Justin Barrett Calls Gates a "Jungle Monkey," Then Tries to Say He's Not Racist

Boston Police Officer Justin Barrett (CNN)

I thought that with Gates and Crowley meeting Obama today for a beer (which has been covered ad nauseum, down to what kind of beer they're going to drink) this issue would be mostly resolved. Gates overreacted and Crowley unjustly arrested him. End of story.

But then Lucia Whalen, who I thought initially wanted her privacy, held a news conference to say that she picked her words carefully and would call 911 again. But then her lawyer came to the mic and chided Obama and his administration for not inviting her client to the beerfest that Gates and Crowley will have today. She quipped, "Maybe it's a guy thing." So now people can incorrectly say that Obama is sexist and racist when talking about the same incident.

After Whalen's press conference I thought finally Gatesgate would die down. But then when I awoke this morning I was shocked to get a CNN alert about the Boston police. It seems that Officer Justin Barrett sent an email to coworkers and the Boston Globe calling Gates a "jungle monkey." The full text is here, but here are some lowlights: "Your defense of Gates...assumes he has rights when considered a suspect," "for if I was the officer he verbally assaulted like a banana-eating jungle monkey, I would have sprayed him in the face with OC," "You are a hot little bird with minimal experiences in a harsh field. You are a fool. An infidel," "He [Gates] has indeed transcended back to a bumbling jungle monkey," "Your article title should read CONDUCT UNBECOMING A JUNGLE MONKEY-BACK TO ONE'S ROOTS."

Boston Police Officer Justin
Barrett (Daily Kos)

So what is Barrett's defense? The two classic ones: 1) I can't be racist - I have a black friend! 2) My comments were taken out of context. Barrett said, "I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist." Sorry Barrett, but when you call a black person a jungle monkey multiple times and then send it to that "hot little bird" Yvonne Abraham over at the Globe for media consumption, there aren't many more levels of racism you can descend to. As to things being taken out of context, just read the email linked above. There's no way around this one: Justin Barrett is a racist and, as such, does not belong on the Boston Police Department in any capacity. In addition, he thinks that suspects have no rights and calls Abraham and "infidel" - a xenophobic word in and of itself whether used by terrorists in modern-day lingo or by the Christians back in the day.

Mayor Menino thinks so, too, and has called for Barrett's dismissal from the force: "I said, ‘He has no place in this department, and we have to take his badge away.’ That stuff doesn’t belong in our city, and we’re not going to tolerate it." The National Guard has suspended Barrett barring a full investigation into the manner. Barrett has been suspended from the BPD, but he's still being paid.

If I were Sergeant Crowley I would be extremely angry at Barrett. Crowley, who made an unjust arrest and probably just wants everything to simmer down (whether it was motivated by race we don't know and speculating about it is worthless). Now he is thrown back into the spotlight thanks to the actions of a person he's probably never met. Barrett has embarrassed himself, the Boston PD and the National Guard. Not only is he racist, but he sends a racist email to a newspaper. In his email he states, "I am prejudice [sic] towards people who are stupid." Racism and self-hate; now that's a dangerous combination.

Moving On: Gates and Crowley Will Bury Hatchet Over Beers

It was very nice to hear that Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Sergeant Joseph Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department would be going to the White House to bury the hatchet over a few beers. It is probably the best solution to a problem that has rallied both sides of the argument over racial profiling in general and both participants' behavior in this particular incident. At the end of the day they were both a little wrong, with Gates seemingly overreacting and Crowley unjustly arresting him.

Today Boston.com had a piece on the caller who dialed 911 to initially report the "break in" at Gates' home on Ware Street by Harvard, stating that the caller claims she did not cite race. I found it very surprising because nearly all of the media reports immediately following the incident stated that when the caller spoke to 911 dispatchers she mentioned that two black men were breaking into the house. Even in Crowley's police report it indicates that she knew the race of the alleged perpetrators: "She [the caller] went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of [redacted] Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry." That pretty clearly states that the caller was well aware of the race of the individuals.

And while the Boston.com article contains flat-out denials (through the caller's lawyer) from beginning to end that the caller did not know the race of the two individuals, Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert C. Haas, while saying that the caller did not mention race in the 911 call, seems to backpedal a little bit:

In an interview at police headquarters last night, Haas said "it was very clear that she wasn’t sure" what the men’s race was. He also said that when the dispatcher questioned Whalen for more details, she told police she could only guess about the race of the two men. "She speculated . . . that one might be Hispanic."

Someone involved in this does not have their facts straight. Either race was mentioned in the call or it wasn't; you can't say it was and then say, "Oh, well, she might have speculated that one might be Hispanic." If she did, then race was mentioned. If she did not postulate as to the skin color of the men, then race was not mentioned. The only way we'll know is if the 911 tape is released (which Haas says might be released in just transcript form, despite the fact that the caller has no qualms about fully releasing the audio).

It's nice to see Gates and Crowley put their differences aside and plan to enjoy a cold one with the president. The incident put race and police treatment of minorities back in the spotlight (whether you think Gates was a victim of racial profiling or not). The problem is that a new story will come up in the next week or so and we'll forget about this. Until another incident occurs. Then CNN and all these outlets will do specials to get more viewers (and ad revenue) until the next big story. Will racial profiling be eliminated or decrease because of this incident? No. If more cut and dry cases of racism (such as Amadou Diallo) did not stop racial profiling, a very ambiguous case such as this will not come close to ending the practice. We are a very long way from post-racial America (if it is even possible). Peace.

Photos - The White House, where Gates and Crowley are scheduled to have beers (Visiting DC)

Should He Have or Shouldn't He Have? The Obama Press Conference

NOTE: If you have arrived here from Boston.com, the quoted post is one below this.


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As the story of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s arrest continues to percolate, a new issue is arising regarding President Obama's comments about the Cambridge PD "acting stupidly" when they arrested Gates. The White House has since clarified that Obama's remarks did not mean that Sergeant Crowley was stupid, but that cooler heads should have prevailed. Unions and supporters of Sergeant Crowley have called for Obama to apologize for his remarks.

So should Obama have weighed in on this issue? Let's remember that Obama did not offer up the issue voluntarily, he was asked about it and he gave his opinion of the matter. We can all criticize Obama for not having been there (and thus not knowing 100% of what went down), but none of us were there, either, and yet we continue to debate the issue. Obama, in my mind, had every right to talk about it, but I would have gone about it a bit differently.

Was "stupid" the correct word choice? It would not have been at the top of my list. We have to remember, though, that being black in America is a very different experience than being white; there is no way around that. We can fantasize about post-racial America and all of that, but as Michael Eric Dyson said a few days ago, the only black man living in post-racial America lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The fact is that this arrest has hit closer to home for some folks than for others.

Let's look at the facts. There is an undisputed history of racism and racial profiling in this country (just today it was reported that police down in Texas have been suspended for circulating racist emails about Obama). We all remember the whole bussing embarrassment in Boston, and who could forget Charles Stuart's unbelievable actions? All you have to do in this country to find racial undertones is scratch the surface. So when Gates was asked by a police officer why he was in his own home, is it that unreasonable for him to assume that his race may have had something to do with it?

Additionally, Obama's words are often taken out of context. He was not calling anyone on the scene stupid, he was saying that the arrest itself was stupid. Again, not the word choice I would have gone with, but don't forget that the charges were dropped at the request of the same department that employs Crowley as a Sergeant. If this were a good and legal arrest, Gates would be facing charges right now, but the fact remains that it was not. Does this make Crowley a bad person? No. He just made a mistake. What is telling is his stubbornness in not apologizing or at least backing down.

Was race a factor in Gates' arrest? I have no doubt. From the phone call from this mystery 40 year old woman who could not even recognize her neighbor (who happens to be somewhat of a celebrity), (EDITOR'S NOTE: As stated in the previous post, the actual caller seems to have just been relaying information given to her by a neighbor, who may or may not have been influenced by the race of Gates and his driver - that we'll probably never know) to the discussion Gates and Crowley had, race was all mixed in like the Oreo McFlurrys I used to make on 128. But we have to look at the facts: Crowley arrested Gates for a questionable crime and all charges were dropped at the insistence of Cambridge PD. Whether you think Crowley's a jerk or Gates is a jerk, the fact is that Crowley was overruled by his superiors; there's no getting around that. Peace.

Sergeant Crowley Refuses to Apologize; Still Thinks He Did Nothing Wrong

Last night President Obama chimed in on the Henry Louis Gates arrest to chide Sergeant Crowley and the Cambridge Police Department for "acting stupidly" when they arrested Gates for being in his home. Today it is being reported that Crowley refuses to apologize and regrets nothing about the incident which the DA and Cambridge PD have refused to further because it is flawed in so many ways. As of this posting we have still not found out the identity of the 40 year old woman who initially called police on Gates for entering his own home.

Unsurprisingly, the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association (of which Crowley is a member due to his Sergeant status) put out a statement offering their "full and unqualified" support of Sergeant Crowley. They also stated: "His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the Department, and with applicable legal standards." Let's back up a moment. Crowley arrested Gates for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public place." While Gates may or may not have been loud and/or tumultuous, he was in his own home. That's like arresting a person for public nudity for taking a shower in their house; it doesn't make sense. And if, as the union statement alleges, Crowley had followed the "informed policies and practices of the Department" and "applicable legal standards," then why did the DA drop the charges at the insistence of Cambridge PD? If what Crowley did was by the book and correct, why was Gates not even arraigned before all charges were dropped?

The answer is simple: because Crowley was wrong. He has publicly embarrassed the department, he has the president of the United States criticizing him, and he has the mayor doing damage control because of his actions, but he feels with certainty that he owes no one an apology. In fact, Crowley this morning took to the airwaves to tell his version of the story. Who did he go to to say it? Dennis and Callahan on WEEI. While the two can be funny about sports, they have proven to be less than stellar when it comes to social issues. Anyone in Boston remembers when they were suspended for their racist remarks regarding an escaped gorilla from the Franklin Park Zoo when they compared the animal to a METCO student trying to get to school in the suburbs (click the link for the full story). Why would Crowley, who is being accused of racial profiling, go onto a show whose hosts were suspended for racist comments? It shows poor judgment, just like arresting Gates did.

Crowley still goes with the "You didn't see Gates, you don't know why I arrested him" spiel. He's right, we don't know why he arrested him. The DA's office and the Cambridge PD brass do not know why he arrested him. The mayor of Cambridge does not know why he arrested him. That's why they had all charges dropped. The real problem here is that Crowley will not face any type of discipline for falsely arresting someone; for wasting Cambridge time, money, and resources in such a difficult time budget-wise. Thusly, there is no disincentive for Crowley to arrest someone else in their house trying to pin a public property crime on him/her again. We would be having a completely different discussion if the charges stuck for more than a week on Gates, but they were dropped well before arriagnment, meaning the arresting officer (in this case Crowley) was wrong. He made the mistake of arresting Gates. An apology from Crowley would have ended the media coverage. Instead, in his stubbornness, he refused to apologize, made an international news story out of it, and then goes on a station hosted by two people who have made racist jokes on air and been suspended for it to tell his side of the story. Tell me which of the two - Gates or Crowley - displayed poor judgment. Peace.

Photos - Sergeant James Crowley (Boston.com), Gates being arrested for a public property crime (note his location on his own private property) (Boston Globe)

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Arrest: You're Kidding Yourself if You Don't Think Race Played a Factor

When I read the headline the other day "Harvard professor Gates arrested at Cambridge home" I was shocked. Here is a very bright individual, with a great job and national prominence being arrested. I quickly clicked on the link to find out what it was for and was even more shocked: it was for gaining entry into his own house. I knew what was coming next, and could not really blame Gates and others for saying it: race most definitely played a part in this incident.

I debated writing about this incident because I thought it was pretty clear cut. I knew the charges would not stick, and I figured people would chalk it up to what it is: a regrettable incident that most likely would never have happened had Gates been white. But some people are coming out and saying, "Oh, Gates should have just been polite to the officer and followed all of his commands, blah blah blah." Picture this scenario: you just get off a double-digit hour flight from China, you're exhausted, you get home and your front door is busted so you employ the help of your driver to help you get it open. You enter the back of the house (with your house key because, remember, you LIVE there), can't get it open from the inside and go back around to get it open from the outside. You call up the proper folks at Harvard to get your door fixed and you're probably pissed off at this point. Then a cop comes knocking on your door demanding proof that you live there.

Would this have happened if Gates were white? We'll never know, but looking at the pictures of Gates during his arrest he looks like my dad would on a day when he didn't have work, dressed in jeans and a polo. He's not dressed like a thug, nor does he look strung out or anything like that. So why did this mysterious passerby/neighbor (which, if it is a neighbor is a pretty shitty neighbor for not recognizing the resident of the house) call the police? Because she sees two black guys in the middle of a tony neighborhood trying to get a front door opened. Never mind that Gates is very well-known and highly recognizable (especially with his glasses on). Had Gates been white, at the very least this person would have thought twice about calling Cambridge Police if she even called at all.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: Having listened to the 911 tape, it seems that while the caller seemed to know that at least one of the potential intruders was not white, there is no indication that she was sure they were black, either. She also claims she was calling on behalf of a neighbor and she was merely a passerby, so while it is accurate that the caller seemed to not know the race of Gates and his driver (beyond the fact that she thought one of them might be Latino), the neighbor who apparently relayed her concern to the caller may or may not have been motivated by race.

Now let's go into the police action. Sergeant James Crowley shows up at the house, demanding ID and proof that Gates lived there, and then walked into the house uninvited by Gates. That alone would piss me off (nevermind the flight from China and the door being busted). Crowley stated in the police report, "I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me." There's nothing surprising about being pissed at the police entering your home unjustly. I take it Crowley does not have police knocking on his door demanding proof that he lives wherever he lives, so he would probably not know how it feels. Plus, the charges have been dropped and I can tell you from personal experience that when a DIS/CON is dropped it is usually because the arresting officer did not interpret the law correctly and unjustly arrested the defendant. So for Gates to be outraged that he got arrested is not far off; in fact, in my opinion, it is fully justified.

When you read the list of people coming to Gates' defense it reads like a who's who of some of the brightest intellectuals in general and in the realm of race relations (sociologically and legally) in today's world: Lawrence Bobo, Charles Ogletree, S. Allen Counter (who had his own incident with Harvard Police after being mistaken for a robbery suspect). This means that folks like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton can keep quiet because the professionals have this one. Let's recap the facts here quickly: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. was arrested for disorderly conduct after some anonymous witness thought he was breaking into his own home, a verbal confrontation with a police officer ensued (which is not illegal), Gates was arrested for said confrontation, the charges resulting from said confrontation were dropped. Now you tell me who is in the wrong here, the person unjustly arrested or the person doing the improper arresting? Peace.

Photos - Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Harvard), Gates' arrest (Boston Globe)