The mayor of Las Alamitos in California has publicly apologized for sending out an email titled, “No Easter Egg hunt this year.” The picture attached to the email has watermelons scattered throughout the White House lawn.
Mayor Dean Grose said he was “deeply embarrassed…for any harm or hurt.”
When African-American Keyanus Price, a local businesswoman, initially responded to Grose that the email was “not nice,” Grose dismissed her concern, as “you gotta laugh every now and then. I want to see the coloring contests.”
Apparently, that was too much for Price.
After other city officials and residents created an uproar over the email, Grose responded with his apology.
The important lesson in this case, just as it was in the New York Post chimpanzee cartoon earlier, is that some delicate ground is being treaded upon. The watermelon patch in front of the White House is completely racist. There is no other interpretation for it. The cartoon with police shooting the chimpanzee is less clear. Primates have often been used as examples of buffoonery and many do think that is what the stimulus package represents. Unfortunately, the Post’s cartoonist failed to realize the connotation with African-Americans, namely President Obama. That episode was blown out of proportion because of a poorly developed cartoon, the watermelon patch, on the other hand, is all about ridiculing because of race.
This Jerk should be fired,If he has those types feelings I’m sure that he can’t be objective or fair in any process of his job when it relate’s to African/Americans….
No, how pathetic is this woman. When did watermelons equal race? How sad when a race card is esed for nothing.
GMO, what do you mean?
I am not encylopedic in my racial stereotypes, but I can remember a film called “Watermelon Man” (1970). You might be too young (or too myopic) to know about this, but I am confident Dean Grose knows. He’s ten years older than me.
You may call it the use of the “race card”. I call it labeling the guy an idiot for sending that e-mail to an African American constituent–and then telling her to suck it up and laugh with the rest of the idiots.
Reminds me of those Inland Empire guys who created that “Obama Bucks” thing, where there were pictures of fried chicken and watermelon on fake “Obama” money–then claimed they didn’t know about the racist stereotypes.
Watermelons and African Americans in a joke equal racism. GMO, can you scan your memory and still ask a facetiously ignorant question like, “When did ovens equal Anti-Semitism?”
Let’s see, how many days ago was it that the U.S. Secretary of State called the American people cowards because we have not had dialog between the races. Ex-Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose obviously had his head in a deep dark place when he made his infamous email. No one in this day and age would do such a thing because of PC, but also how about, his position of responsibility that is highly vulnerable to political scrutiny. Then there is the hyper sensitivity of blacks. As long as this hypersensitivity exists there will be no real dialog between blacks and whites, too big of a chance of the white guy being ruined by a miss speak or moment of poor judgment, of something taken out of context or exaggerated.
Alas, the black guy will continue to be hyper sensitive and the white guy paranoid, and no real dialog will prevail.
Lastly, did anyone ask Mr. Gross what he was thinking? Nope, why screw up a good story.
GMO OK LETS PULL YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS ARE YOU KIDDING ME YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT WAS A RACIEST COMMENT, I THINK YOU ARE JUST AS RACIEST AS HE IS IF THATS THE WAY YOU THINK HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT THIS IS PATHETIC OF THIS PERSON YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE BLACK JUDGEING BY YOUR COMMENT YOUR NOT BLACK EITHER.NOW WHO IS PATHETIC SHAME ON YOU SHAME SHAME SHAME.
Buddy i wish i live next u i would show u who’s pathetic u hick were u been born in a barn??????? I would love to hear what u have to say please comment back =)