Justin Barrett, Boston Police Officer, Suspended For Calling Gates A "Jungle Monkey" In E-mail

The fallout from the Henry Louis Gates Jr. arrest continues: the Boston Police Department has suspended an officer named Justin Barrett for using a racial slur in reference to the Harvard professor in an email, the AP reports:

After learning of the slur, Commissioner Edward Davis put 36-year-old Justin Barrett on administrative leave pending a termination hearing.

A person with knowledge of the case, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak publicly about it, said Barrett, a member of the National Guard, used the racial slur in messages to guardsmen and to The Boston Globe.

The AP omits the phrase Barrett used from its article, but the Boston Globe reports that the phrase was "jungle monkey," and that the officer used it while reacting to the media coverage of the arrest.

Barrett, a 36-year-old who has been on the job for two years, was stripped of his gun and badge yesterday and faces a termination hearing in the next week, said police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll. He has no previous disciplinary record, she said.

Comments

[William Nalikka]

pushed hard enough he expresses what he truly feels.

[overdalimit]

Well, This too is a sad situation just like the situation that happened which prompted all this mess. One thing that never ceases to amaze me are the 'UNPROFESSIONAL' public officials that seem to make comments on these types of matters. I can remember very well my moms words "Be very careful of what you say and when you say it.... most of the time it's best to keep your mouth shut cause' you never know who's listening to what you say!". So what is societies problem? Is it just that we don't give a damn about what we say or we just can't keep our mouths shut? If a comment that you make could cause you to lose your job and you still say make the comment.... then you should lose it! then maybe next time you'll keep your mouth shut!

[Imperceptus]

Very simple situation here. Officer Justin Barrett should not have written what he wrote. He should have calibrated his words more carefully.

[DrDemon]

-- Unfortunately, bigots just can't help themselves!

[TomDegan]

Barrett may be the exception to the rule, but we would be deceiving ourselves were we to conclude that there aren't more than a few cops out there like him.

A number of years ago, I overheard a New York City police officer who was retiring for reasons of health being asked the question, "What is the biggest regret of your career?" His answer:

"My biggest regret is that I never killed a ni**er."

He was actually in a public place when he uttered those words. I am thankful that he's not on the force anymore, too.

http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com

Tom Degan

[InvisiblePolitico]

I don't think it's right to call Dr. Gates any derogatory names. This is bad. Unfortunately, in New York, we are dealing with a similar situation. A political campaign manager is publicly defending the use of the N word. He thinks Rep. Carolyn Maloney didn't need to issue an apology last week for repeating the word. This guy actually expects his candidate to get elected...and she just might. Read about it http://bit.ly/SJISQ

[Tekd]

They're talking about using the word in the context of talking about fighting racism. Why would it not be acceptable? How would you teach anybody about it without mentioning the word?
There's a difference between telling people about the harms of a slur and actually using it as a slur, and this applies to every ethnic slur out there. I'd have no qualms about people telling others not to use the word while citing it, but I'd have a huge problem if a politician actually used a slur.
And you can't always just call it the "N-word"-who's going to teach kids about the harms of using the slur if you never actually tell them what the word is?
This is ridiculously politically correct silliness that's going to cause more harm than good. Seriously, context means everything. An elderly person who grew up in a different time thanking me and referring to me with an extremely outdated racial term now considered a slur doesn't anger me because I know they don't mean it negatively-I've had elderly ladies and gentlemen use both while talking to me but they were very clearly not racists. Did it sting a little bit hearing it? Sure, but that doesn't mean that I should be yelling at 90 year olds who meant me no harm. Because it's a LOT different than when some neo-nazi skinhead uses these words while talking about beating minorities up.

[XME]

To me, it's just a shame that people like this continue to get paid while they are suspended.

[Rinehart]

Fox News Report:

Gates playing the race card provoked a good man into using a racist term on the job. Clear case of reverse racism.

[lynnn]

LMAO

[GreyMacPherson]

This guy (and you Rinehart, and you Lynnn) is a real good example of why the rest of the world finds America so distasteful....

[ecotorium]

got the world's smallest violin playing for you...

[RIConservative]

Ironic that you can lump an entire group of people together in one short sentence and yet still call OTHERS racist....

It is the left who is race obssesed. Abe Lincoln was a Republican.

[Swampfish]

Sorry but this guy ought not to be a Police officer anywhere for chrissakes!.

[AndyWright68]

This whole have beer night at the white house is a joke. We could have had serious discussions on the problem of police abuse and brutality across our country. This was not about race. If Gates had been white Crowley would have still showed him who was the boss by arresting him on that frivolous charge. Disorderly conduct almost never leads to a conviction. That is a blanket charge police use to punish people that don't bow down to them.

Crowley broke the law and then lied about it. Watch the proof here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/CopsOutofControl#play/uploads/5/gH6SjZ5wEzw

Most Shocking Police Brutality Videos on the Internet!
http://www.youtube.com/user/CopsOutofControl SUBSCRIBE rate and leave comments.
#23 - Most Subscribed YouYube Channel(This Month) - Reporters
#39 - Most Viewed YouTube Channel (Today) - Reporters
Includes the Gates case and how Crowley broke many laws.

Show everyone you know the videos at that site. People need to wake up to the police abuse pandemic across this country. Support police reform and citizen review boards.

[cered]

They are talking about that exact issue. Why would they not, these people are not stupid.

[Pastilles]

Racism is alive and not well in this country.

[Tom Joad]

No prejudice on the Boston Police force....no sir-ee

[whybaby]

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis did the right thing in placing Officer Justin Barrett on administrative leave. It is gratifying that the understandable presence of police bonding and interdepartmental loyalties did not obscure or trump the requirement to excise the cancer that is represented by Barrett's vitriolic racism. My hope is that the sustained courage to follow through in doing the right thing will lead to the termination of Barrett's employment as a civil servant.

I've read Justin Barrett's poison pen letter, a barrage of ugly language, blame, wild projections, and a "me vs. them" world view. His default position is an antagonistic and unreasoning rage; I assume this is the attitude with which he goes to work. He is clearly a danger to the community, and should never be allowed to carry a gun or a badge. I hurt for all the "suspects" that he may have insulted, abused, or arrested without cause, when there were no witnesses. He is a prime example of why police have sometimes been viewed with suspicion and fear.

In removing him from the ranks of the B.P.D., Commissioner Davis raises the level of mutual trust and respect that should be enjoyed by police officers and community members alike. Justin Barrett must not represent the Boston police force, nor does he represent me as a member of my community or as a white person.

[DrDemon]

What happened to all of those "Police Associations" that were defending Sgt.Crowley at the media conference last week?

Where's the uproar pertainnig to Justin Bigots' comments?

Hmmmmmm...I wonder?

COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!

[TrueThis]

What I can't understand is why CNN is giving this man Barrett a platform tonight on Larry King?

[pattyg77]

CNN is not a news organization! They spew hate & Division, otherwise they would not give the Haters a platform in which to speak! If someone from the KKK said something this ugly & mean-spirited, you can bet CNN will have them on....they are no better (in fact worse) the FOX!

[lynnn]

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?

[coco51]

why aren't we to see and hear from a police officer who refers to a citizen whose taxes pays him as a jungle monkey? I know I want to hear from him? I want to know why is he the only police officer in Cambridge or Boston who feels this way about a black man?

[peacebro]

Here is a better copy of the email with paragraphs:

http://watchingthewatchers.org/news/2058/full-jungle-monkey-email-officer-justin

[TrueThis]

Wow. I'm speechless.

[lynnn]

The cop once was an English teacher as well. I particularly like his use of the term "infidel", that's real classy!

[Bongborg]

No sh*t. Still, it is a monument to stupidity the like of which we rarely see. They should give him a plaque with that email inscribed on it in bronze when they fire him.

[coco51]

deep. and so I am to believe that Crowley went into that house without prejudice or forethought to the race/ethnicity of the "polo" wearing perp in the house

[legs1]

Truly eye-popping, what a racist rant.

[cyoohoos]

I have no words.

And this guy was on Larry King saying he's not racist? And he never used the phrase 'jungle monkey' before? And his words were not intended to be racially charged?

Surely an English teacher could have chosen a better set of words.