Boston cop calls Gates 'banana-eating jungle monkey' in mass e-mail

Originally posted by thefreepatriot
reply to post by CSquared288

 

make sure you update it with the whole email the LEO sent... and dont forget to put it on facebook.... and how long will you have it posted there? thanks

its already on facebook. that's why I said done. And i dont know how long id post it, i hadn't really thought that far. I guess ill keep it up as long as its a relevant topic.

reply to post by thefreepatriot


You are mighty antagonistic. Keep harping and eventually someone, somewhere, sometime might change their silly little minds and agree with you even though your point of view is kind of narrow minded. You're jumping all over something that interpreted incorrectly leads to just this sort of human debasement perpetuated by you.

What was your point? That the video is not funny? The video is funny. It shows how animals poke at each other too. Now why they do that is also subject to interpretation.

I can't believe so many people are defending this guy.

Is ATS becoming the new home of the KKK or what?

This clown should not have a gun and a badge.

Good riddance

im not defending him, im defending his right to say what he wants

He can say what he wants, he also gets to face the consequences.

"Free speech" means you can't be thrown in prison for what you say.

It doesn't mean you can say things that tick people off and not face consequences for it.

So he can say what he wants, he can also get canned for it.

Most people don't want an outspoken racist running around with a badge and a gun.

He's free to speak out in favor of NAMBLA, he can't be jailed for it, but I certainly wouldn't want him in charge of protecting kids either

reply to post by Hastobemoretolife

The LEO didn't call the guy a racist name, he describe his actions. You are the exact kind of person I am talking about, seeing everything as race based. Get over yourself. Racial tensions are so tight in this country because people like you want to call racism over every little thing. The e-mail clearly stated that he acted like a monkey. If the guy said "he looked like", then I could see it being a valid claim. But in this case it isn't. He was describing the guys actions.

Don’t be utterly ridiculous. There is no argument whatsoever to say he is innocent of racism as the ‘banana eating monkey’ phrase is the most common ignorant racist remark there is...said by fools, laughed about by fools and those so insecure they cannot cope with difference in anyone.
Gates was racist and Obama was instantly racist too. So none of these three have shown any leadership or decorum or any ability to control what comes out of their mouths.

reply to post by oneclickaway


if you're being completely honest, what good does it do to "control" what it is that comes out of your mouth? I can be a verbal genius when I want to be, but all i've ever seen that be useful for is manipulation.

[edit on 7/30/09 by CSquared288]

Originally posted by whaaa
rawstory.com...

The Fox affiliate in Boston has published the text of the email Boston police officer Justin Barrett sent in which he referred to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as a "banana-eating jungle monkey."

It now appears Barrett's email was a letter to the editor of the Boston Globe, complaining of the Globe's coverage of the Gates arrest on July 16.

What a bigot.

That's police for you.

reply to post by CSquared288

if you're being completely honest, what good does it do to "control" what it is that comes out of your mouth

Probably a lot of good if you are President, a Harvard Professor or employed to serve your people whereby you can have a direct and harmful effect on people because of your inner prejudices. You cannot instantly change what people are thinking but you can ensure that if people engage in talk that is hateful and shows contempt for the very people they are serving then they should be deemed unfit to serve. To dislike a person is fair enough. To dislike and show contempt for a race of people is just pathetically ignorant and an outward display of psychological unsophistication and fear. If you want fearful, impaired and hateful people in charge of you fair enough. But in my view if you cannot control a primitive reaction and are not in control of yourself and your speech then you are certainly not fit to be in charge of anyone else.

The hypocrisy.

Everybody claim that they believe in "freedom of speech" but the realities of this statement are far from true.

As long as freedom of speech doesn't interfere with somebody else views and opinions is OK, when it "offend" somebody's view and opinion the principles of "freedom of speech disappears.

No one can possibly be this stupid given the current state of affairs with the Cambridge Police Dept.

Surely this guy has agreed to be a patsy for a greater cause.

If he is really that stupid, Boston will be better off not having him on the police force.

Here's the link to the full text of the email Officer Justin Barrett sent to the reporter: mybostonfox.com

At first, I could see what he meant by saying he wasn't making a racist comment. That he was making that comment to "characterize behavior, not describe anyone."

Okay, I guess I can see that. BUT THEN he goes on to us the word "ax" instead of "ask" while berating the reporter for his/her? lack of grammar skills. I and many people know that people say "ax" instead of "ask" when imitating how a black person talks.

Then he says Gates, "transcended back to being a jungle monkey" and "your title should read CONDUCT UNBECOMING A JUNGLE MONKEY".

I honestly can't tell if he was being racist or not. It seems like it, but in the context he uses it he SEEMS to be indicating that Gates' actions are akin to reverting back to being a monkey on the evolutionary scale. But being a man who seems to be a believer in God, therefore creation (my assumption comes from his comment, "I must attend that lecture lest I lose my identity and right to free speech and to celebrate God and beliefs as I see fit."), I don't know why he would suggest that Gates' is going back to when we were monkeys. I think it's fair to assume he doesn't believe in evolution. He could be one of those people who believe it was blacks that evolved from monkeys and that whites were created by God. I've honestly heard that before. This would make more sense.

All in all, the officer's email is so disgustingly hateful. He says, " Or, do you just need to get slapped in the face, look in the mirror and say, "Wow, I'm a failure. I'm a follower. Who am I kidding?"

Dude, it's cops like these that don't need to be roaming the streets. But, I wonder if it's people like this that become cops. Chicken or the egg?

Disgusting.

reply to post by nunya13


Thanks for that link...even more clear that he is not only racist but sexist too. What an ignorant fool.

reply to post by whaaa


So it appears that there IS racism in the Boston PD after all...Like there was ever any doubt.

Just my 2-cents

reply to post by marg6043


Ha ha! That quote is pretty lame. The most important free speech to protect is the speech that offends you. The speech of those you don't agree with, otherwise, yes, you're a hypocrite.

Of course people should be more careful with their words and, above all, more respectful. But people say stupid things and there's not much we can do about it. Unless it becomes abusive such as frequently sending emails/letters of this kind to someone. Then it's harassment.

Originally posted by Aggie Man
reply to post by whaaa

 

So it appears that there IS racism in the Boston PD after all...Like there was ever any doubt.

Just my 2-cents

There is racism everywhere, including the white house. It is impossible to avoid. All men are not created equal. Not by any stretch of the imagination. We should have equal rights and opportunities, but we cannot ignore our differences!

The email writer was a moron for sure, and does not need to be a cop any longer, but "racism" is overplayed!

Now for the rant:

I will be the first to admit I have many racist/sexist opinions. I also have many friends of all different races and sexes and we have wonderful discussions.

I have a uniquely white-male perspective and there is nothing I can do to change that. I will never be black or female. I am open to discussions and debates and friendly cameradie with all races and sexes and opinions, but it is completely ridiculous to pretend I am not a white male.

I won't pretend that I cannot tell the difference between a black man climbing through a window and a white man climbing through a window. If I need to call the police for something, I can narrow down their suspects by about 50% with one word. I can narrow it down a further 50% by another word. Why would I choose to ignore that? That is why the 911 operator asked the follow-up questions. The caller was not racist, the responding officers were not racist, but Gates was!!

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Thanks

Originally posted by xmotex
I can't believe so many people are defending this guy.

Is ATS becoming the new home of the KKK or what?

This clown should not have a gun and a badge.

Good riddance

I'm starting to think it is!
We've had a whole rush of racist threads lately.

reply to post by nunya13


Freedom of Speech & Hate Speech Americans value the freedom of speech

We have laws regulating incitement, sedition, defamation, slander and libel, blasphemy, the expression of racial hatred, and conspiracy.

The liberal tradition has generally defended freedom of the sort of speech which does not violate others' rights or lead to predictable and avoidable harm, but it has been fierce in that defence because a free interchange of ideas is seen as an essential ingredient of democracy and resistance to tyranny, and as an important agent of improvement.

The speech that is been dabate in this OP and on an E-mail doesn't violate the law.

www.answers.com...

No, it doesn't violate the law, and I don't think anyone has suggested he should be charged for any crime.

But you don't have to be charged with a crime to get fired.