He regresado.

I suppose that means I'm back.

I've been thinking of how much I missed blogging-- surprise, surprise. Maybe I just needed a reprieve? Anyway. I thought I would start a new blog but reviving this one makes sense, too.

And here we are.

I'll give something like a recap of the past few months later. For now, I'll talk about the first news article I came across on Google News-- a police officer from Boston getting suspended because of his email.

The case is, of course, related to Henry Louis Gates. It turns out Sputnik years and years ago was, also, related to Henry Louis Gates-- EVERYTHING is related to HLG. To be honest, I was tired of the story as soon as I first heard it. I do not understand why everyone feels like talking about it-- feels like a trap, if there ever was one. Anyway, the story does not really interest me in the slightest, though I do argue for a certain interpretation usually when the issue is brought up...just to stir the pot.

Apparently, Justin Barrett, an officer from the Boston Police Department, wrote about Gates and the incident, referring to Gates as a, "jungle monkey." Whereas the Gates incident[Or Gatesgate!?] was muddled with elitism, politics, and other nonsense that makes the case really more of a distraction and waste of resources than a true front to expose[and hopefully combat] racism, this one is much more clear cut.

There are two issues. First, or the one that I first thought about, was the issue of privacy. Barrett's statement wasn't verbal-- it was via email. To be honest, this part seems fishy-- was it his hotmail account or was it the Boston PD account? Is the BPD now refitting the Patriot Act to look for emails from terrorists AND racists? I do not know. The Boston Globe also has this to say about Menino: "The mayor said he has not seen the e-mail and while the officer is not officially terminated, he might as well be. 'He’s gone - g-o-n-e. I don’t care, it’s like cancer, you don’t keep those cancers around.’"

A little early, I think, to say that type of thing without having seen the eMail.

But, it seems like Barrett hasn't denied the email itself, but has rather been going after the second issue: that it isn't racist. Wait, what? Yeah, me too.

Besides the history 'jungle monkey' has as a racial epithet used to describe Black people in this country...yeah, not going to fly. He also claims that he "didn't intend to offend anyone", which seems like a fishy statement. The words are obviously offensive. It may not have been his intent to do so, but he knew that there was reasonable likelihood that they would. In this type of case, his intentions aren't so important.

Do I think he should get fired? I don't know. I find it weird, the standard we hold policemen and policewomen to. Do they even get paid that much? Do they deserve the smearing that they get? This sort of fearmongering might not be healthy, in the long run. Probably already isn't. Might engender more discontent among the police force and further ruin relations between the Boston Black community and the BPD. And apparently Barrett has no disciplinary record in his two years being on the force. And he might get fired in the following weeks for an email?

I thought something more reasonable might have been suspension with mandatory training, or something other. Even Crowley isn't getting fired. Do we really need to add to the unemployment line?

So, no, he probably shouldn't be getting fired. Oh well.

This is Boston.

Later, folks.