White House Watermelon Email From California Mayor Dean Grose Inspires Outrage

The mayor of Los Alamitos is coming under fire for an e-mail he sent out that depicts the White House lawn planted with watermelons, under the title "No Easter egg hunt this year."

Local businesswoman and city volunteer Keyanus Price, who is black, said Tuesday she received the e-mail from Mayor Dean Grose's personal account on Sunday and wants a public apology.

"I have had plenty of my share of chicken and watermelon and all those kinds of jokes," Price told The Associated Press. "I honestly don't even understand where he was coming from, sending this to me. As a black person receiving something like this from the city-freakin'-mayor - come on."

The Orange County Register first reported the e-mail on its Web site Tuesday night.

Grose confirmed to the AP that he sent the e-mail to Price and said he didn't mean to offend her. He said he was unaware of the racial stereotype that black people like watermelons.

He said he and Price are friends and serve together on a community youth board.

"Bottom line is, we laugh at things and I didn't see this in the same light that she did," Grose told the AP. "I'm sorry. It wasn't sent to offend her personally - or anyone - from the standpoint of the African-American race."

Grose, who became mayor in December, said he sent an apology e-mail to Price and her boss and also left her a voicemail apology.

Regardless, Price said it will be difficult for the two to work together.

"Now I am like - wow, is this really how he feels?" Price said.

Los Alamitos is a 2¼-square-mile Orange County city of around 12,000 people. The mayor is elected by fellow members of the five-seat City Council.

Comments

[gfdanonymous]

the stated on local news he'll be resigning at the next meeting ( i think on a monday).
i say , FIRE HIM.
fire him now.
his career should be ruined by something like this.
let him work his way up.
my huband and i have considered moving our family to the orange county.
i don't know!

[Dean Giersch]

To note that the City Council of Los Almitos has their contact details here:

http://www.ci.los-alamitos.ca.us/city_council/city_home.htm

It probably wouldn't hurt to point out to them that their mayoral pick has managed to make their civic community famous in the worst possible way . . .

[girlgeek]

The offending mayor says that he author was unaware of any racial significance to watermelons in front of the White House. Then why did he pick them instead of , for example, daffodils?

The racism coming to the surface now is truly shocking.

[AngieMom57]

Either way, whether it was intentional or not, it shows that this man is not all together down with the state of the world, so if he can't lend a hand then he might as well get out of the way...'for the times they r a'changin'

[skymuffin]

I wish people like this could enter "The Twilight Zone" for a little bit and wake up African-American, just to see the world through someone else's eyes. Maybe they'd understand how something like this is seen from another perspective.

[johnb3950]

Right. The man is obviously a liar well as a racsit.

[Clayton139]

Well Said !

[clearthinker2008]

I'm not at all shocked about the racism coming to the surface. I guess racist feel like they need to be heard now that they feel things aren't quite going their way.

[AngieMom57]

Just for grins I "Googled" this guy's image: Mayor Dean Grose

I'm not going to post that he looks like one of those smug, greedy, well-fed blah blah blah's ....u decide.

[Cinnamonape]

Wait a sec? He quit his job as mayor...but he didn't quit the City Council? So this racist is still making public policy for the city?

Seems to me that he still basically has the same powers...he's just quit the ceremonial job. I bet he probably didn't even want THAT position. Make him quit the City Council!

In fact, I'd never hire him to do his job of EMT at concerts, either. How would he treat minorities if he has such an unconcious hate for them that using racial stereotypes is "funny".

Plus he is clearly a liar and untrustworthy. He had to know about the association of watermelons and blacks...otherwise the sad "joke" would have meant nothing. He's a racist and trying to hide it now that he got caught out!

[UbiVeritas]

Doesn't everybody like watermelon?

[madisonhack]

You must feel kind of lonely here, don't you?

[baxtron]

This joke falls in line with the climate of people at Republican campaign stops yelling 'KILL HIM!' when John McCain would refer to President Obama. Everyone knows the joke, republicans think everyone else is dumb enough not to know what it is. If it wasn't racist, then what was the joke? How is the president tied to watermelons in any other way other than his skin color. I realize racism never existed in the revised republican history, but other people disagree.

[Pharos]

Actually it's not quite the same. Even I understand "kill Him", it's unambiguous, and outrageous. In Dallas everyone eats watermelon in the summertime. Until I thought back on some of the stereotypes, I didn't get what was going on because I personally never associated the two together.

Having said that, then. Where's the humor? To me it's no different than a picture of the White House with a bunch of pumpkins on the lawn. That wouldn't be funny either. So what was the mayor trying to say if it wasn't racial? I have not heard a single plausible explanation. I guess if watermelons were cheaper than eggs, it could mean a cheap "Easter egg hunt" given the budget, but watermelons aren't cheap so I'm still not getting it.

[Pammy2]

"How is the president tied to watermelons in any other way other than his skin color."

That statement says it all right there. All these people saying 'lighten up it's just a joke' need to read that statement 100 times. It is NOT just a joke. It's a racist joke. Period. End of story. There is no justifying it any other way. You don't even have to do any hard research. Any simple, brief perusal of this country's racial history will be able to see why it's nothing but a racist joke. Watermelons on the White House lawn are completely meaningless in anyway but a racist context.

And even if you can honestly claim that you had no idea that it was racist, then why the hell is it funny to you??

It is racist. End of story.

[JoeBear55]

Well I'm Australian and I know the link between watermellons and black people. If he (the Mayor) didn't know the link where has he been living all his life? Certainly not on this planet

[jcole]

this man must be out of his mind if he think we believe he did not know that what he did was offensive, how can he run a town if he is going to lie,

[clearthinker2008]

If he thought was legitimately cool, he would not have resigned.

[swancj]

Sure, the email was tasteless and racist [some hear find race based humor funny, apparently] but my problem with the mayor is that he is transparently a liar. If he actually did not know the racial factor for the watermelon comment, why did he think the email picture featured watermelons? What about Mr. Obama made him think that he would be so partial to watermelons he would forgo an Easter Egg hunt to grow them? He is just another racist - like those who enjoy race based humor - who wants the luxury of their bias, without being held accountable for it. Boohoo - too bad for those folks - every decade that passes you lose a little more ground. You are free to remain a racist - but you are less and less immune from being told the truth - that when you enjoy racist humor, you get included in the racist brand.

[just4shiggles]

It seems to me that any person placed in a powerful position should pass the maturity test. No one in such a position should be thinking that it's fine to pass around a stupid, and not even funny "joke" email when there is any tint of racism in it. We need to grow up and choose leaders who are adults and know that sending this sort of thing around is wrong and immature.

[fiftycal]

I don't understand the outrage about this comment. What has saying there will be watermelons in the Whitehouse this year got to do with President Obama & Easter Egg Hunts...?

[LoyalOpposition]

. . . and, what do watermelons have to do with the president of the United States? So glad the mayor quit. As I was saying just the other day, the Wall Street elites and the Bank CEOs like to have ignorance fight their fight to retain the status quo.

[jcole]

fiftycal, don't be stupid, his comment was racist and offensive, i'am a black man and i don't like water melon, they say black's like fried chicken and water melon, and or lazy.

[skymuffin]

Did you laugh at the so-called cartoon in the Post?

[Jaxy]

Perhaps you are not American (I understand that we have commentators here from other nations).

There is a historical (and mostly Southern) stereotype of denigrating Blacks as watermelon-eating, Kool-Aid guzzling, fried chicken and ham hock-consuming, lazy, uneducated slackers.

Dean Grouse's email depicting the White House lawn strewn with watermelons is nothing other than a slur of our first Black President and his family.

The imagery is per se offensive, but additionally, there is nothing about Mr. Obama, or his family, that is even remotely in line with this vile stereotype.

[FZliveson]

There is so much pork in this money going around. What are you saying?
As for the name calling...where does that get you? Do you feel better for saying
absolutely nothing?

[Pharos]

So watermelons were supposed to represent pork? If there had been row after row of roasted pigs with apples in their mouths I guess I could have figured that out, but watermelons?

[El Incorrecto]

Come on, Liberals can make fun of stupid Bush, cartoons, jokes, and more with no remorse. But a funny picture and a Mayor goes out of office. Come on!

We have sense of humor, this was not a statement of racial context. Liberals like the lady that was offended probably did make fun of Bush for the last 8 years, and now some one makes fun of the new president, and she gets offended? Blacks and Latino can make racial remarks with no punishment, they are exempt, but when someone else do a funny comment they get offended.

If we can not make fun of our president, where is democracy? and our constitutional rights? The left is taking over our great nation and we stand still doing nothing. Send your support to the Mayor. We have no sense of humor any more. Think about it. Our president is not GOD!!

[Aesthete]

This isn't about making fun of a president. It's about attacking the RACE of a president who happens to be black. The racial connotation and history associated with watermelons are well known and are of long standing going all the way back to reconstruction, associated with demeaning Jim Crow images of blacks. Theres no use pretending that it's the same as when people made fun of Bush, who is white and is not burdened with the same historical stigma that blacks are saddled with. Watermelons depicted this way degrades ALL blacks. Such images were used to make fun of blacks and given the history we've had to live through, it's not at all funny.

[Pharos]

Obama is our new president and he is funny. I laugh with him and sometimes at him, but mostly I'm just so happy he's in the White House and I thank god he's not god, because I like it just fine the way it is.

As for this mayor fellow, I'm still waiting for a plausible explanation because I just don't find anything humorous in a bunch of watermelons on the lawn of the White House, but I'm more than willing to laugh if some one can explain it to me.

[jcole]

So we should over look Hannity for insighting a rebellion aganist the country, (armed), and the nuts or losing their mind because of a black man is the president, and living in the house that they built, (white house).

[dbarberdem1]

This was not some private individual making an off color comment or joke. This "person" is an elected official, a mayor, a servant of the people and deserves no wiggle room for sending out that kind of e-mail. The fact that he sent it out to an African American, who he considers a friend and does not understand why she is offended, speaks volumes to his lack of understanding of those people who are different from him. Let him spend time handing out watermelons in some inner city homeless shelter.

[hellokitty69]

i dont know what you guys are talking about, i thought it was kinda funny.

[skymuffin]

You're insane, right?

[madisonhack]

Being paid right now to bust threads?

[dbarberdem1]

Possibly (not likely) funny from someone other than a city official

[havegonedc]

UPDATE: This mayor is resigning on Monday.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmNEcrbsbJxE-ybLSvYRu3Ucf3WQD96JUDD80

[jcole]

havegonedc, good for him.

[NamvetPR]

Yeah, good riddance.

[missbelladog]

"Grose said he didn't mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons."

Then what did he think his email was about then? A circular lie if I've ever heard one.

[CRACKACRACKA]

It's time for people of other races other than African Americans to stop saying "I didn't know it was offensive, I didn't know it was sterotypic­al".....Th­e reason you should stop saying that is, if you didn't know then why do you think it was funny. Where's the humor? If you didn't know, then why would you send a comic that you didn't understand?? And most of all, Why Oh Why after electing one of the most intellegent men IN the country as President (who is black) do still consider black people to be stupid? It amazes me how you can even think that Black people should just ignore idiotic statements and all the enuendos that other races (mostly white) consider to be funny. And by the way, the result of the last election demonstrates that we as black people are not as divided as YOU'D LIKE US TO BE! Think on that

[Tanya Best]

Thank you for saying alot of the things that ppeolpe with home training and /or have at least a high scool education are thinking. This election was more than just a black win for black people, it was for me , a chance for change and progress for the world. A chance for UNITY as a world without racisim and a time for understanding of different cultures, to get to know each other deeper than skin pigment. I think that judgement base on skin color is the most idiotic, slow start, drop on your head when u where a baby , backward thinking that some people can"t get pass. It's either history (from their relatives teachings-backwards thinking), misinformation( like that sorry ___that wrote and edit the White house pic), or just tackiness. ( low self esteem,) The nerve that thinking that other races shouldn't feel offended,or disrespected is not think of anybody but themselves. That's the problem. Every man for themselves, we can't improve America,if we are just lookin out for self.

[Raybee]

To Crakacracka
I am a 67 year old WHITE male AND I am offended by that watermelon "joke". And you people that are saying you don't get the connection or connotation have your head in the sand or are just REALLY out of touch. I voted for Obama, not because he is black, but because he one of the most intellegent politians to come along in MANY years. Grow up and show some respect. Yes, I did joke about Bush, but the man was a baffoon and so is his wife. The GOP is already at him, the man hasn't been in office 100 days people. Yes he will make mistakes, but he is sure headed in the right direction at this time.

[skymuffin]

THANK YOU.

Aren't we proud that we can say to each other and to the world that the smartest, calmest, and most diplomatic guy in the room is OUR PRESIDENT.

[shelsay]

yes, I agree.

[TootsieII]

Excellent post!!!! Some of the earlier people who have posted their comment need to read yours.

[Pharos]

Actually, believe it or not I didn't think it was racial, I just didn't get it. I kept staring at the picture going what is this? It wasn't until I started reading the comments that it dawned on me. So, having said that, and wanting to give the mayor the benefit of the doubt, I still don't understand the point of the card, What other explanation is there? Can anyone explain why putting watermelons on the grounds of the White House would be considered funny. What's a possible alternative explanation?

Just to be clear, if the mayor did intend it to be a racial comment, he should not even have waited till Monday to resign, he should be gone already.

[Alliwoks]

These comments are ridiculous! America will always be divided if we don't take stereotypes like these as jokes and such. Stop getting offended, you uptight idiots - you're the reason we're so divided.

[kutkreata]

We will not stop getting offended by overt racism. We will not continue to turn the other cheek. This is an attack against our President. It should outrage EVERY American. This dismissive mindset by some Americans towards blatant racism is the reason why we are divided. We should all be standing together against this. & Some of us will not remain silent no matter how many times you call us "uptight".

[DivergentMary]

"This is an attack against our President. It should outrage EVERY American."

As a 64-year-old white woman who is very 'un-uptight' and rarely silent, you can count me in as one of the 'outraged.'

[1banana]

so not a fan of Alliwoks...

[JustMyWords]

Well, of course. Why should we continue to get offended over behavior that's offensive?

Why doesn't it seem as reasonable to you to say that America will always be divided as long as there are people who refuse to stop going so far out of their way to insult others? I mean, you KNOW that this is a stereotype that people are going to find offensive. If you know that what you're going to say is going to be offensive, isn't it just rude to go ahead and say it anyway?

You have every right to be rude, hateful, and hurtful to others. And they have every right to protest and raise hell when you are.

[shelsay]

"American will always be divided if we don't take stereotypes like these as jokes and such."

no, actually your way of writing is the reason we're divided. I don't think like you and you clearly don't think like me.