Boston Cop Suspended For Gates Slur

(AP)  A Boston police officer was suspended Wednesday for allegedly using a racial slur to describe black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and a New York City government aide resigned after posting Facebook comments about the scholar's controversial arrest.

Boston police put two-year officer Justin Barrett on administrative leave pending a termination hearing. Barrett, 36, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Barrett's union, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said they condemn and "strongly denounce these statements as being offensive and hurtful."

But the union added that investigators should consider all the facts and not rush to a conclusion.

Police said Barrett does not have previous violations with the department.

A person with knowledge of the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about it, said Barrett, a member of the National Guard, used the racial slur in messages to guardsmen and to The Boston Globe.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told WCVB-TV the city needs "to rid the department of that cancer."

"An individual preaching hate has no place in our society," Menino told the local television station.

The mayor told WCVB-TV that Barrett was trained in racial profiling prevention and had shown no signs of racial discrimination in the past.

Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct in his home near Harvard University by a white police officer who was responding to a report of a possible burglary. The charge was later dropped but the case sparked a national debate over racial profiling, one that was intensified when President Barack Obama said Cambridge police "acted stupidly."

Gates did not return phone messages left at his home seeking comment.

Meanwhile, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer accepted the resignation of Lee Landor, his deputy press secretary, after she called Gates a racist and referred to President Barack Obama as "O-dumb-a."

Landor's comments on the social networking site Facebook were inappropriate, Stringer said in a statement.

Landor defended her entries, but added: "It is understandable that a black man encountering police will be suspicious of racial profiling, based on the long history of racism in this country."

[shushuuu]

Just to say that I disagree with profiling, labeling, name calling. Seems like some people have to label something or someone before they are able to deal with a situation or a person. I believe it can get out of hand. If two people trying to work out a situation become upset, personalities clash,they start calling each other names, how can they get anything acomplished? NO wonder our country can't get anything done. Too many angry people wanting to get revenge on others because they think they are better then every one else! I have heard it said: "We may consider ourselves generous, honest, or deeply committed to a particular truth or ideal, but the depth of these dynamics only reveals itself when we're under pressure". When our beliefs are tested or tried, who are we really? Yes, I believe the policeman should not have taken gates to jail. The policeman should have been more helpful when he first found out that Gates was the person who owned the house. (Do we pay taxes for policemen on our streets to make peace@protect us, or bully@abuse us?) Policemen can have poor judgement too! What makes it worse is, THEY ARE THE ONES WITH THE GUNS! I wonder how the story would have gone if Gates went to all his neighbers first to let them know that he was locked out of his house...or maybe if the two policemen put their heads together and came up with a better way to handle the problem...maybe call Gates home, talk to Gates on the phone and calm things down. ...How would you handle it if you were the police, or if you were Gates?

[gp-usa]

?An individual preaching hate has no place in our society,? Menino told the local television station.
Does this go for Rev? Wright also?

[healthychickenalmanac]

If this guy ever arrests anyone they will have an automatic police discrimination issue. Minorities because he is a racist. Others because he he has an attitude. He's dangerous and might Pepper Spray some innocent home owner.

[areuforreal]

What ever happened to the U.S. being a melting pot for all those who wish to be free from religious persecution, or racial persecution, etc. Give me your tired huddled masses has now become if you do not agree with me you are racist anti Christian, anti semitic, anti Buddhist, anti Muslim, anti black, anti white, and so on and so on. The way I understand it, we are ALL american and there is no place in our society for people who propagate hatred. As Nelson Mandela says in that commercial that I am sure most of us have seen, "No one is born hating another. Hatred must be learned." I sincerely hope our children will learn to accept people as being different yet the same. We ALL bleed red, We could learn something from children, not to hate because of preconceived notions, but to accept someone based on their character. For the religious people out there, "Judge not lest thee be judged.
I understand that my thoughts here may seem naive and idealistic, but wouldn't be nice for a change. I will try, how about the rest of you.

[jeanise55]

enough of this back and forth, we live in america and we know how nasty the police can b. they don't have to be racist to be nasty, white people have the same conplaint as black people about their behavior it is just that it happens to us more. All police are not bad some of them are respectful, helpful and fair. as with all people.

[HGOODGUY]

THE SIMPLE FACT IS THIS
OFFICER CROWLEY MADE A BLATENTLY OFFENSIVE AND TOTALLY RACIST REMARK!!! THIS WAS NOT JUST A REMARK--IT WAS AN E MAIL POST!!

THIS IS NOT ANYTHING THAT VIOLATES FIRST AMANDMENT RIGHTS--HOWEVER THIS WAS AN ACTION BY A POLICE OFFICER WHO IS AUTHERIZED TO INFORCE THE LAW AND ALSO TO CARRY A WEAPON!!

WOULD YOU WANT A COP DEALING WITH YOU IF YOU KNOW HE HAS THIS ATTITUDE???

ON SOMEONE LIKE THAT YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT HE HAS CHOICE WORDS FOR HISPANICS-JEWS-ITALIANS AND ANY OTHER MINORITY!!

IT IS THE NATURE OF THE BEAST!!!

FIRE HIS ASS NOW!!!!

[parrots7]

Landor defended her entries, but added: ?It is understandable that a black man encountering police will be suspicious of racial profiling, based on the long history of racism in this country.?




If it's Understandable, then why is she still defending her entries ?? Dumb Repugs !

[docpeter1953]

From the above article, ?An individual preaching hate has no place in our society,? Menino told the local television station."
________________________

Does that also include Jesse and Al?

[areuforreal]

No race has a monopoly on being racist. No race has a monopoly on being stupid either. short but profound

[TheMasses2009]

Gates is the Uncle Tom for Maobama.
That's why he's drinking Red Stripe - the beer of Commies.

[noloyalisti]

Man, did you graduate from 6th grade? I doubt it. Oh, I get it, that was joke. You know this free Internet you are posting on is socialist.

I hope the white wing wackos like on Faux News and CNN are going to apologize now for blaming Gates and Obama for speaking out.

[griz326]

This is about adjudicating offenses against politically correct speech. Free speech is only free if it is politically correct. If it is politically incorrect, then is criminal in the eyes of some. ...but free speech has never really been free. If you want to describe someone as an uppity n*****, a greasy Wop, a drunken Mick or use any one of a thousand other derogatory descriptions, that's not a crime; it is a reflection on the speaker of the writer. If someone says something like that in the workplace, they need to be called into the office, but on their Facebook page it is their private life.

PS - Isn't it interesting how I felt the need to use asterisks for slurs against blacks, but feel fully confidant Italian and Irish readers can read through the words and take the meaning.