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 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.
(Source: Associated Press)
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29 Responses
Countdown to a Sharpton/Jackson demand for resignation set to ……
These racist actions are going to put Sharpton and Jackson back in business and legitimize them.
The mayor should resign for his actions and for being a liar. He knows about the racist inference. Watermelon was not a random choice of a graphic.
As a Jew, I find it disgusting that such racist gestures are being made about another people who have their own painful history, except their’s is with America.
Hey Mayan, if a mayor you worked with sent out an email reinforcing Jewish stereotypes, how would you feel?
Perhaps the mayor in question is a new immigrant with little knowledge of American culture, and doesn’t realize the racial significance of “watermelon” jokes.
#1 Mayan_Dvash
If they did complain, I think it would be one of the rare times that it was justified. The racial content of the photo is undeniable.
every ethnic group likes diffrent foods and i’m sure president BHO loves watermelon and fried chicken just like sen. lieberman likes cholent
Let me make myself clear: That picture was wrong. The email was private and an apology was made. My comment was alluding to anticipating these 2 characters milking the situation ad nauseaum.
Oh please! Anonymous #6 is right. How does an ethnic group’s “traditional” foods reflect negatively on the ethnic group or, in this case, the person? The man in the white house (am I allowed to say “white?”)is reflecting negatively on himself, through his ideas and actions, without the help of any cartoons.
#4, that is a nice thought, but the lack of accountability in our country is leading to our downfall.
Is he an immigrant? The article did not say.
Was watermelon innocently on the mind of the mayor, in the month of February?
The White House now has a black president and the White House is depicted with watermelons on the lawn.
You are obviously a bright man and can do the math.
#7 Mayan
If someone sent me a “private” anti-semitic email as a joke, I assure you it also wouldn’t stay private for long.
#6 Anon
As you are not the subject of the email, you really can’t speak to how offensive it is. When someone forwards an email about a Jew with a hook nose, or someone who only lives for money, or one of the many other stereotypes, then you and I will be able to say “hey, it’s no big deal.” But in this case…I’m pretty sure it’s offensive. I’ll ask some black co-workers if you need proof.
#8, you are a bit naive of black history in America. Without comparing our recent past in Germany, blacks in America have seen the watermelon used as a symbol of hate which is derogatory, and degrading to them; often a warning they are dealing with people who would murder them. One can argue that a graphic about a Jew showing someone with a huge nose can have a reply of, “Well some people in this world have big noses, so I dont think they meant anything by it.” While the symbols of hatred to blacks are not ours, we cannot deny such things are important to the history of blacks.
While campaigning (not that he’s stopped), the man played the race-card to the hilt. Save your sympathies.
Am I missing something here? What is the connecion of a watermelon to black people? Personally I have no clue what is the big fuss about it. Obviously if the mayor would of known it is racist, he wouldn’t of sent it to one person who happens to be black. Like # 6 said, it was a private e-mail, he made a mistake of not knowing, he said sorry. He is not a mayor of NYC where he would know such a thing.
Yeah, but it was ok for all these years for liberals and ethnics to portray President Bush as some stupid idiot murdering Texan.
baylasheva and anon:
The problem with what you are saying is that watermelon and chicken are not “traditional” foods in the same way that chulent might be for Jews. The association of blacks with those foods goes back to slavery and is one of many attempts to dehumanize a subjugated people. Here is my source(I couldn’t find anything more official than this website):
http://www.authentichistory.com/diversity/african/chickenwatermelon/index.html
You might want to take a look at the Jewish website of that site. How would you feel if some of those images were used in a “joke” email?
# 5, #10
hook noses…money…these are negative traits used with jews. Chopped Liver, Gefilte fish, are jewish, but not offensive. Imagine the white house lawn covered with matzo balls. Would you be offended ????
Whats negative about watermellon??
Would you think BHO would be offended with a BLACK photo of himself?????
What about a picture of him with BLACK children???
How about this prejudice: hating non-jews and non frum people. Isn’t that just as prejudicial as a “watermellon” depiction, and isn’t it just as painful for those who lone for the Lubavitch lifestyle but can never have it because they were born to the wrong parents? Just a thought.
Watermelons?? why not apples?
Grose claims that he was “unaware of the racial atereotype that black people like watermelons”. In that case, what exactly was the point of the joke? How does a picture showing watermelons on the White House lawn make sense otherwise? Actually there were similar “jokes” circulating during the campaign. I’d guess there may have been “jokes” circulating about Senator Lieberman during his White House run too.
All –
If you are still unaware of the racist stereotype connecting blacks and watermelons, then don’t play up your own ignorance by claiming that it doesn’t exist. Search on Google, ask a friend, learn some history about the country you live in. You may not understand WHY it’s racist, or why it’s a stereotype, but the fact remains that it’s offensive.
The responses above include:
– It’s not offensive, it’s like Jews eating chulent
– It is stereotyping, but Obama “played the race card” while campaigning, so who cares (!), or “but the Democrats did…”
Come on, we can be better than this.
the constitution doesn’t protect anyone from getting offended!!! it protects everyone from getting hurt, or anything that’s gonna cause someone from getting hurt!!! Can’t see why watermelon’s can cause someone to get hurt!!!
hey, mr. president, be a big boy, you’re old enough to be president, then you’re old enought to take a joke!!!!
let them all grow up, what a bunch of BABIES
Watermellon Garden at the White House, It’s a great idea maybe all black kids will show up and the little white kids who love watermellon also will give their parents the blues.
Wonder what the fried chicken is like from the 1st kitchen?
Grow up America
Maybe if Lieberman ever makes it to the White House, instead of an Easter Egg hunt they’ll just drop some quarters on the front lawn.
It’s just a joke – if you get offended, there must be something wrong with you.
The Los Alamitos Mayor was not right to have sent the e-mail. What it means (to me) is in the South during the Civil War Black people who were Slaves in rural areas either were employed in the Plantation House of the Slave Owner and became known as the House Negro. Black People who worked in the Fields Planting or Harvesting Crops were called Field Negros. The House Servants had privileges not accorded to the Field Slaves who toiled all day under the scorching Summer Sun. The Picture of the White House in the e-mail is symbolic of the Black People who worked in the Plantation Home and looked down at the Field Slaves who toiled in the Fields. This is why I find the e-mail very distasteful and derogatory, and it is rather shocking the mayor is not sensitive to the nuances.
justajew, I agree with you completely. Except to really get a better idea of how these “jokes” feel to black people, we should imagine Germans making these jokes.
If the US was really based on Locke’s idea of social justice and the social contract, then there would be no question that something like this is ok. freedom of speech, any speech, is an inalienable right, regardless of how offensive (Holocaust denial included). Unfortunately, the era of both political correctness and Hobbesesque social policy has eliminated this. The founders must be rolling over in their graves
Los Alamitos is a 2¼-square-mile Orange County city of around 12,000 people!Smaller than 20 blocks in Boro Park!!
#28 Anon
That’s a nice straw man you’ve built. No one at any point said that someone’s rights were infringed upon, or that any law was broken. The complaint was that the email was inappropriate and offensive.