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

[thegirlnextdoor]

I know about the stereotype, and I like watermelon.
As a side bar, a study showed that watermelon is one of the most nutritious fruits along with guava.

[jazeyedgirl]

Yes, it's great for your skin.

[EuroRant1]

To All Elected Officials and To Whom This May Concern,

Today it was Mayor Dean Grose of Los Alamitos, California and tomorrow it may be you. In case you haven't noticed let me give you a quick reminder ... On November 4th, 2008 "We the People" took our government back.

The "old boys club" way of doing things is over. Those days are finished, dead and buried. And if you think that you are going to find some small way of re-raising that form of thinking back from the dead then you haven't been paying very close attention. Your "disguised humour" is no long tolerated or allowed.

Today "We the People" demonstrated our power by weeding out the stench of a mayor in a small town in California using a "lame" excuse on playing ignorant about racial overtones on a postcard. You may say, "but that was just one small mayor" ... our answer is, "yes, but it is only a start." Be ye warned bigot ... those days are over, we will find you and "We the People" will eventually remove you from office. ... Your services are no longer required.

“Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.” — Dwight D Eisenhower

[nana4g]

Thank you for this. We must stay together to combat this hatred and vile display of ignorance. I want him off of the City Council as well. Does anyone have the email contact for this little burg's city council? I sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh when I am in the car, just to get the pulse. Today, he told a caller that he had "never seen so many ugly looking people at the State of The Union show. They all looked like something out of Star Wars, or something". What does that mean?

[haval2]

Hey let's be fair...he didn't know about the stereotype... Yeah Right! Glad he's gone and hope he never gets hired anywhere.

[americanalien]

Hallelujah! people should know by now that they don't mess with our President and get away with it.

[mick7191]

This guy is too dumb to be Dog Catcher.

[jwatso7]

How does anyone grow up in the United States and NOT know watermelons are stereotypically associated with African Americans? If that's true, this guy is more of a loser than I first thought. I wouldn't want someone that dense leading my city, either.

[thisoldbroad]

If he didn't know about the stereotype, then why did he think the photo was funny?

[TAC]

Exactly...

[dav ram58]

He obviously knew because he sent it to a black person who was offended by it. Anyone naive enough to not know about this racist stereotype should not be representing citizens in any fashion. Send him back to the private sector!

[LaFlow]

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

There is no way that's true. If he didn't get it, why would he forward the email?

[Kaiserken]

I agree with AlsoSarah, Having a black President is inspiring all the folks that have a problem with it to expose themselves. It blows my mind that in the year 2009 politicians, of all people, are showing they're true colors on issues of race. They can't seem to control themselves.

[AbstractImp]

He can always get work at FOX. . .

[DeAnnaClaudette]

If he was unaware of what the watermelon's in the field meant, what about it made the picture funny to him? I am tired of these people trying to play us for stupid.

[outloudfll]

I'm like totally confused about this story. What's all this crazy talk about negative stereotypes of Af ric an Americans when it comes to watermelon and fried chicken?

Me and my friends here in the OC are like totally cool with everyone. I mean Aunt Jemimah syrup is off the chain and that Mammy from Gone with the Wind is the shizzle. Oh yeah, and we totally think Robert Downey Jr. got robbed at the Oscars! ;)

Palin/Jindal in 2012!

[dav ram58]

Palin/Jindal support explains it all....

[t9chi]

You're showing just how ignorant you are. Get over it, a Black Man is in the White House. And so many people are having chest pains and losing sleep. It's going to be alright. Just calm down.

[ZTB]

First the songs, then the chimp, now the watermelons.
And they all claim "no racial intent" Jeeeeeesh!
They think WE are as stupid as THEY ARE!

They all deserve more than the heat they got for their stupidity and blatant racism.

[nana4g]

Every single time something is said or done, we, the people, should bombard them with protests. They need to know that we are not "desensitized"; that we do not tolerate it; that we hold them accountable for their words and their actions; that we are watching and we are listening and we do not like it. We are told that discipline delayed with regard to children is discipline missed. If nothing else, it will be a "learning moment" for them. At the least, it will shame them.

[cd789]

I've only seen this guy claim ignorance, but no one seems to have written what he thought the image meant. I would like this explanation. Let's just say, for argument's sake, that there is absolutely no racial connotations regarding watermelons. Would this image make any sense at all? I don't recall any personal connection between Obama and watermelons (as opposed to an arugula patch, for example). Again, I want to know what this guy supposedly thought this really meant.

[retroredux]

Exactly! There is no other possible connotation. If this guy just didn't like the President AS President-he could have used another object-like a picture of the front lawn covered in Solar panels, or trees with money growing on them, etc. No, it was WATERMELONS. I don't know what's more insulting-these rac ist dip sticks sending this stuff, or their supposed "I didn't know that was rac ist "afterwards

[Darcy24]

Good point. If the "cartoon" had shown a patch of arugula in front of the White House, that's something actually associated with Obama and would probably make sense and be funny from a Republican's point of view. But watermelon? Why watermelon in February? There's only one explanation for this.

Well, two. The second one is that the guy is completely irrational and not in control of his own actions. Well, I could see that, maybe. ;)

[sunnyokanagan]

The watermelon thing made no sense at all to me. I thought, "there must be a message!", and spent a full minute wracking my Canadian brain over what the purpose of the image was.

First I thought... a green President... a garden patch in the White House lawn to model local grown and self-sufficiency?

But then I searched deep down in the bottom, dark file drawers of my mind and remembered
seeing illustrations from moldy old 18th Century broadsheets, with all the racist stereotypes.

OK. Got it now... Not that we don't discriminate against non-Anglos in Canada. We're just more... polite... about it!

[eyepatch]

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

Mayor Grose said he didn't mean to offend anyone and was unaware of any
racial stereotypes linking black people to watermelon!

YEAH RIGHT!!!! and I am the Easter Bunny!

This guy is a racist to even think of this concept!!!! if he was so unaware of the
link between watermelon and the obvious racial slur then why did he choose
watermelons? why not peaches or apples or oranges?????

the only Joke here is Mayor Grose!!!!

[Ddorsey]

I think it was wrong...but imagine being in his situation. Such a huge price to pay for a sent email.

[StillIRise]

Is the price he paid greater than his offense to an entire community of Americans?

His "situation," as you call it, was that of an elected or appointed official who is obviously racist, and who took it upon himself to denigrate the humanity of another elected or appointed official, who happens to be black. In doing so, he lost all credibility to serve as a representative of the people of his district, county or whatever. He lost his job because he tried to take away the dignity of another human being. I don't think the price he paid was high at all!!!

[Ddorsey]

I really don't think you can argue that it isn't a high price. I think that the right thing happened and it was a justified reaction. I just empathize with how he probably regrets the situation, and losing a job, ESPECIALLY in the publics eye, is never fun. I have some sympathy for him, that's all.
Al I'm asking is imagine how hard it is for him.