Mayor Resigns Over Watermelon Email Flap

What is this country coming to when people can’t send amusing emails to friends without losing their livelihoods?

We posted this same watermelon photo back in November [LINK], and no one was offended. Some people can’t take a joke. Everything isn’t about racism.

The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title “No Easter egg hunt this year.”

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday’s City Council meeting.

Grose came under fire for sending the picture to what he called “a small group of friends.” One of the recipients, a local businesswoman and city volunteer, publicly scolded the mayor for his actions.

Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city. Grose said he didn’t mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons. [LINK]

KaraZ

It was in poor taste when you posted it (I don’t remember) and it was in poor taste when he forwarded it. It’s one thing if you’re a random blogger who is known for obvious bias and generally lack credibility in things that matter, it’s quite another when you are the leader of a town. He showed a lapse of judgment when he hit the forward button, so what else will he have a lapse of judgment over?
http://myspace.com/tamarlese Peachizz

Oh Sandra,
“What is this country coming to when people can’t send amusing emails to friends without losing their livelihoods?”
It’s too early in the morning.. Stop the insanity!!!
Well if you’re sititng at a desk, using a computer that was payed for with tax dollars and being made tax payers dollars,one has a code they must follow…
He’s lucky they let him resign….
Imalover

Sandra, it’s amazing how you look like a field nigger, but act like a house nigger…. “Massa can say whateva he like ‘cuz him a good massa”. BTW that was a joke. Are you laughing?
Kymystry

Sooooo gat dang True Imalover ….

Ole Massa .. she aint-ta-meanmuffin by it massa … she was just funnin witcha
http://myspace.com/cocoasister kkizzle

When I saw this picture I thought it was probably created by some racist, hiding behind the veil of “humor”. However, it’s definitely not funny. It’s dumb. I kept it moving because you can’t change people’s racist beliefs and we all know they are out there.

To say no one was offended when you posted it… I’m not sure. Just because you didn’t feel the backlash, doesn’t mean it wasn’t offensive to some of your readers. I believe in many instances we have become a little desensitized and don’t bother addressing every stupid thing that comes across the wire.

I agree Peachizz… he’s lucky they allowed him to retire.
http://myspace.com/cocoasister kkizzle

*resign
BLACKBARBIE404

LMBAO @ IMALOVER
PAHairston

Hello All, I said I wasn’t going to post here anymore but alas, I can’t help myself. (I actually enjoy this blog.) That said, I’m tired of white folks being deliberately dismissive when it comes to such things. Most of them are in denial but most of them know what offends us. Like the New York Post and the monkey cartoon. Ever heard of “porch monkey”? Also, something else that slipped under the radar. A few weeks back the Wash Post ran an article talking about raccoons at the White House. Ever hear of “coons”? We were also once referred to as “beast of the field” by our very own Congress. So all, I’m pretty much tired of this denial and for the record, I’m not a porch monkey nor coon nor beast. I am a human being made in the image of God. I’m just saying. Peace.
Kymystry

My question is simple …”he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons” .. who and why was he forwarding it … why would you pass along a joke and YOU didn’t get the punch line …

GTFOH with that put your head in the sand mentality … remember while your head is in the sand .. your azz is in the air ….. don’t get mad if you get screwed !
http://myspace.com/thegameoncw Bird

Good for his dumb butt. A blog and a politician are two totally differant things. He cannot make racist jokes openly under any circumstance whether they are funny or not. This one wasn’t even funny so that makes it that much worse.
bk2atl

Sandra, how would you know whether your readers were offended by it or not….more than likely it was included in a post with the “comments off”.
brenden

Difference being you can post whatever the heck you want. This is your blog, and you’re just that a blogger. This ass clown is oops WAS a MAYOR! California is in the midst of laying off 20,000 of it’s employees because we are broke! Aint nothing funny about that! Who the hell wants some idiot who sits at his desk forwarding joke emails and probably jacking off to porn when we as a state cant even afford to pay our peace officers? Lets say it just was a joke, nothing racial at all…Now aint the time for clowns, wanna be comedians, nor B-list actors (cough cough Arnold cough cough). Things are real serious round these here parts and as a state we need officials who are taking things, looking at things and handling things as if such.
SMALONE

you just can’t do this any more..someone got fired from my job for sending an e mail like that..it’s because it wasn’t company related.you can send it from your home computer,not at work any more.and you have to sign a pice of paper with human resorces now! just can’t do it from work!
The Divine Ms. K

Damn, Sandra, I really have no words for you on this one.

An amusing e-mail? Since when is it amusing and ok for someone in a position of power to just provide proof they are racist??? It makes you question everything about them, policies they may pass, etc…

You are really on some coon stuff today if you think this was a harmless e-mail that should just be looked over. I don’t know if you are just looking to get posts or start controversy, but you’re on something. This is clearly about racism.
licia

he knew exactly what he meant . if he didn’t do anything wrong why resign ? if i didn’t do anything wrong i wouldn’t give up my job without a fight.
BLACKBARBIE404

What is this country coming to when people can’t send amusing emails to friends without losing their livelihoods?

_________________________________________________________

AND I WONDER THE SAME ABOUT THE BANNED PPL???? MAKES YOU GO HUMMMM…..

THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BANNED…IMO
brenden

Imalover Says:

Sandra, it’s amazing how you look like a field nigger, but act like a house nigger…. “Massa can say whateva he like ‘cuz him a good massa”. BTW that was a joke. Are you laughing?

Oh wow….I think I have a new e-crush…Sorry Kymmy you’ve been replaced!heehee Naw no 1 could ever replace you. The only woman I ever known who can not only make it clap, but also make it give you a high 5, and make it through up a piece sign…Now that’s talent girl…That’s talent.lol
GAGIRL73

IT WAS NOT POSTED WHEN BUSH WAS IN OFFICE, AND WHY WASN’T IT? WE ALL KNOW EVEN IF WE DON’T WANT ADMIT IT. ENOUGH SAID!!! HE KNEW WHAT WAS MEANT BEHIND THE EMAIL! NOW HE HAS LOST HIS JOB(RESIGNED)BEHIND THE BEAUTY OF THE BLACK SKIN!!! LMAO!!!
Anna

licia Says:

he knew exactly what he meant . if he didn’t do anything wrong why resign ? if i didn’t do anything wrong i wouldn’t give up my job without a fight.

~~~~~~
If you get fired don’t you lose benefits vs resigning?
kalvonel

@ Imalover and Brenden

I am DEAD!!! literally. I had to be revived with that crap you sniff when you faint! LMAO
DivaMama

Morning All!

That was just plain stupidity. Whatever. Everyone else here has summed it up nicely.

Anna, I believe that If you resign, you will still lose benefits. You only receive them if you are laid off and that’s only if THEY DECIDE to include that in a package – no one is obligated to, but it generally happens.
mizzdallas

@Imalover

LMAO!!! “field nicca”….
Ilovepink1981

I didn’t see anything wrong with the picture-Dont everyone jump on me- it was a biased but funny email. He shouldn’t have sent it from his work computer. Just because the president is black doesn’t mean that all the “black” jokes have to stop. If we get mad at this then we need to be mad at alot of things, like the use of the N word in our everyday vocabulary, the you know your ghetto.. Stuff like this is okay when “we” do it but it’s an issue when another race does it. If it’s not okay for one race to do it, it shouldn’t be an issue if another race does it
Anna

21DivaMama Says:

Morning All!

That was just plain stupidity. Whatever. Everyone else here has summed it up nicely.

Anna, I believe that If you resign, you will still lose benefits. You only receive them if you are laid off and that’s only if THEY DECIDE to include that in a package – no one is obligated to, but it generally happens.

~~~~~~~
Thanks for the info. Everybody knows his name but for him to resign rather than being fired looks better on his resume’. LOL.
http://myspace.com/docjam1 Doc Jam

Watermelons disgust me.. but for real, buddy did this on purpose so he could quit his boring ass job…
miamore73

Imalover and Kymestry yall are fools. LMBAO….she was just funnin witcha

HILARIOUS!!!
terika83

Personally there is nothing funny about this picture to me…wasn’t then and isn’t now. I merely blew it off…
terika83

P.S…if not racism, then what is this about? Did we see this pic floating around prior to Obama?….no.
terika83

Ilovepink1981…I personally don’t find these jokes to be funny especially since they aren’t accurate…I’ve seen white people tear up some chicken wings as well as Mexicans KILL some watermelon so where is it written that only blacks eat it? Other races drink kool-aid as well so where is the joke? I dismiss these stereotypes….nothing funny about them to me.
Ilovepink1981

I didn’t think is was funny but I wasn’t upset over it, especially since they grow watermelons in hawaii. But I read the comments from the prior post and people didnt think it was funny but were ok with other racial jokes. If we get mad at this email then we need to be mad at all racial emails, it shouldnt be ok for anyone to send them out. Racial jokes seem to be ok as long as you are some shade of black. Does anyone even know if this picture was created by someone of color. I don’t even like fried chicken or kool aide, but Im black. I know all races love them some chicken and watermelon and collard greens
Ilovepink1981

sorry , I did say the email was funny, it was when I got it last year. The email I had had something else in it as well, the picture itself isnt funny
http://ultimate-assistants.com ursmyle4me

I don’t think it’s so much of the message that was sent. It’s who sending it. I can sit at work all day and send funny emails. If my boss sends out the exact email, she will probably have to resign. It’s the level of professionalism that we hold people accountable for. I expect a mayor to have the common sense to wait till he get home and pull up his personal yahoo account and send pictures, and not send them from his work email that has his first and last name listed as the mayor. That’s the part that would offend me…stupidity.
terika83

@Ilovepink1981…I agree and I always say that some black people get mad when other races say things but it’s ok for us to say/do them and that’s not right. Like it’s ok for us to say cracker or whatever when arguing with a white person but they can’t say nigger in retaliation…no…BOTH are wrong and by them saying nigger doesn’t make them anymore of a racist then the black person that said “cracker”.

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