Macomb Sherriff accused of some pretty ugly stuff by deputy.

**brizee** · October-24-13, 10:54 AM

In this day and age you'd expect career professionals to be a little bit smarter about hiding their racism. But then again they are cops after all.

http://www.macombdaily.com/social-af...tion-by-bosses

**motz** · October-24-13, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by brizee

http://www.macombdaily.com/social-af...tion-by-bosses

In this day and age you'd expect career professionals to be a little bit smarter about hiding their racism. But then again they are cops after all.

Cops + Macomb = Not shocked at all. Not one bit.

**bailey** · October-24-13, 01:23 PM

Originally Posted by motz

Cops + Macomb = Not shocked at all. Not one bit.

On March 23, 2008, Easter Sunday, Langley discovered the screen saver on his patrol vehicle’s computer featured a black cartoon figure drinking beer and roasting a pig on an island that was surrounded by sharks, accompanied by the words, “I smell bacon.”

Um. maybe it's my white privilege here, but how is this racist? I mean what does it even mean?

**Hermod** · October-24-13, 01:29 PM

Very misleading title. This is a discrimination court suit against the Macomb County Sheriffs Department as an institution and not about misconduct on the part of the sheriff himself.

Difficult to see which way a jury will jump.

**motz** · October-24-13, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Um. maybe it's my white privilege here, but how is this racist? I mean what does it even mean?

I'm pretty sure they weren't changing the screensaver on the white officers patrol computers to have a white guy on an island, drinking beer, roasting a pig, surrounded by sharks. If even ONE of these is true, this is one of those "take names and let the heads roll" kind of events.

**jaytheory** · October-24-13, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by bailey

Um. maybe it's my white privilege here, but how is this racist? I mean what does it even mean?

your not serious right? this is the problem with this country, no one understands history.

Just google minstrel or black caricature then read the literature that they represent.

If true, this was the officers attempt to say you dont belong here, its not for you, you are alone on an island and have no back up. we will not help you and do not like you. and the bit with the Aryan literature, i think that was is self explanatory.

Why should someone have to deal with that at work?

Would it be ok for a say DPD or another mainly black department to put Farrakhan [[and he is no were as bad as Aryans, just that there aren't any black groups that have caused as much racial violence, best example I can think of) literature in the squad car of white officers?

if the officers filing the suit is telling the truth this is unacceptable and in America we have to assume he is telling the truth until proven otherwise

**bailey** · October-24-13, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by jaytheory

your not serious right? this is the problem with this country, no one understands history.

Just google minstrel or black caricature then read the literature that they represent.

If true, this was the officers attempt to say you dont belong here, its not for you, you are alone on an island and have no back up. we will not help you and do not like you. and the bit with the Aryan literature, i think that was is self explanatory.

The caricature wasn't, per the article, a cop on an island surrounded by sharks. the caricature was a black guy drinking a beer and grilling on an island and the sharks were saying "i smell bacon". Who is the shark? If it's a threat, why is the guy chilling on the beach? isn't "I smell bacon" a slam on cops in general?

I would get the "threat"/racism of it if it were a cop, looking distressed or stranded or something... maybe the written description is not conveying the tone correctly.
....

if the officers filing the suit is telling the truth this is unacceptable and in America we have to assume he is telling the truth until proven otherwise

Look, I'm not saying that the litany of things the officer alleges didn't happen. I just didn't get that particular one.

**Jason** · October-24-13, 04:44 PM

My favorite comment on the article is "once can tell by the tone of the comments that this is definately the macomb Daily"

Apparently he found the neo nazi book in his patrol car because he's a lazy nigger [[which, as the corrections officer explained, is not offensive) who only got his job because of affirmative action, at the expense of good hard working white men who pay their taxes...

**motz** · October-25-13, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by Jason

My favorite comment on the article is "once can tell by the tone of the comments that this is definately the macomb Daily"

Apparently he found the neo nazi book in his patrol car because he's a lazy nigger [[which, as the corrections officer explained, is not offensive) who only got his job because of affirmative action, at the expense of good hard working white men who pay their taxes...

I bet that same racist cop thinks this guy collects welfare and food stamps or something equally as dumb. Seriously Macomb, get your stuff together. Acting like the home of Kid Rock is NOT a good thing.

**downtownguy** · October-25-13, 12:46 PM

He worked as a Mount Clemens police officer from 1995 to 2005, when the department was absorbed into the sheriff's department in July.

... as one of three blacks among 192 deputies...

3 black deputies of 192 = 1.5%
Macomb County per 2010 census: White-83.9%; African American-8.6%
Mt. Clemens per 2010 census: White-70.0%; African American-24.8%

The Sheriff has had 8 years since absorbing the Mt. Clemens Police Department to better reflect the racial diversity in that city. It makes you wonder how serious they are about protecting the rights of any person of color in the county.

**JBMcB** · October-25-13, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by jaytheory

if the officers filing the suit is telling the truth this is unacceptable and in America we have to assume he is telling the truth until proven otherwise

Wait, what? In other words the sheriff he's making accusations about is guilty until proven otherwise?

**Mikeg** · October-26-13, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by jaytheory

if the officers filing the suit is telling the truth this is unacceptable and in America we have to assume he is telling the truth until proven otherwise

Originally Posted by JBMcB

Wait, what? In other words the sheriff he's making accusations about is guilty until proven otherwise?

It appears that "jaytheory" would probably agree with the twisted view of American jurisprudence espoused by the former [[and recently deceased) Speaker of the House Tom Foley [[Democrat-Washington State) who once stated, “The nature of the evidence is irrelevant; it’s the seriousness of the charge that matters.”

**finster** · October-26-13, 11:31 AM

Every time I think progress on race relations in this area is improving I read comments like the ones on that Macomb Daily article or on COD and I am completely deflated. Most commentators won't even concede that something might be 1.2% true or it will totally wreck their world view. Unbelievable.

**downtownguy** · October-26-13, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

Wait, what? In other words the sheriff he's making accusations about is guilty until proven otherwise?

You are absolutely right, and as the trial plays out hopefully they can cut through the hyperbole and get to the facts. However, with the preponderance of accusations and the weak responses coming from the department, I wouldn't be betting on the county.

**beachboy** · October-27-13, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by Hermod

Difficult to see which way a jury will jump.

Article sez: "Langley's attorney, Deborah Gordon ..."

Deborah L. Gordon is a trial lawyer who has specialized in employment and civil rights law for over 30 years. She graduated from The University of Michigan and The University of Detroit School of Law. She was Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan in the Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Division, and Senior Trial Attorney for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [[EEOC) prior to entering private practice in 1980.
[...]
And yes, for you long-time Detroiters, Deborah is the daughter of the late Lou Gordon, of WKBD’s "The Lou Gordon Program". Lou was described this way in a recently-published book: "He was Detroit’s Mike Wallace, a broadcast cop who cowered before no one. The bigger the interview, the tougher he got. [...] Gordon was, by far, the most feared man in television, maybe in the history of the local medium." [[From Soupy to Nuts! A History of Detroit Television, by Tim Kiska, Momentum Books LLC, 2005).[From: http://www.deborahgordonlaw.com/Atto...L-Gordon.shtml ]

**Wesley Mouch** · October-27-13, 02:25 AM

Originally Posted by jaytheory

...if the officers filing the suit is telling the truth this is unacceptable and in America we have to assume he is telling the truth until proven otherwise

Why on earth would we assume he's telling the truth. Its just an accusation. The later post with Tom Foley's quotation says it all.

Innocent until proven guilty. It applies no matter what the accusation and how horrible it is.

**poobert** · October-28-13, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by finster

Every time I think progress on race relations in this area is improving I read comments like the ones on that Macomb Daily article or on COD and I am completely deflated. Most commentators won't even concede that something might be 1.2% true or it will totally wreck their world view. Unbelievable.

Expect it to get worse. You can already see it alluded to in the comments. With housing prices being very low in Warren and Eastpointe, many black folks are able to move from Detroit to those places, which would have been unheard of 25 years ago. While many are good, hardworking people, many have all kinds of issues that they are bringing with them. Have fun with that, Macomb.

**Gistok** · October-28-13, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Expect it to get worse. You can already see it alluded to in the comments. With housing prices being very low in Warren and Eastpointe, many black folks are able to move from Detroit to those places, which would have been unheard of 25 years ago. While many are good, hardworking people, many have all kinds of issues that they are bringing with them. Have fun with that, Macomb.

Ah yes... but guess what's staying behind!!

The folks moving out of Detroit will be in for a culture shock as well... no more boom boxes [[Macomb cities give out hundreds of noise nusance citations every year)... 5 minute 911 response time.... criminals won't be used to "not getting away with it"!

**antongast** · November-01-13, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by Wesley Mouch

Why on earth would we assume he's telling the truth. Its just an accusation. The later post with Tom Foley's quotation says it all.

Innocent until proven guilty. It applies no matter what the accusation and how horrible it is.

This sounds just a tad disingenuous coming from the guy who keeps loudly insisting racism is fake.

**313WX** · November-01-13, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Ah yes... but guess what's staying behind!!

The folks moving out of Detroit will be in for a culture shock as well... no more boom boxes [[Macomb cities give out hundreds of noise nusance citations every year)... 5 minute 911 response time.... criminals won't be used to "not getting away with it"!

All of that will cease to be the case if you can't convince your neighbor Frank Rizzo that the neighborhood isn't going downhill and that he must move to Shelby Township just because too many "Detroiters" are moving in.

Just ask the folks in NE and NW Detroit who thought the same thing about the Cass Corridor and the rest of inner city Detroit back in 1973.