Discussion: San Francisco Police Officers To Be Fired For 'Despicable' Racist Texts

Discussion for article #235027

Criminal malignorance is rampant in the US…

Results of the dumbing down of America.

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These are despicable, but from one of the most liberal cities in America. Post-racial-America-my-ass.

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In this age where an African-American can be elected POTUS and where there is no need for protection of minorities or affirmative action…racism, bigotry and hatred are still alive and well.

Fighting racism is more akin to pulling weeds. The job will never end and can be exhausting and disheartening, but it will always be worth doing.

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No one is safe from the bad cops, and there are lots of bad cops spread out all over the US.
This weeding out of them one by one, precinct by precinct is what it will take. Peace Officer is not a job for hateful people.

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I live in this liberal city and have for many years, and I’m shocked but not entirely surprised. Racism, sexism, enthusiasm for the death penalty and many other regressive stances are all still alive and kicking in the comment board at the SF Chronicle in response to those matters that we here find repulsive. I’m not sure that the dependable liberalism of the people who live in the City itself is the case once you get into the 'burbs, which is where many police and even firefighters live because of the cost of living in the City. Police department racism survives but fortunately the approach to the gay community has become an enlightened one, which wasn’t always the case.

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I live in SF too. Totally agree on all points, and will simply add that police work tends to attract two kinds of people: those who want to do good work and make a difference, and those who scratch their jock-itch with a gun. Not hard to guess which category these guys came from.

I’m glad that our PD is handling this appropriately.

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The problem with firing them is then we will have more angry unemployed well trained bullies. I think the best thing for everyone would be to put them into a training program, teach them to deal with their anger, racism and inappropriate behavior. I think we could rehabilitate some of the police with some sensitivity training and education.

If we do nothing to address the racism and bigotry we will just accumulate more angry people, just like if we don’t do something about water bottles they will just continue to contaminate society and leave bigger issues for the coming generations.

We have become a throw away society, to the extent that we throw away people with drug problems, poverty and other issues with living in a complex society.

if only there was some sort of Roundup that only takes out these weeds…

Who hired these guys in the first place? Is it that hard to spot? Seems as if some simple questions on an application form might uncover some of the worst offenders.

I guess you don’t really know until it is too late, but one might imagine, when it gets to point Ferguson reached, the people hiring the racists are doing it intentionally, not by accident. They are most likely racists themselves.

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one thing I learned living in the Central Valley… California Republicans are one of the most powerful minorities in the world.

The Edwin Meese cabal has fingers in every pie. And they own most of the property in the state. California rednecks may be outnumbered, but they’ll never be outgunned…

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They’ve should’ve just shot a black man to relieve their racism. Then they would’ve been able to keep their jobs. After all, over the past several months, it’s been shown that sending racist texts is a fireable offense, killing a black man or child? Not so much.

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Race relations have improved in the United States over the past 60 years. In 1968 Petula Clark touched Harry Belafonte during a TV duet and it caused quite a stir. In 2015, we are so past the so-called “interracial taboo” as to be laughable.

I mention this because, in 1944, Myrdal had identified the phobia of interracial sex as a focal point in American racism.

Moreover, the so-called “One Drop Rule” is dead (or nearly so). But in 1968, it lived, and lived well. In 2015, some people identify as “multiracial”, even those with the so-called “dreaded” black ancestry. And, of course, there are Latinos.

The resurgence of what we are seeing has more to do with a number of factors. For example, the fact that, notwithstanding the progress we have made, there is no cultural artifact more suitable than “race” for transforming a human Zero into an exalted (in his own mind) “superior” being capable of inflicting upon other human beings the same self-hatred he himself possesses. Moreover, wedge issues like “race” are highly useful for deflecting interest in social stratification (great for the 0.001%). In addition, it is an unfortunate fact of life that political interest resides in the hands of mostly older people (especially in the Congressional, state government and local levels), who tend to be more conservative. Still another factor is the decimation of large tracts of this country to systematic outsourcing and under-utilization of the workforce which does little to help the “race” issue, nor the landscape the police have to live with. Finally, as an earlier poster noted, the lure of a police career can attract the wrong sorts of people.

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You may have seen this article in the Chron by Gary Kamiya, part of his series of the history of San Francisco (also compiled in his book The Cool Gray City of Love). In 1958 a cop set out to wipe out Beatniks, it didn’t go well.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Police-Officer-William-Bigarani-came-down-hard-on-6135552.php

P.S. I’m in Glen Park, where are you?

I can’t say I agree with you on this, as it isn’t the first time several of them have been in trouble. If they harbor these racist and bigoted feelings, that won’t change with any “training” classes. No, they need to find a real job, not one where they can hide behind a badge and gun to do their malevolence.

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I understand and know a lot of people don’t agree, but if we never address the malevolence and change attitudes and behavior, we just have malevolent angry ex police officers working private security, drinking because they have no job and beating their wives and kids. Sure there will be those that will go on and maybe do something right, maybe becoming preachers for some evangelical church, but again just tossing people aside is only going to give us a landfill of discarded bigots and racists.

We cannot continue to just turn our backs and ignore these issues.

No, didn’t. Link appears to have a subscription firewall.

Potrero.

You aware of the BYOBW races tomorrow?

Bring a couple of beers, a jacket, show up a half-hour early (or earlier) to get a good seat.

Doesn’t matter how liberal a city or state is – being a cop is not a liberal pursuit. I remember a link that came from one of the TPM posters, a first-person account by an NYC cop who mentioned how liberals on the force kept their politics very quiet and were always surprised when they’d come across another liberal cop, as though they had somehow found another earthling on a space mission to an unknown galaxy. Is there a big city in America with a more liberal reputation and vibe than San Francisco. Some people might suggest NYC, but it’s the same thing here as in SF. Read the user threads in the Daily News or DNAinfo – New York is just as filled with sick, bigoted right wing freaks as the rest of America, and, in particular, the heartland, where people keep their opinions to themselves unless they can spew anonymous hatred on the Internet.

You did notice they got fired, right?

Is that what “post-racial” means to you? That the tendency of some civil servants to spew ignorant and remarkably vile messages is okay as long as they get canned for it?

Does that fit your “everything is right in the world” parameters?

I’m sorry, but this is crazy talk. Society can’t afford to unleash known racist idiots with guns on the citizenry on the chance that they may have been rehabilitated through education! For one thing, racism in adults isn’t something you can easily educate away. How much education are you talking about here? A two week program? A month? Who honestly believes that hateful racist individuals are going to be enlightened by whatever level of education any city or county is willing/able to afford?

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