And the racism continues: Grand Prairie officers forced to take leave over racist emails
By John Amato Monday Jul 27, 2009 3:00pmDidn't you think racism was dead after we elected an African American president? Obama being depicted as a witch doctor was just done in good--clean---American---fun.
Star-Telegram:
GRAND PRAIRIE — Four Grand Prairie police officers and a dispatcher are on paid administrative leave after a racist e-mail about President Barack Obama was circulated, and the local NAACP chapter is asking whether a recent round of diversity training was for naught.
The e-mail came from outside the department, but the officers opened and/or forwarded it, said Detective John Brimmer, a Grand Prairie police spokesman.
The department was "forced to go through diversity training two years ago, and this is what we get," Preston Dixon, vice president of the Grand Prairie chapter of the NAACP, said at a news conference Wednesday.
"Since they’ve gone through diversity training, then they knew better and should be fired," he said. Dixon’s wife, a Police Department employee, has filed an unrelated discrimination suit against the department.
Police did not release the e-mail. "These are some good officers who have worked at the department for a long time that made a serious lapse in judgment," Brimmer said. "You can’t do much about an unsolicited e-mail, but what you do after you open it is on you."
The officers appear to have violated a department policy that forbids employees from using city-owned computers for personal business, Brimmer said.
They should release the email so we know what was being passed around. The fact that these bozos were suspended means that it had to be pretty horrible.
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JA,
Come to my neighborhood and sit in the local tavern. You will turn gray listening to what they say.
No thanks.
My local tavern they rarely talk politics, unless it's local...they mostly talk sports, fishing, and women...not necessarily in that order.
hate is addictive. there will always be HATE by some. it activates emotions/empowers. it's effective as a diversion.
it's a good strategy to get people/certain demographic to VOTE against their best interests. this gets people's minds off the BUSH legacy they left us. CREATE an enemy, blame someone else and dislike someone because they are not like you.
Cops have been institutionalized to racially profile for many years.
It'll be hard to wean them off it.
that the police do, that would be a start. It must be made expensive to support racism.
And that's pissing me off.
The only thing a bigot understands is his income source being SHUT OFF.
If innocent, they can get back pay - until the investigation is over, they can file for UNEMPLOYMENT and wait to return to work like the other 10% of unemployed workers in this country.
They don't get the lesson if they're being forced out on PAID VACATION.
And their last diversity training was over two years ago; you know Cletus and Bubba forgot what they learned, if in fact, those mofos were even PAYING ATTENTION.
I've taught many diversity training courses throughout my career, and there's always a Bubba, Cletus or Pootie that was mandated to attend the damned training because his ass got busted on the job for hanging a hangman's noose in the lunchroom, or pasting up the flyer saying where the latest Klan rally was being held.
And anyone else caught doing similar shyt is automatically fired, but saltines like the police officers in Grand Prarie always get a slap on the wrist and no evidence of a write up in their personnel files.
Let one of them get dragged behind a pickup truck like James Byrd and maybe they'll get the message.
teach diversity training? Please tell me your joking. Although I'd bet your not. Let me ask you a question. How would you assess this next part of this post? Racist or not.
I've taught many diversity training courses throughout my career, and there's always a Shaniqua, Leroy, or a Barrack that was mandated to attend the damned training because his ass got busted on the job for hanging a hanged white doll in the lunchroom, or pasting up the flyer saying where the latest Black Panther rally was being held.
And anyone else caught doing similar shyt is automatically fired, but negras like the police officers in Gary always get a slap on the wrist and no evidence of a write up in their personnel files.
Would those be racist statements? I think you need to attend a few of those courses, rather than teaching them.
since your analogy doesn't reflect reality it misses the mark. wanna try again, or do you need more training?
when has a black person EVER put up a hanged white doll anywhere?
And the Black Panther Party is NOT the mirror image of the klan.
Name ONE white person the BPP has lynched.
Your post is RIDICULOUSLY disingenuous.
Sometimes being a devil's advocate is just wrong...Timjethroshitforbrains is simply a fool.
Got that right!
while not lynched
http://www.salon.com/news/col/horo/1999/12/13...
And could you answer the question? Was the statement I made racist?
Oh and blacks lynched whites also.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?re...
You're just another ignorant white man denying your own "dark" past while picking out isolated historical incidents to buttress your bullshit.
is my "dark" past? Are you referring to the fact that people of my color owned slaves at one point in time? That goes for all people of all colors.
And since you refuse to answer the question, I'll have to assume that yes you consider the statement as I put it as racist. But to admit it you would also condemn the poster that I was replying to as racist.
...is a serious concern, and I'm glad to see these bastards suspended.
But I would really like to see more coverage on C&L of "the plague" of bad cops countrywide that we have been seeing on you tube...that are committing real violence against citizens and violating our rights, tazings ect..ect...
Cops are seeming to be real bad lately...
I know most cops are good...but some are being trained like soldiers.
Most of the police officers I've met WERE soldiers.
This saddens me a great deal. This was the town my grandparents, my mother and myself grew up in. It's not some little middle of nowhere Texas town; its a major suburb outside of Dallas where most of the population is now hispanic.
There were a number of GPPD Officers that had a positive affect on myself and my neighborhood growing up. I'm angry that the actions of a few taint the reputation of many. The officers and dispatch involved should be fired. Period.
Oh and today I received another obama's destroying america email from my Aunt-in-law. It originated from an employee's email @ Arizona's Supreme Court. How sick is that.
If there were any good cops there wouldn't be any bad ones.
as a reward for their racism.
Those who have been desperately pretending that the idea of a Black President doesn't make their skin crawl are beginning to crack under the pressure.All that suppressed hate is finding expression right on schedule in the lowest form of "humor" and watermelon,fried chicken and lawn jockeys are all the rage again-rage being the operative word.
On the National front,Lou Dobbs has finally,irrevocably exposed himself for the sneaking seething Hater he is.Fuck you Lou.
Police did not release the e-mail. "These are some good officers who have worked at the department for a long time that made a serious lapse in judgment,"
but didn't Imus get fired and they wanted Letterman to be fired? Fire'em.
How nice for them.
...in whatever beer Obama drinks.
Looks like there's going to be alot of beer drinking in the WH for the next few years.
what did Bush drink?
whatever chainey fed him!
Plenty....he just hides it, except for the Kool-Aid of the repug party.
Referring to this: "The department was "forced to go through diversity training two years ago, and this is what we get," Preston Dixon, vice president of the Grand Prairie chapter of the NAACP, said at a news conference Wednesday."
Does this mean the department was pushing back about having diversity training in the first place?
...and I thought it was an interesting (not to mention potentially telling) choice of words. Mind you, since it was the vice chairman of the local NAACP chapter who made this remark after the fact, it's possible that he was speaking at least in part out of his own natural anger and frustration over this incident. Nevertheless, the fact that he used the word "forced" rather than "required" makes me wonder if perhaps there's more to this story than we've been told.
This is typical. An organization like a police department gets busted for some form of workplace discrimination and part of the resolution is mandated diversity training for the employees.
The San Francisco Fire Department had discrimnation so foul, the Federal Government put the entire Fire Department under a Federal Consent Decree, where they had to send reports to the Justice Department for more than 15 years to demonstrate good-faith efforts in hiring, recruitment, transfer, promotions to and within the Fire Department for women, ethnic minorities and poor whites who couldn't get into the department as a result of systemic discrimination, racism and sexism.
If the Grand Prarie PD gets a verdict against them that costs in the millions, you're going to see the Justice Department place their ass under one of those Consent Decrees until they straighten up and fly right.
any cites for this? I'd like to read them for myself.
We only all wish. One of the bank repossessed houses on my street just got new owners, and I've heard alot of people shooting off disgusting remarks because of their colour. Seem like nice people to me. Too bad some a-holes can't look past colour.
Anyone who ever tries to yap about racism in America no longer existing, just show them this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24...
Yup, real segregation still going on.
What year is this?!?
Even Ike would roll in his grave at this shyt.
I can't believe this. Segregated Proms?
Oh.
It's Georgia.
Founding state of the KKK Klan
Nothing new here.
Move on now.
all you Canucks were above racism and such?
Texas.
That is the most racist state in the nation. No offense to the good people of Texas who are not, but whenever I visit forums with members listing their location, the most backwards, most racist, most right leaning voices are always from Texas.
I live in Texas, and it's sort of an odd construct here. We live, work and hang out in bars with Hispanics, African Americans etc.
We all get along. It's just that when a bunch of whites get together they act like jackasses and say racist shit that offends the hell out of me. I always call them out, so I have a sort of reputation for doing so. No one gets mad at me and I don't get mad at them. (well somtimes I get mad).
I'm sure that when African Americans are together with their friends they trash talk whites or hispanics as well.
My point is that here in Texas, regardless of some shit that people say we still get along, live in the same neighborhoods and work together just fine.
PS: Fuck Rick Perry. He's so outta here.
This is the same state that allowed a Saltine to call the Houston PD, report a home break-in, was ordered by the dispatcher NOT to go to that house with his shotgun, and proceeded to empty a clip into two Latino Suspects.
He got off, courtesy of the Harris County DA, who said Joe Horn had every right to defend himself.
Trouble is, the suspects didn't break into Joe Horn's house - it was SOMEONE ELSES HOUSE.
as you put it, because a grand jury found no reason to indict. And he didn't go to the neighbors house, he stepped out onto his lawn, the criminals charged him and he fired. Oh and shotguns have magazines not clips.
I wonder?
I tried looking it up but I couldn't find it. I think that grand jury proceedings are sealed and the jurists are anonymous.
could give Texas a run for the money on who's the most racist state.
Many cops go through diversity training with great disdain and actually resent it, so I have no confidence in this practice.
Just because one goes through diversity training means nothing if one already has bias against blacks.
The next thing we will hear is that these emails "were not targeted against blacks" or that it was only a "few rogue elements and does not reflect the department" or that "this email is not indicative of this man's complete life and all the good he has done for his community off work time."
Senator Inhofe is the latest establishment figure to question Obama's birth certificate, playing into the "birthers movement" so, yes, racism is there, despite what white people say otherwise.
The racism of white people gets larger and louder by the day....in the United States of America.
race doesn't play into the birthers movement, If Schwarzenegger tried to run, they would be all over him also.
Anyone who believes that this birther movement doesn't have serious racist overtones is either very stupid or very racist...sorry, oxymoron.
Racism like alcholism is a disease.....
White America in the institutional structure has always been incapable of effectively dealing with its racist past and present forms.
As soon as some civil rights legislation was passed in the mid-1960's, it did not take long before White America yelled their favorite meme of "reverse racism."
White America is still in denial of its present-day and past years of Racism.
White America's denial of Racism is also a Sickness and Disease. White America's denial of Racism shows White America's insidious and cunning and oh yes, baffling disease of the body, mind and spirit.....
It thus becomes highly irrelevant whether Racist Deniers want to agree of what they do or say, just as much as a Heroin Addict would make rationalizations and cover-up their bad habit whenever the situation calls for it. People who are actively engaged in denying their disease are dishonest and liars and to expect anything more, is feeding into their insanity....
Yes, these Birther Movement people are insane people....who are in denial of their abject racism.
You are wrong there. It is pure racism and nothing else. No one would try this with Bush.
and you know it TJBB.
They're using the birth certificate crap as a cover for their racism, because they are, as all racists are, a bunch of gutless cowards.
“Now, gentlemen, I say you are prejudiced. I fancy everyone of you are, otherwise you would have some companions amongst these colored people. You will overcome it, I believe, in the trial of this case. But they tell me there is no race prejudice, and it is plain nonsense, and nothing else. Who are we, anyway? A child is born into this world without any knowledge of any sort. He has a brain which is a piece of putty; he inherits nothing in the way of knowledge or of ideas. If he is white, he knows nothing about color. He has no antipathy to the black….The black and the white both will live together and play together, but as soon as the baby is born we begin giving him ideas. We begin planting seeds in his mind. We begin telling him he must do this and he must not do that. We tell him about race and social equality and the thousands of things that men talk about until he grows up. It has been trained into us, and you, gentlemen, bring that feeling into this jury box, and that feeling which is a part of your life long training….. You need not tell me you are not prejudiced. I know better. We are not very much but a bundle of prejudices anyhow. We are prejudiced against other peoples’ color. Prejudiced against other men’s religion; prejudiced against other peoples’ politics. Prejudiced against peoples’ looks. Prejudiced about the way they dress. We are full of prejudices. You can teach a man anything beginning with the child; you can make anything out of him, and we are not responsible for it. Here and there some of us haven’t any prejudices on some questions, but if you look deep enough you will find them; and we all know it….. All I hope for, gentlemen of the jury, is this: That you are strong enough, and honest enough, and decent enough to lay it aside in this case and decide it as you ought to. And I say, there is no man in Detroit that doesn’t know that these defendants, everyone of them, did right. There isn't a man in Detroit who doesn’t know that the defendant did his duty, and that this case is an attempt to send him and his companions to prison because they defended their constitutional rights. It is a wicked attempt, and you are asked to be a party to it. You know it. I don’t need to talk to this jury about the facts in this case. There is no man who can read or can understand that does not know the facts. Is there prejudice in it?”
----Excerpt from Defense Lawyer Clarence Darrow’s Closing Argument in the Henry Sweet Case
“We come now and lay this man’s case in the hands of a jury of our peers,--the first defense and the last defense is the protection of home and life as provided by our law. We are willing to leave it here. I feel, as I look at you, that we will be treated fairly and decently, even understandingly and kindly. You know what this case is. You know why it is. You know that if white men had been fighting their way against colored men, nobody would ever have dreamed of a prosecution. And you know that, from the beginning of this case to the end, up to the time you write your verdict, the prosecution is based on race prejudice and nothing else...Gentlemen, I feel deeply on this subject; I cannot help it. Let us take a little glance at the history of the Negro race. It only needs a minute. It seems to me that the story would melt hearts of stone. I was born in America. I could have left it if I had wanted to go away...Some other men, reading about this land of freedom that we brag about on the 4th of July, came voluntarily to America. These men, the defendants, are here because they could not help it. Their ancestors were captured in the jungles and on the plains of Africa, captured as you capture wild beasts, torn from their homes and their kindred; loaded into slave ships, packed like sardines in a box, half of them dying on the ocean passage; some jumping into the sea in their frenzy, when they had a chance to choose death in place of slavery. They were captured and brought here. They could not help it. They were bought and sold as slaves, to work without pay, because they were black...They were subjected to all of this for generations, until finally they were given their liberty, so far as the law goes,--and that is only a little way, because, after all, every human being’s life in this world is inevitably mixed with every other life and, no matter what laws we pass, no matter what precautions we take, unless the people we meet are kindly and decent and human and liberty-loving, then there is no liberty. Freedom comes from human beings, rather than from laws and institutions... Now, that is their history. These people are the children of slavery. If the race that we belong to owes anything to any human being, or to any power in this Universe, they owe it to these black men. Above all other men, they owe an obligation and a duty to these black men which can never be repaid. I never see one of them, that I do not feel I ought to pay part of the debt of my race,--and if you gentlemen feel as you should feel in this case, your emotions will be like mine...Gentlemen, you were called into this case by chance. It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. Probably we did not cull it all out at that; but we took the best and the fairest that we could find. It is up to you...Your verdict means something in this case: It means something, more than the fate of this boy. It is not often that a case is submitted to twelve men where the decision may mean a milestone in the progress of the human race. But this case does. And, I hope and I trust that you have a feeling of responsibility that will make you take it and do your duty as citizens of a great nation, and, as members of the human family, which is better still...Now, gentlemen, just one more word, and I am through with this case. I do not live in Detroit. But I have no feeling against this city. In fact, I shall always have the kindest remembrance of it, especially if this case results as I think and feel that it will. I am the last one to come here to stir up race hatred, or any other hatred. I do not believe in the law of hate. I may not be true to my ideals always, but I believe in the law of love, and I believe you can do nothing with hatred. I would like to see a time when man loves his fellow man, and forgets his color or his creed. We will never be civilized until that time comes...I know the Negro race has a long road to go. I believe the life of the Negro race has been a life of tragedy, of injustice, of oppression. The law has made him equal, but man has not. And, after all, the last analysis is, what has man done?--and not what has the law done? I know there is a long road ahead of him, before he can take the place which I believe he should take. I know that before him there is suffering, sorrow, tribulation and death among the blacks, and perhaps the whites. I am sorry. I would do what I could to avert it. I would advise patience; I would advise toleration; I would advise understanding; I would advise all of those things which are necessary for men who live together...Gentlemen, what do you think is your duty in this case? I have watched, day after day, these black, tense faces that have crowded this court. These black faces that now are looking to you twelve whites, feeling that the hopes and fears of a race are in your keeping...This case is about to end, gentlemen. To them, it is life. Not one of their color sits on this jury. Their fate is in the hands of twelve whites. Their eyes are fixed on you, their hearts go out to you, and their hopes hang on your verdict...This is all. I ask you, on behalf of this defendant, on behalf of these helpless ones who turn to you, and more than that,--on behalf of this great state, and this great city which must face this problem, and face it fairly,--I ask you, in the name of progress and of the human race, to return a verdict of not guilty in this case!”
----Excerpt from Defense Lawyer Clarence Darrow’s Closing Argument in the Henry Sweet Case
My parents raised us all not to hate people, but it's very hard for me not to hate racists (and my parents agree). They are nothing but haters; there is no room for them anywhere in this country.
I don't want to make light of this topic, but I would like to tell a story about "diversity training."
Many years ago, the company I was working for made all employees go through diversity training. During one point of the training, the instructor put up a large poster of 4 people. I don't remember who they all were, but at least one of them was described as a clean cut, white gay male businessman, wearing a nice suit. I also think he was described as being wealthy. I do believe there was also a poor Indian beggar sitting on the streets of India, and there were two other people on that poster.
Each one of us in the class was asked who we would want to be, out of those 4 people. When asked, a good friend of mine picked one of the people, and it was not the gay white male businessman.
The instructor asked, "why would you not want to be the gay white male businessman? Do you not like homosexuals?" My friend responded, no, I don't like businessmen! (my friend's sister, btw, is gay). I got a good chuckle out of that.
Check this out about the situation in Paris, Texas:
Jasper-style lynching in Paris, Texas?
Jesse Muhammad wrote on October 24, 2008, that: "When the body of a 24-year-old Black man in Paris, Texas was discovered in the middle of a busy road, law enforcement declared the case a hit and run by an unidentified driver. …Now this small racially-divided town’s worst fears are brewing, with evidence pointing towards two White men who picked up Brandon Clelland in their Dodge truck before he was found mutilated and dismembered in September." He also wrote that:
“Forensics performed by the Texas Rangers found blood from Mr. McClelland and other DNA evidence on the undercarriage of the truck which has the victim’s family calling the death a “Jasper-style” lynching. The term is a reference to the murder of a Black man in Jasper, Texas in 1998…..“The tied my son to that truck and drugged him until his body parts were detached,” said Jacqueline McClelland, the victim’s mother in an interview with The Final Call. “His body was so destroyed that it could not even be embalmed by the funeral home. This is a hate crime. I don’t want the death penalty for these killers because that would be too quick. I want them to suffer for life in jail without parole since I will never have my son back.”…. The Lamar County District Attorney has decided race is not a factor in the death of Mr. McClelland because he was friends with alleged assailants Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley. Both men are 27-years-old…..Angry family members and community activists, however, are demanding a thorough investigation into a possible hate crime they say parallels the lynching of James Byrd Jr., in Jasper, Texas, which is several hours south of Paris….According to a police report, Mr. McClelland was walking in front of the pickup a little after 4 a.m. on Sept. 16 when Mr. Finley and Mr. Crostley allegedly ran him down and dragged him up and down a Lamar County road until his disfigured body popped out from beneath the chassis…. “I don’t see how it was racial, being as how they were good friends,” said Stacy McNeal to the local press. He is the Texas Ranger who is leading the investigation….“This was not a hit and run. They (Finley’s family) hid the truck and even tried to wash the blood off. The police didn’t even tape off the crime scene and some of my son’s body parts were still lying out there,” said Ms. McClelland, as she wiped away tears….“If that would have been a White person killed they would have handled this immediately. This is just like Jasper,” she said. Ms. McClelland added that her family was forced to have the funeral quickly due to pressure applied to the funeral home director. The family wanted to delay the funeral to allow for more investigation, she said….“He (the funeral director) was told by the police to hurry up and put the body in the ground because they didn’t want any trouble coming to this town,” said Ms. McClelland. “They took the life of my only son.”…”
Read the Full Story at: http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/artic...
From Newseek Magazine on the same story:
“Long-simmering tensions in Paris have flared anew, with African-Americans accusing law enforcement of mishandling the McClelland investigation and whites complaining that out-of-town opportunists are inciting conflict. In November, a courthouse protest drew representatives of the New Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam and the NAACP on one side and white, Bible-waving hecklers and a self-identified grand titan of the Ku Klux Klan on the other. Things have reached such a nadir that the Justice Department has deployed its Community Relations Service—a sort of civil-rights SWAT team —to mediate discussions among Paris residents. "This town is being forced to look at things they never wanted to look at before," says Brenda Cherry, who lives in Paris and cofounded Concerned Citizens for Racial Equality.” …According to an arrest affidavit, Finley admitted to a friend that he intentionally ran over McClelland and dragged him for about 40 feet. Finley then circled back and saw McClelland's mutilated body and pools of blood in the roadway, the affidavit states; he and Crostley later went to a car wash to clean the truck. But apparently they didn't do a very thorough job: investigators found human blood in numerous spots on the pickup's underside. Later that day, the two went to visit McClelland's mother, Jacquline, and offered the same version of events they'd given troopers—that there had been an argument, that McClelland had exited the truck and that they'd driven off. But Finley wouldn't look her in the eye, Jacquline tells NEWSWEEK. He tried to hug her, she says, but she refused. "I got the coldest feeling come over me," she recalls. "It let me know right there, he killed my child." (Attorneys for both defendants maintain their clients' innocence but declined to discuss the case.)….
“Paris was the site of some of the country's most notorious lynchings after Reconstruction. At the county courthouse, a towering statue commemorates "Our Heroes" of the Confederate Army, and plaques mark the location of former "Negro"-only toilets. Two years ago, Paris drew national media scrutiny for the story of Shaquanda Cotton.”
Read Full Story at: http://www.newsweek.com/id/182654
cut this part out "Yet it's not at all clear that race even played a role in McClelland's death. He and the two defendants were close and had no known history of racial discord. "They were the best of friends," says Vickie Finley, Shannon's mother. "All my children and grandchildren thought the world of Brandon."
Can you read, or are you incapable of grasping contextual frameworks of language? Go back and read the following lines:
1. "The Lamar County District Attorney has decided race is not a factor in the death of Mr. McClelland because he was friends with alleged assailants Shannon Finley and Charles Ryan Crostley."
2. “I don’t see how it was racial, being as how they were good friends,” said Stacy McNeal to the local press.”
I did not leave out anything of the kind which you accuse me of. It’s your own fault that you choose to read in selective ways, rather than take the time to read all of it. You seem to be grasping at straws and looking to argue on false grounds. It’s unfortunate that you are incapable of logical thought or reasoning as well. I hope in the future you read things in full and in its contextual framework.
The title: “Jasper-style lynching in Paris, Texas?” is not a conclusive heading, either, but one that highlights questions, still to be answered. It is not relevant whether you agree with me or the story covering this incident. The question still to be answered is whether law enforcement officials have conducted or not, a “thorough investigation into a possible hate crime.”
Yes, these people may have been “friends” but that does not mean in the end that Mr. Mr. McClelland was not intentionally killed. Yet, there are obvious problems with this investigation from not properly securing the crime scene as well as improperly preserving the body of the victim. Again the article states that “this was not a hit and run. They (Finley’s family) hid the truck and even tried to wash the blood off. The police didn’t even tape off the crime scene and some of my son’s body parts were still lying out there,” said Ms. McClelland, as she wiped away tears.”
Do you know what a sworn affidavit is? According to that arrest affidavit, Finley admitted “to a friend that he intentionally ran over and dragged him for about 40 feet.” They then had “circled back and saw McClelland's mutilated body and pools of blood in the roadway, the affidavit states; he and Crostley later went to a car wash to clean the truck. But apparently they didn't do a very thorough job: investigators found human blood in numerous spots on the pickup's underside.” And, later that same day, the two killers “went to visit McClelland's mother, Jacqueline, and offered the same version of events they'd given troopers—that there had been an argument, that McClelland had exited the truck and that they'd driven off.”
Moreover, the issue of race and racism has been only ruled out by the investigating police officers. Can you comprehend this? Do you know how to read in contextual form? Whether you agree with this article, or set of events, is highly irrelevant. Historically there has been racial tensions and outright racism in Paris, Texas. And that you fail to comprehend the historical racism in Paris, Texas is also irrelevant.
I am responding to you not because you make irrelevant points or cannot read in contextual form, but to make you realize what a buffoon you are. It seems you are more interested in misrepresenting the situation in Paris, Texas by making the absurd claim that I somehow “left out significant information or facts” which are most germane to the killing. In no way did I hide the fact that some have claimed that the killing was not based on race or racism, or even these three men were pals, or at least close acquaintances.
Again, I suggest that you reread all of what I posted instead of making false/absurd claims to the contrary.
One other thing---Racism still exists in America, and it is apparent that the police officers in Paris, Texas led a racist investigation. Whether you agree with this is oh so, IRRELEVANT!!!!!
Cornerstone red flags of indoctrinated racism is total denial, deflection rather than dealing with the issue at hand, lying, and a sick ability to feel that only you have the insight to determine what is or isn't racism.
does not seem like it is done in here by many....
People in here seem to read or pick out this or that without looking at the true meaning of what is being said....Thus, distortions are made by one who thinks he/she are correctly evaluating your post(s).
In one sense, its comical, but, can also be annoying when that person cannot comprehend true meanings.
I missed that in the first part of the post, I was referring to the newsweek article, which what I posted was cut out.
And I am not denying that it is possible/probable that he was intentionally killed. I am stating that it is quite possible that it was not racially motivated.
And I also question this "it is apparent that the police officers in Paris, Texas led a racist investigation." How is it apparent that the police led a racist investigation? Because the mother said so? She also said “The tied my son to that truck and drugged him until his body parts were detached,” which is false. Do you have any evidence other that what the mother says that "Yet, there are obvious problems with this investigation from not properly securing the crime scene as well as improperly preserving the body of the victim."
Moreover, the issue of race and racism has been only ruled out by the investigating police officers. Can you comprehend this? Do you know how to read in contextual form?
The issue of race and racism has been ruled out by the D.A. not just the investigating officers. Can you comprehend this? Do you know how to read in contextual form? And who is supposed to decide on this? Law enforcement or the average joe on the street? Or the distraught parents who want them to be charged with anything possible?
This was a very sloppy investigation and the police officers did a terrible job here.....
These officers made conclusions without fully investigating the situation and not securing the crime scene....
I think you are incapable of acknowledging that racism exists.....Just because the D.A. has "ruled out" racism means nothing. Absolutely nothing...especially in Paris, Texas.....
Again----Do you know what a sworn affidavit is? According to that arrest affidavit, Finley admitted “to a friend that he intentionally ran over and dragged him for about 40 feet.” They then had “circled back and saw McClelland's mutilated body and pools of blood in the roadway, the affidavit states; he and Crostley later went to a car wash to clean the truck. But apparently they didn't do a very thorough job: investigators found human blood in numerous spots on the pickup's underside.” Again the article states that “this was not a hit and run. They (Finley’s family) hid the truck and even tried to wash the blood off. The police didn’t even tape off the crime scene and some of my son’s body parts were still lying out there,” said Ms. McClelland, as she wiped away tears.”
I reject your hyperbole and your inability to think critically about these issues regarding race....
You are going to continue to deny that racism has any bearing in American life, but, that is your right. Yes, your right to remain ignorant.....
Get a life while you are at, and try to get your brain out of your ass!
I know what a affidavit is. It is a written(usually, can be voice or video recorded)sworn statement of fact. But to be specific (since you stated arrest affidavit) A arrest affidavit states the facts and circumstances surrounding an arrest. And may include such facts as the information which led to the arrest and the observations made before and after the arrest occurred. Its also referred to as a arrest report. Oh and a sworn affidavit is a bit of a redundant, since all affidavits are sworn.
Again-- do you have any facts to back up that the investigation was sloppy? Or that the police did a terrible job? Other than the mothers statement? Or that race played any part in this? And I don't deny that racism has any bearing in America, I just do not see any proof that this was caused by racism.
The statement by the friend did not state a racist reason, just that it was intended. And yes they washed the blood off. Wouldn't most criminals? Racially motivated or not?
I reject your hyperbole and your inability to think critically about these issues without seeing racism at every turn.
“Now, gentlemen, I say you are prejudiced. I fancy everyone of you are, otherwise you would have some companions amongst these colored people. You will overcome it, I believe, in the trial of this case. But they tell me there is no race prejudice, and it is plain nonsense, and nothing else. Who are we, anyway? A child is born into this world without any knowledge of any sort. He has a brain which is a piece of putty; he inherits nothing in the way of knowledge or of ideas. If he is white, he knows nothing about color....Gentlemen, I feel deeply on this subject; I cannot help it. Let us take a little glance at the history of the Negro race. It only needs a minute. It seems to me that the story would melt hearts of stone. I was born in America. I could have left it if I had wanted to go away...Some other men, reading about this land of freedom that we brag about on the 4th of July, came voluntarily to America. These men, the defendants, are here because they could not help it. Their ancestors were captured in the jungles and on the plains of Africa, captured as you capture wild beasts, torn from their homes and their kindred; loaded into slave ships, packed like sardines in a box, half of them dying on the ocean passage; some jumping into the sea in their frenzy, when they had a chance to choose death in place of slavery. They were captured and brought here. They could not help it. They were bought and sold as slaves, to work without pay, because they were black...They were subjected to all of this for generations, until finally they were given their liberty, so far as the law goes,--and that is only a little way, because, after all, every human being’s life in this world is inevitably mixed with every other life and, no matter what laws we pass, no matter what precautions we take, unless the people we meet are kindly and decent and human and liberty-loving, then there is no liberty. Freedom comes from human beings, rather than from laws and institutions... Now, that is their history. These people are the children of slavery. If the race that we belong to owes anything to any human being, or to any power in this Universe, they owe it to these black men. Above all other men, they owe an obligation and a duty to these black men which can never be repaid. I never see one of them, that I do not feel I ought to pay part of the debt of my race,--and if you gentlemen feel as you should feel in this case, your emotions will be like mine...Gentlemen, you were called into this case by chance. It took us a week to find you, a week of culling out prejudice and hatred. Probably we did not cull it all out at that; but we took the best and the fairest that we could find. It is up to you.”
Open your eyes because as of now, you are not only ignorant but an apologist for white racism and most likely from your own racial hatred. I have scanned your posts on C&L and it appears that you have lots of racial hatred in your heart just by the words and attitudes you display.....You are very transparent and quite defensive....
I am not ignorant or an apologist for racism of any kind. Nor do I feel that I am a racist. I judge people by their words and actions, not what color their skin is. If the two in the Paris, TX are found guilty (and from what I have read about it hopefully they will be) I have no problem with them being sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, nor would I have any problem if McClelland was armed and killed the two of them before they ran him over(better scenario in my opinion). And from what I know of the Henry Sweet cases, I wouldn't of convicted on murder either, although I would probably convict on accidental homicide. They had a valid reason for using deadly force, against the people who were throwing rocks, not against some guy with his back turned on a porch across the street. Unless he could show how said person was a threat to his life and health, then I wouldn't convict on that either. As a person licensed to carry a handgun, I accept and understand the fact that if I am forced to use it(which will hopefully be never) in defense of mine or my family's lives and I hit someone else I am liable for it.
And for being defensive, shouldn't a person defend themselves?
LeftandLeft,
I know it....this person acts very much like a child in its postings....Some people not only never grow up but lack intellectual maturity.....This person Timjoebillybob would not get very far if he called Joe Madison or Mark Thompson's radio programs.....This guy would be laughed out of most rooms, other than white supremacist group meetings or on the Glen Beck or Sean Hannity programs. Beck, Savage, Boortz, Limbaugh, Hannity, and Levine are all racists.....
You are in total denial of the facts.
explain to me what facts I am in denial of?
the "paid leave" that the police ALWAYS get. ALWAYS. Even here. They can pull out their gun on main street and shoot someone right between the eyes, but until the investigation is finished they are always on paid leave. Who the f*ck else gets that in this world? Anyone? Why do these asshats stride around like they are Gawd's gift to all that is law and treat everyone as guilty till proven innocent, yet they always get the benefit of an investigation? Fire the bastards.
is that so many apologists are out there making excuses for police officers by the day......
Establishment figures as well as police officers seldom APOLOGIZE and when it does occur, it's for self-serving reasons. The establishment in the U.S. has and continues to get worse and worse in their attitudes and behavior and laws reflect this.
When the establishment continues to piss all over the people with their new laws and lack of care, but, think nothing of its zero tolerance policies and complete disregard for the welfare of all Americans, then you have the culture which is here upon us now.
people who received that in the private sector. Unless it is totally clear cut, its not uncommon for large companies/corporations to do so. A couple of companies I have worked for had policies for that, attendance and a few others were automatic termination, if it required investigation it suspended with pay pending determination. Some also just suspended without pay pending determination.
These people are not in trouble with their superiors for forwarding a racist email. They are in trouble for forwarding personal emails on company time and computers. The only heat these people will feel is from the “unrelated discrimination suit against the department”. Their defense in the civil suit will go something like this: “If it weren’t for the diversity training, this minority female employee wouldn’t have even been aware that she could sue us. Now look where it’s gotten us.” Blame the diversity training, not their failure to learn from it. Please remember, nothing is ever their fault.
From HuffPost:
As usual, HuffPost headlines are a bit sensationalized, but the momentum shift is troubling.
like a trial baloon from the blue dogs.
Where was all the indignation...
...when all the anti-muslim emails were being circulated after 9/11?
These emails are bull. They are off color, politically incorrect, and typically stupid drivel.
The targets of the racism should turn their backs on it. Slough it off like water off a ducks back. By responding to it, it only lends the perpetrators creedence.
Yes, the perpetrators should be punished... for using government equipment for personal use. They should also have their mouths washed out with soap for repeating the filth.
and knew (without seeing this came from the Fort Worth Star Telegram) that this had to be in Texas. I live in Texas and will say, without equivocation, this is a disgrace. These "officers" need to be fired immediately. No wonder everyone else in this country things Texans are crazy (a side note here: I'm not FROM Texas or A Texan, I just live here).
died the average IQ in Texas dropped into negative territory.
..."depicted as a witch doctor was just done in good--clean---American---fun"
At least they were being honest with their humor :-/... Jon Stewart they're not!
sure! ...even crooks and liars is guilty of it sometimes.
if the Obama picture was racist
...then this picture of Michelle Bachmann is surely sexist wouldnt you say?
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/gop-mo...
... No, I can't say with absolute surety.
Amended: sexist
1. Discrimination based on gender, especially discrimination against women.
2. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender
is a homophobe but she does make relevant/good points about the Federal Reserve and bailing out the banksters.....
Yes, perhaps that picture of Rep. Bachmann was sexist, indeed.
So, you would also finally agree that the picture of Obama was equally racist compared to the sexism in the Bachmann photo?
By the way, has Rep. Bachmann done any investigations into the anti-Americanism of Democratic Party members in Congress yet? She made that promise and I expect her to keep it....I know that good Christian men and women don't like to lie when they make promises.
Rep Bachmann is a joke
Resolution Proclaiming Hawaii Obama's Birthplace Passes House Unanimously
Stuff like this makes all cops look bad. I keep telling my friends that the good cops outnumber the racist and corrupt ones. They never believe me.
sadly
The good ones don't get in the news.
meet for a beer. I wonder if anyone on the right thinks these cops acted stupidly? If this is the tone after sensitivity training, could you imagine what it was like before?
I truly hope there is a petition cirulating that demands the firing of these racists and they loose all benefits including retirement and unemployment benefits. Maybe they could get a job mowing the lawn in front of the NAACP office.
...this incident -- at least vis a vis the diversity training which these officers went through (apparently under duress) -- proves the truth of the old adage which says "you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink." If a person is sufficiently convinced that what he/she believes is true and/or correct, and especially if he/she is also possessed of a stubborn and closed-minded temperament which does not allow for much introspection, then it's highly unlikely that training -- no matter how well-intentioned or carefully designed -- will have much impact on that person's views. Unfortunately, cops collectively are not exactly famous for being the most easygoing and open-minded of souls since that would be somewhat problematic given the nature of their work. Sadly, racial and/or ethnic prejudice often seems to be an occupational hazard of sorts for cops due to the fact that a disproportionate number of offenders are African-American or Latino (even though this is usually a function of socio-economic class more than anything else). I am by no means trying to justify what the officers did -- far from it. This behavior was utterly inexcusable and went far beyond a simple "lapse in judgment", particularly since it suggests underlying attitudes which (paradoxically) carry a significant potential to have a detrimental impact on the proper performance of their jobs.
Part of me is inclined to think that anyone who forwarded the e-mail should be punished more severely than anyone who merely opened it, since e-mail recipients do not always have the ability to know what a message contains before opening it. Depending on the wording of the subject line, I don't think opening the message necessarily implies or constitutes agreement with the sentiments contained therein -- while forwarding it to someone else does. However, when you bring computer viruses into the equation, the possibility exists that anyone who simply opened this message could have jeopardized the security of the police department's computer system -- no small matter -- and such a person should be required to face a penalty, since it's not as if they don't know any better!
(I wrote the Chief of Police and said that if being ignorant and racist constitutes a "good cop" - a quote from the article I read called them good cops - what constitutes a bad cop? Surprise, the Chief has nothing but good things to say about those jerks:)
Dear (name redacted),
Are these bad cops or did they just make a very bad decision in a nano-second by forwarding a racially insensitive email intended to be political satire. Perhaps you need to know a bit more about them before you make that judgment. Two of these employees have volunteered literally thousands of hours over the course of their careers to Santa Cop/Santa Spot, a private non-profit that not only provides Christmas to the disadvantaged of our community but also provides food, clothing and yes even toys to families and children who are the victims of tragedies such as fires, floods, weather related incidents, etc. through out the year. In the past 11 years that I have been Chief, I know for a fact that amounts to over 1,300 disadvantaged and less fortunate children per year or at least 14,300 children who would have not had a Christmas had it not been for likes of these “bad cops”. Bad cops don’t do that - do they?
Yes they made a very bad mistake for which they will pay a very heavy price but bad cops? In this case the consequence these employees will face also includes, in addition to any disciplinary action I may deem appropriate, a tarnished career. That by far outweighs any discipline I am capable of administering. They will recover at some point financially from lost wages, but how can they ever remove a very real and very ugly tarnish from what in this case have been previously unblemished careers of sterling service to our community and to our profession. I doubt they will ever recover from that damage they have inflicted on themselves due to a nano-second decision to pass along a racially insensitive e-mail that someone thought was political satire. That is the part that really breaks my heart. I know these employees well and I feel that I know their heart and they are not racist, but from now on and forever their reputations will be tarnished as such and that tarnish is not likely to fade with time.
Please make no mistake, I do not condone or accept what these employees have done. When it comes to racially insensitive humor there is no place for it in our profession and for that matter in our lives.
I hope this helps you better understand our “bad cops” a bit better. Let me also assure you this is an isolated incident that is not indicative of our Department. As a whole I am proud of those who serve here.
Respectfully,
Glen Hill
Chief of Police
in other words, no punishment.
they got a "call" about a "distressed person" in apartment 14F. my friend lives in 7F. The first apartment is in building 14, the second in building 7. They almost kicked in the door. Then, when my friend answers, he opens the door to face three police with guns drawn.
I wonder whether, if the police were the type to 'innocently' send around racist emails, these police would have shot my friend and claim they were following proper police procedure.
Or maybe, as I told my friend, after a black president called the stupid police action in Cambridge "stupid". The message got out that the police should maybe be a little smarter than to kill a man in his home and then rely on the tried-and-true method of exclaiming their "fear" which was natural because he was black.
I am interested in what will become of Barack Hussein Obama's "Teaching Moment". Very interested.
I saw it the other day and was INCENSED.
I figured someone would come across it. I just clicked away and was disgusted.
I called & emailed the ACLU, NAACP, & all the hospitals that McKalip works at. He has taken a leave of absence from the local AMA chapter but is still on the board of the state chapter, FLAMA. WE must all urge the FLAMA to kick him off the board! Call, fax, write, whatever. It'll work if the heat gets high enough.
...that racisms was dead. However, it is no longer the majoritarian position. There are too many smart, successful blacks in high-profile posistions of authrority for that to be true. Dusty Baker? Cecil Gaston? (Obviously, I'm a baseball fan.)And Obama did get a clear majority of the vote.
There are still a ton of racist a-holes, but clearly they are a dying breed. And if the Republicans want to embrace these cheeseheads, I say more power to them. I'm a Democrat and Americans generally don't like racists.
So whassamatter with witch-doctors?
Instead of paying em, you burn em at the stake.
For violating department policy??
Why do the citizens of Grand Prairie put up with that nonsense???
If the citizens of Grand Prairie are fine with their tax dollars being used to give paid vacations to public employees who violate their department policies I guess I should look into getting a job with the city there. I'm sure I could make some violation that didn't hurt anyone and finally have a paid vacation for the first time in many many years.
...were probably just passing on some e-mail that they had received from someone else.
You know, kind of like if they had passed on some blatantly graphic child pornography.
No big deal.
...were probably just passing on some e-mail that they had received from someone else.
You know, kind of like if they had passed on some blatantly graphic child pornography.
No big deal.
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