A Right To Be Racist ?

Justin Barrett is a Boston police officer (or maybe was one). He has been suspended for sending an e-mail calling Harvard Professor Henry Gates a "banana-eating jungle monkey". This was an especially stupid thing to do when the Boston police were already being criticized for the arrest of Professor Gates. It was also racist.

He has been suspended with pay by the department. But Barrett is not content with just some people believing he is stupid and racist -- he wants to prove it to everyone. He has filed suit against the city. He denies being a racist and believes the suspension violates his right to free expression. Ridiculous!

His attorney said, "The choice of words were poor; but they weren't meant to characterize professor Gates as a banana-eating jungle monkey. They were meant in a response to behavior and characterizing the behavior. Not the person as a whole." What a stupid thing to say!

How can a white man call a black man a "banana-eating jungle monkey", and then try to claim it was not a racist statement or was not directed at the "person as a whole". It's easy to say you're not a racist, but if you use language like that then you just prove you're a racist and a liar.

Does Barrett have the right to be a racist and use racist speech? As much as I disapprove of his views, I would have to agree that he does have that right. Supporting free speech means supporting even offensive speech (and this speech is very offensive).

But he does NOT have the right to racist speech or actions and remain a police officer. A police officer must be able to treat all people equal regardless of their race, ethnicity, sex, age or sexual preference. A racist simply cannot do that.

Officer Barrett should be fired and his lawsuit should be thrown out of court.