Officer Barrett apologizes while lawyer defends racist e-mail

in Politics by griffn — July 31, 2009 at 12:48 am | 0 comments

Apology accepted, Officer Barrett. Now, turn in your resignation.

A Boston police officer who sent a mass e-mail — in which he referred to Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” — has apologized, saying he’s not a racist.

Officer Justin Barrett told a local television station on Wednesday night that he was sorry for the e-mail.

“I regret that I used such words,” Barrett told CNN affiliate WCVB. “I have so many friends of every type of culture and race you can name. I am not a racist.

I missed the memo. Since when is referring to a black man as a “banana-eating jungle monkey” not good enough to qualify you as a racist? Who do you have to lynch around here?

curious_george_300 And for the millionth time, having black friends is not a defense against charges of racism. Many whites in the Pre-Civil War South had black friends, some even had black lovers. *pause* Who they owned as slaves. So, no, the fact that some of your best friends are black does not automatically exclude you from being a racist. I wonder how many of Officer Barrett’s black friends he forwarded that e-mail to.

But as weak as Barrett’s defense is, somehow his lawyer manages to top him. Keep in mind, this is someone who presumably went through years of schooling to learn how to defend people:

Barrett’s comments were taken out of context, said his lawyer, Peter Marano.

*record scratches, music stops*

I’m sorry, what?

Barrett’s comments were taken out of context, said his lawyer, Peter Marano.
[Here are Barrett's comments in full, rambling context. Decide for yourself.]

“Officer Barrett did not call professor Gates a jungle monkey or malign him racially,” Marano said. “He said his behavior was like that of one. It was a characterization of the actions of that man.”

I’m not saying you’re a jungle monkey. I’m saying you’re acting like a jungle monkey. I’m not maligning you racially, I’m simply characterizing your actions. So please stop taking my words out of context to make me look like a racist. That’s something a jungle monkey would do.

Wow, typing that out, I just realized that my parody of his defense is his actual defense. Please find a new lawyer, Officer Barrett. This one is too ridiculous for satire.

Tags: Justin Barrett police Professor Gates racism