Mayor Who Sent Obama Watermelon Email Quits

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — The mayor of a small Southern California city who was criticized for sending an e-mail showing watermelons in front of the White House says he will give up the mayoral post but remain on the City Council.

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose heard calls for his resignation this week when he forwarded an e-mail showing a watermelon patch on the White House lawn under the title: "No Easter egg hunt this year."

Grose has apologized and said he wasn't aware of the racial stereotype that blacks like watermelon.

Officials in the Orange County town say Grose will officially resign as mayor on Monday. But Grose told KCAL-TV on Friday that he intends to remain on the City Council.

The mayor is a council member chosen to serve in that position by fellow members of the five-seat council.

Comments

[Ghost803]

Could it be that he actually didn't know? Maybe he just didn't watch television

[davidr73]

in order to not know, in addition to not watching much television, he must not have been paying any attention to the past 140 years, or so, of american history.

[NeoLiberal]

...or tune in to the world around him.

Come on. His excuse is the lamest of lame.

[nowRnever]

If he didn't know, why send the pic? There's no point to pic, if you don't understand the stereotype.

[TheDeRanger]

Riiight. He was distracted by pigs flying and Limgaugh being honest.

[dax49]

if he was too stupid to be aware that what he did was racist, he's too stupid to even be on the city counsel

[cfw123]

Bad as the white house watermelon patch picture, is the cartoon by Harry Bliss (see http://www.ocregister.com/) where a sales lady is shown spraying '"eau d'Obama" on
a customer. Really gross, but some of the comments are even more gross. This
'cartoon' was apparently published all over the country, including my local San Jose
Mercury News, who refused (by their actions only) to comment upon it despite letters
to their editor (including my own). And they also did not post any news or comments
at all on the watermelon patch on the white house lawn. And this from a local newspaper
in a heavily Obama voting area, and also in an area where the long established San
Francisco Chronicle is close to bankruptcy. Where do they expect to find advertisers
when they act this way against the likings of the majority in their publishing area.

[Eres]

Congratulations to everyone who sent emails and placed calls to oust this fool.

[aznurse]

He is still on the city council, so he still will have influence over that town.
He also said the was unaware what watermelons meant and the lesson he learned was to never forward E mails.
He didn't sound sorry to me.

[strength]

thats total BS that he didnt know it was a racial slap in obamas face...ass face

[scooterdog]

If you would like to let this guy know how you feel, here's his e-mail address:
ci.los-alamitos.ca.uss.ca.us

I just e-mailed him and reminded him that our credo is all" men are created equal" and that a patriot certainly would not send out racist messages.

[JustAProgressive]

If he wasn't aware of the racial stereotype, what then did he see in it that made it funny enough to send out?

His behavior was self explanatory.

[ResearchGuy]

Exactly. Would he have sent an email showing, say, corn stalks or tomato plants on the White House Lawn? Not very likely, as they would have made no sense. Now watermelons, those are stereotypical, an obvious racial barb. Got to say, though, that a picture of oil derricks on the W.H. lawn early in the G.W. Bush admin. would have been funny. Painfully so.

[sueno]

This "bum" needs to be out of government altogether-

[NoSillyName]

Good riddance fool.

[RobinD]

Oh boy more from the nonracist right wing.

[waedvm]

Seriously??? " I did not know it was racist" ?? Idiot...he should not be allowed at any level to serve in politics. Just what we do not need in this country..

[JScott]

It's Orange County after all...
home of (at one time or another)
B-1 Bob Dornan
Mary Kay La Tourneau
John Schmitz
The libertarian newspaper the OC Register
A large republican presence
(google those)

[looking4wrd]

OK he didn't know? I seriously doubt that. Resign? Maybe, but more importantly, should he not be required to take a Culturally Diversified Sensitivity class? Otherwise he will continue to spew his venom and claim innocence. I work for a large medical corp and we are required to take a class. Everyone is required. The excuse of "I didn't know" just doesn't ring true.

[Donns]

Please don'r go. If every poilitician who is an idiot quits there will be none left, then who will we laugh at?