Officer who sent 'jungle-monkey' e-mail: 'I am not a racist'

Principessa

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Allegedly it was a rebuttal to an article he felt was soft on the H.L. Gates situation. :rolleyes:

Officer who sent 'jungle-monkey' e-mail: 'I am not a racist'
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- The Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail in which he compared Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. to a "banana-eating jungle monkey" has apologized, saying he's not a racist. Officer Justin Barrett, 36, told a Boston television station Wednesday night that he was sorry about the e-mail, a copy of which he also sent to The Boston Globe. He repeated his apology Thursday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." "I would like to take this opportunity to offer fellow police officers, soldiers and citizens my sincerest apology over the controversial e-mail I authored," Barrett said on CNN. "I am not a racist. I did not intend any racial bigotry, harm or prejudice in my words. I sincerely apologize that these words have been received as such. I truly apologize to all." Barrett was suspended from his military duties as captain in the Army National Guard and placed on administrative leave from the Boston Police Department pending the outcome of a termination hearing.
*SNIP*
He also declared that he was "not a racist but I am prejudice [sic] towards people who are stupid and pretend to stand up and preach for something they say is freedom but it is merely attention because you do not get enough of it in your little fear-dwelling circle of on-the-bandwagon followers." According to a statement from Boston police, Davis took action immediately on learning of Barrett's remarks, stripping the officer of his gun and his badge. Barrett's prior arrests and field investigations will be looked at for indications of racial bias, Davis said. The department will also delve deeper into the officers who received or viewed the e-mail.
He may not be a racist, but he is a far cry from being a N-word lover. :rolleyes:


Not for nothing, but this man is a moron. Perhaps, had he just sent it to like thinking friends, he wouldn't have been suspended from his job and the National Guard.

What really kills me about this is he wasn't even there. This was not one of the officers on Mr. Gates front step. He had nothing to do with the actual altercation.
 
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D_Fiona_Farvel

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The e-mail was sent from his personal account and computer, and he is entitled to his opinion, negative or otherwise, of Gates or anyone else.

What matters is that he conducts himself in a professional manner as a police officer, if he does, whether he is racist or not in his private life is irrelevant. He should be reinstated immediately, imo.
 

Phil Ayesho

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Astounding that someone can SAY such things, and yet still imagine that they are not a racist.

But then, Rush and Hannity and Beck and Orielly also say such stupid ass shit... and still erroneously imagine THEY aren't racists...
 

hud01

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The e-mail was sent from his personal account and computer, and he is entitled to his opinion, negative or otherwise, of Gates or anyone else.

What matters is that he conducts himself in a professional manner as a police officer, if he does, whether he is racist or not in his private life is irrelevant. He should be reinstated immediately, imo.
He is entitled to say what he thinks about Gates in a way that is not racist.

He showed poor judgement in sending out a racist message over the net. That would directly call into question is ability to exercise proper judgement in a crisis situation.

Fire him.
 

Nrets

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The fact that he felt comfortable sending that message out to collegues, even though he wasn't even at the incident, shows that the entire Boston police force are a bunch of racists. Doesn't surprise me. The fundamental construction of the American police force is based on old fashioned White anglo saxon racism and Babylonian judaeo Christian values.
 

D_Fiona_Farvel

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He is entitled to say what he thinks about Gates in a way that is not racist.

He showed poor judgement in sending out a racist message over the net. That would directly call into question is ability to exercise proper judgement in a crisis situation.

Fire him.
He can say whatever he wants to say, whether it be racist or not, as long as it is not inciteful hate-speech, that's his right in this country.

Regarding Officer Barret's professional judgement, as his judgement in the private sphere is his own, he has been an officer for two years and never been associated, cited, or reprimanded for bad conduct and that is the standard by which his professional fitness should be evaluated. His suspension is already baseless, firing him would be impulsive and beyond excessive.


The fact that he felt comfortable sending that message out to collegues, even though he wasn't even at the incident, shows that the entire Boston police force are a bunch of racists. Doesn't surprise me. The fundamental construction of the American police force is based on old fashioned White anglo saxon racism and Babylonian judaeo Christian values.
Including the minorities? :shrug:
 
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ungl14

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The fact that he felt comfortable sending that message out to collegues, even though he wasn't even at the incident, shows that the entire Boston police force are a bunch of racists. Doesn't surprise me. The fundamental construction of the American police force is based on old fashioned White anglo saxon racism and Babylonian judaeo Christian values.

So one guy sends out an insensitive and racist email, so that makes the entire police force racist?... I'm not defending the cop who sent that email, but come on, really? as a brother of two police officers I take offense to that comment as it may not state, but pretty clearly implies your predisposition to thinking all cops are racist.

I guess everyone's entitled to their beliefs...

oh wait... that's just it. It was this cops racist beliefs that seem to offend people so much and his ignorant words that keep this ridiculous circle of discrimination going...
 

Nrets

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I don't think all cops are racist. I think that the way that the police force is put together is built on racism.
 

ungl14

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I don't think all cops are racist. I think that the way that the police force is put together is built on racism.

Sadly so is every other institution in the united states, but that doesn't mean they were never reformed.

I can't think of a single society that didn't start off built upon ideals of inequality, prejudices, and religious fanaticism. Yet, most of them have reformed.
 

SpeedoGuy

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He can say whatever he wants to say, whether it be racist or not, as long as it is not inciteful hate-speech, that's his right in this country.

It is the right of citizens to make hateful speech should they choose. The government can't put people in jail for that at all.

That doesn't mean there aren't sometimes consequences for poorly chosen words.
 

D_Stanford Dedwillie III

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Dennis Miller put it well after someone went insane upon hearing one of his jokes. He said, "There is the real world and the joke world. Things that are said within the context of a joke are created for humor - not opinion pieces."

I once forwarded a joke about a prostitute on a golf course. That does not make me a hater of golf courses, nor do I assume that all women playing golf are prostitutes.

Dave Chappelle commonly uses the N-word in his shows - is he racist against blacks?
 

joyboytoy79

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"Some of my best friends are gay jewish black women. Of COURSE i'm not racist. But, hey, did you hear about those kikes in New York? Yeah, they're all voting for the queenie faggots now so they can nationalize the banks and remove Christmas as a national holiday. Oh, and the niggers are in on it too, cuz, you know, anything to stick it to the white man. Those cunts. They're all a bunch of money-grubbing, lazy, hand-out seeking socialists.

Now, when i say kike, i'm not talking about Jews. Faggot is not a reference to gays. Nigger is a term of endearment, and cunt... well, i might be a bit of a misogynist.

BUT I'M NOT A RACIST."

Excuse me, for a moment... when did the new law kick in that saying you're not racist precluded you from being so, even when your actions and words place you squarely in the ranks of the KKK? I'm just wondering.

PS. I'm sorry if i've offended anyone with any of my above language. The words were chosen specifically to make a point.
 
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D_Fiona_Farvel

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It is the right of citizens to make hateful speech should they choose. The government can't put people in jail for that at all.

That doesn't mean there aren't sometimes consequences for poorly chosen words.
I disagree, a suitable consequence of expressing his private viewpoint would be increased scrutiny if allegations of misconduct surface in the future, and perhaps, an apology, which has already been given.

However, there should be no knee-jerk, public initiated consequence for a rightfully expressed opinion through private communication on personal time. Officer Barret expressing his personal opinion is not a reasonable or defensible basis for reprimand. Especially when in his professional life he has acted in an honorable manner without a hint of or association with misconduct.


Dennis Miller put it well after someone went insane upon hearing one of his jokes. He said, "There is the real world and the joke world. Things that are said within the context of a joke are created for humor - not opinion pieces."
I think he was joking and making an attempt to be outrageous and shocking, but, so what? It was his personal communication and not something the public should have been privy to, much less the PD comment upon in public.

Additionally, as stated above, whether Barret is racist or not is irrelevant.
Only his actions matter, and, to this point, he has acted appropriately in uniform.
 

b.c.

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...He may not be a racist, but he is a far cry from being a N-word lover.... :rolleyes:


Few racists believe themselves such.

Astounding that someone can SAY such things, and yet still imagine that they are not a racist.

But then, Rush and Hannity and Beck and Orielly also say such stupid ass shit... and still erroneously imagine THEY aren't racists...

...Excuse me, for a moment... when did the new law kick in that saying you're not racist precluded you from being so, even when your actions and words place you squarely in the ranks of the KKK? I'm just wondering...

Exactly the point I've been trying to make here for so long. The old "I'm not a racist, but" syndrome.

Of course not all cops are racists, thank God. I'd like to believe most are honest guys just trying to do their best at a very difficult and dangerous job.

But, as everywhere, racists abound, and one has to believe that a few at least become engaged in the profession just to have the power to play out their anger.

Wherever possible, it is incumbent upon the departments to identify and root out such individuals from the force.

This guy says he "misspoke". "Jungle-monkey??"

"Misspoke" indeed.
 

bigbull29

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Exactly the point I've been trying to make here for so long. The old "I'm not a racist, but" syndrome.

Of course not all cops are racists, thank God. I'd like to believe most are honest guys just trying to do their best at a very difficult and dangerous job.

But, as everywhere, racists abound, and one has to believe that a few at least become engaged in the profession just to have the power to play out their anger.

Wherever possible, it is incumbent upon the departments to identify and root out such individuals from the force.

This guy says he "misspoke". "Jungle-monkey??"

"Misspoke" indeed.


What do you call a cop who is bias because he just doesn't like someone's personality he is dealing with? How do you qualify that? He's a "I-don't-like-that-personality-ist."

How do you prove that someone is mistreating someone because of one's race if the person doesn't clearly say "I'm being mean to you because you are whatever color, race?"

By the way, what do you call that when a woman manager won't hire blondes at the her office because she is jealous of them?
 

Phil Ayesho

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He can say whatever he wants to say, whether it be racist or not, as long as it is not inciteful hate-speech, that's his right in this country.

Freedom of Speech does not mean you are guaranteed freedom of consequences for that speech.

The Constitution simply forbids the GOVERNMENT from censoring speech thru law.
It does not prevent your employer from censoring your speech, or firing you for speech that reflects badly upon your employer, or indicates a bias that may negatively affect your ability to do your job.

In particular... for a police officer to expound in such racist terms... if they do NOT fire him, then his employer opens themselves up for lawsuits contending that this officer's conduct is racist in enforcing the law. ( even tho that may not be true- his letters would serve as evidence that he is racist )

Further.. his letters could be used in civil actions to try and establish a Pattern of racist attitudes within the entire police force...

Either way... for an officer to make this kind of statement shows wanton disregard for his employer's exposure to litigation.

That alone is grounds for firing.

You are free to yell fire in a crowded theater.
And the folks who get trampled as a result are free to sue your ass for the damages they suffer due to your conduct.

Freedom of Speech is not freedom from responsibility.
 

b.c.

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What do you call a cop who is bias because he just doesn't like someone's personality he is dealing with? How do you qualify that? He's a "I-don't-like-that-personality-ist."

Yes, and he is well within his rights to not like the personality, but bound by duty to "protect AND serve".

How do you prove that someone is mistreating someone because of one's race if the person doesn't clearly say "I'm being mean to you because you are whatever color, race?"

It is difficult to prove, but the difficulty does not obliterate the fact if that is the case.

By the way, what do you call that when a woman manager won't hire blondes at the her office because she is jealous of them?

An asshole.