“Now, ma’am, I did not call your son a nigger. I said he was acting like a nigger by disrupting my class. So again, if you’d please put down that broken bottle…”
I know the whole thing has been sent in a tizzy over the racial aspect, and I’m outraged at that too, but also demonstrating that this man should not be on any police force is this:
Of course suspects have rights! Hasn’t he ever heard of this whole thing about courts and lawyers and proof? Being a suspect doesn’t eliminate rights!
And of course, to pile onto the heap o’stupid:
What kind of racist ass describes the social and racial divide as a ‘great’ thing? Does he really think that if movement between social classes were not impeded by race this country would be less free?
This kind of attitude is inimical to equitable provision of public service, BPD should say goodbye to him.
Here’s a question for you, sir: if, in fact, your client had wanted to characterize Professor Gates as a banana-eating jungle monkey, how should he have phrased his email differently so as to make that distinction?
I think racists are often casually enabled by their friends and environment, so they often don’t have any idea how completely inappropriate or unpopular their sentiments really are–until they have access to a wider public forum and feel the enormous backlash that (it would seem, inexplicably) blindsides them. How much you want to bet that he thought his letter would be a rallying point for the “myriad” of others who felt the same way?
Agreed.
Sent the e-mail from his department e-mail account, possibly. Good question, though.
You’re kidding, right?
In the GD thread, there were people suggesting that Gates’ claims of racism were significant justification for his arrest.
It’s true. Nowadays you have to actually say in front of witnesses “I’m a racist” and show your hands so everyone can see you’re not crossing your fingers. Then you’re an ‘alleged racist.’
I parsed this sentence differently. I don’t think that Officer Dumbass was saying the racial/social divide makes this country great, but rather it contributes to its “crazy and awkward differences.”
According to this article, he was off duty and sent it from his personal account. Otherwise they’d be able to bring up “inappropriate use of employers equipment” to his disciplinary/firing hearing. He did send it to fellow cops and National Guardsmen, and apparently they’re the ones who reported it to the police dept.
The .pdf that someone posted suggests that it was sent from a Yahoo! account.
Maybe he can pretend that he got it as an email forward from his wacko racist grandmother or somesuch, and that he just passed it along.
And removed all of the identifying header information, because that shit is just obnoxious. It’s just common courtesy to delete that.
The man is a racist moron and not only is he unfit to be a LEO but I find it disturbing that he managed to become one in the first place.
It would be nice if he got an African American defence lawyer.
That’s just a chunk out of the middle. Barret is no friend to Mr. Paragraph. One suspects his coworkers have been panting for an opportunity to sack this cretin.
If only so they didn’t have to read any more of his written crime scene reports. 
People, people! You are not seeing the silver lining here, not only is this cretin going to end up without a job, he’ll also have some legal bills to pay. I find that a just desert, not because of his racism, but his terminal idiocy.
If the BPD leaves him employed, this email is going to come up as evidence in the trial of the next minority person this guy arrests.
Is there a chance they’ll only demote him to lollipop “lady”?
In what universe is not saying that someone is but rather acted like a “banana eating jungle monkey” not racist? 
I mean, are there people who really think that way?
I see what you mean, but he uses “great” twice there - once before “country,” which I understand, and once before “racial/social divide,” which I think is a sign of douchebaggery.
You are correct, Sir.
I’ll bet dollars to donuts that the BPD settles and he gets a nice chunk of change. Well, nuisance value, at any rate. Say $5k after legal fees.