California Mayor's 'Watermelon White House' email

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is finding himself in hot water after sending out this fake photo of watermelons on President Barack Obama's White House front lawn.

Grose's email included the heading, "No Easter Egg hunt this year."

"I think he's saying that since there's a black president, there will be no need to hunt for eggs since they're growing watermelons in the front yard this year," said Keyanus Price, an African American who was among those receiving the email. Price told Fletcher that she considers the email rascist and offensive.

"What I'm concerned about is how can this person send an e-mail out like this and think it is OK?" Price said. "He's putting the city into a bad place and he is a liability."

Grose apologized to Price, city council members and others.

"It was just poor judgment on my part and I am deeply sorry," he said.

http://totalbuzz.freedomblogging.com/2009/...-rascist/13675/

[Peikko 1,575]

More of the 'stop getting your panties in a wad, it's only a joke' defense. Pathetic.

[Jenn! 918]

If you're going to make a bigoted joke, at least make it original. At this point, who would even find a watermelon joke humorous?

[HAL 9000 96]

Man ####### is up with some folks these days... chickens... monkeys... watermelon... and its all a joke too...

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...from Daily Kos:

letter of apology

(Mayor Dean Grose's apology letter to the City Council, Price and her boss)

I am deeply embarrassed in receiving your email, and for any harm or hurt that it may have caused. It was poor judgement on my part and was never intended to be offensive to Ms. Price, your company or anyone in the African American Community. I have exchanged emails with Ms. Price in the past.

I can fully understand your concerns and comments. Please be advised that I have left a voice mail for Ms. Price and will also be sending her a separate email with my apology. You can be assured that I will not allow this to happen again. I in no way was representing the City of Los Alamitos, or my role as a council member in sending this out and it went via my private business email. That doesn't justify the fact that it was sent, however, we gratefully appreciate the contributions that your company makes to our community and I wish to publically apologize to anyone within the firm or organization that may have been offended.

I am truly sorry.

Dean Grose

Now we've all at least probably received off color (pardon the pun) emails from time to time. I am very careful what I forward. But this guy is a racist and a stupid one at that.

But what really got me were the comments from some of the rednecks on the OC Register website. The OC Register is a libertarian paper. Orange County, traditionally a GOP bastion ALMOST went for Obama this year. McCain won by only 3 pts. Things are changing.

But check this sh!t out.

This is so ridiculous. Obviously the Mayor did not send this email to offend this business woman. This business woman called Orange County Register to make this email public. Why would she make this public? All this business woman had to do is email this Mayor and tell him that she was offended, and that should have been the end of it. I think she may have a beef other than this email with the Mayor. I get emails all the time and if an email offends me I delete that particular email. This just seems a little odd to me that she would bring this email to the public's attention.

Sure make the black person the instigator. Typical bullsh!t

One more.

still don't get it. I'm italian, I don't get offened if people associate pasta to us, and I doubt the Germans get offended by sausage being associated with them. Please, someone explain why watermelon is such an offensive image for African Americans. I don't get it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/2/25/94455/9183

[Jenn! 918]

What's a private business email account anyway?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

What's a private business email account anyway?

It's a faulty defense because if that's the case, what is the Mayor doing sending non-business related emails through that account?

[_Simpson_ 250]

Blacks like watermelons, white people cant dance. Is this another case of extreme sensitivity when it comes to blacks or is there more to the story than just blacks are known to like watermelon?

[Peikko 1,575]

Blacks like watermelons, white people cant dance. Is this another case of extreme sensitivity when it comes to blacks or is there more to the story than just blacks are known to like watermelon?

You can't really be that ignorant, can you?

[peejay 327]

This guy should be beaten to a pulp and then summarily shot on live TV...along with his wife, kids, siblings, and parents. Then these types of jokes will disappear from the USA forever.

It worked for Stalin.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is finding himself in hot water after sending out this fake photo of watermelons on President Barack Obama's White House front lawn.

Grose's email included the heading, "No Easter Egg hunt this year."

"

[_Simpson_ 250]

Blacks like watermelons, white people cant dance. Is this another case of extreme sensitivity when it comes to blacks or is there more to the story than just blacks are known to like watermelon?

You can't really be that ignorant, can you?

anythings possible if you put your mind to it

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is finding himself in hot water after sending out this fake photo of watermelons on President Barack Obama's White House front lawn.

Grose's email included the heading, "No Easter Egg hunt this year."

"

You find that email funny?

[HAL 9000 96]

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose is finding himself in hot water after sending out this fake photo of watermelons on President Barack Obama's White House front lawn.

Grose's email included the heading, "No Easter Egg hunt this year."

"

You find that email funny?

It is rather odd how some get upset that GWB gets called Dubya for being what he is and then the same folks laugh it up in good cheer when obvious tasteless racial epithets get tossed around jokingly.

I find that a little hypocritical. Don't you?

[Peikko 1,575]

What I fail to see, is any form of humour in this. Please Mr Bill, you are laughing hysterically, what do you find so humerous? Or, are you just laughing because the Mayor is being a jackass?

I can see there is a certain lassitude amongst those who feel that now's the time to let bygones be bygones and you know what, all well and good but to suggest that somehow the idea that there is anything inherently funny in Barack Obama turning the white house lawn into a watermelon patch for Easter, particularly considering that Easter is not the harvest time for watermelons if you remove the stereotypical associations that were routinely used to demean and undermine Black Americans (or whatever the nom de jour is) in order to 'keep them in their place, oh those uppity niggers' seems absurd in the extreme so I ask again, where is the joke? Why is this funny?

Edited February 25, 2009 by Madame Cleo