saying those were private conversations.

“This was a mistake,” Verber Salazar said. “It’s being rectified. I have personally apologized, reaching out to a number of people in the community, and I will continue to do so, but I will also move this office forward so we can pursue justice for all.”

Social media posts indicated that Black Lives Matter protesters were planning to hold a demonstration outside the San Joaquin County Courthouse at 1 p.m. Tuesday, but that demonstration did not materialize.

Stockton NAACP President Bobby Bivens did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday. Ralph Lee White, a community activist and a former Stockton city councilman, said staff members involved in the skit should be fired.

“Every one of them are officers of the court and they know better,” White said. “It’s not like some person off the street who doesn’t know better. They’re the ones prosecuting cases, deciding what charges to file on somebody and recommending jail sentences. That’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of power to have, and you’re going to make a skit against Black Lives Matter? That’s unacceptable and whoever was involved should be fired.”

Verber Salazar and Himelblau said they do not know which staff member was the whistle-blower.

“We don’t know and we don’t care,” Himelblau said. “We’re not looking for this person. We don’t want to know because we’re not going to do anything with it.”

Verber Salazar agreed.

“I’m grateful that this has been brought to light because it allows us to have those tough conversations and take a look at the work we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Verber Salazar said. “I can tell you there will be changes. There is going to be training, it’s going to be ongoing, and we will do better. The person or persons who brought this forward did the right thing.”

— Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog and on Twitter @Stockton911.