Snapped Shot

FORT PIERCE — A white police lieutenant received a three-day unpaid suspension for comments in a conversation with a black detective that "deeply offended" the white police chief, but did not offend the detective, according to records released Wednesday.

Lt. Katherine England, who is white, received the suspension following the July 3 interaction involving Detective Jesse Streeter, a longtime friend of hers, and Officer Christine Davis, who at the time was with her new K-9 dog partner, Boss.

Streeter, who is black, told investigators he walked through the police department’s hallway doors when he encountered England, Davis and Boss. Streeter put his arms up and crossed them before Davis and England started to laugh. They said Boss was just a puppy and that he could pet Boss if he wanted to. [Ed: In other words, he was not fond of dogs and was not sure if the dog would attack or bite him. It was a K-9 dog after all.]

He told them that was OK, and that he didn’t like to pet dogs that weren’t his, but he eventually did pet Boss.

"They then told him that the dog had not been trained yet," a report states in summary of Streeter's comments. "Lieutenant England then told him that the dog would not bite him and that she would prove it to him. At this point she told the dog to, ‘bite the black man, bite the black man.’"

Streeter saw Chief Sean Baldwin walk by as England said, "Bite the black man, bite the black man." Baldwin, who is white, reported being "deeply offended" and directed an internal investigation into the matter.

Streeter said he, Davis and England all laughed as the comment was made. England hugged him and said, "You know that I love you," and Streeter said he did.

Streeter thought England’s comment was a continuation of his reaction to Boss and that she jokingly made the remark.

Baldwin wrote the investigation indicates Streeter wasn’t offended and found no evidence of "malicious discriminatory intent," but that it was "in contempt of our policies, which are intended to promote a value for diversity within our organization and support positive relationships within the community we serve.”

Ok. I can understand if something went against guidelines or policies to go ahead and punish even if no one was hurt, offended or even pressed charges (sort of), but so far this did not even cite how what she did was wrong. The man was CLEARLY A BLACK MAN, right? I think it would have been offensive if she had said, "Bite the white woman" to him.

How does suspending an officer without pay for joking around with a LONGTIME friend show and instill a positive relationship within the community. It just shows that Baldwin has a stick up her ***.

In other news... In peace-love-diversity California...

Jim Thrasher and his wife were enjoying the California State Fair this weekend until they came upon the Colusa County exhibit.

For the African American couple from Sacramento, the exhibit's depiction of "Waldo Watermelon Seed" conjured up painful images of the Jim Crow era.

The cartoon-like character was "the standard caricature you'd see from the old days, 50, 60, 70 years ago – black face, buckteeth, bug eyes holding a watermelon," said Thrasher, 58.

Please. Please note the name of this highly offensive, degrading, painful to memories work of art. Waldo the Watermelon Seed. Here is an image.


This is a caricature of a watermelon seed. What else is it supposed to look like? Watermelons seeds for the most part are black and skinny. Artistic license put the face on the side and made it happy. Its a watermelon seed.... eating a watermelon. HELLO???

But no, it had to be dealt with. It had offended sensibilities. (are we in Pakistanifornia??)

"It brought back memories of my childhood in Ohio [Ed: I don't recall Ohio being a hotbed of Klan activity] where the Klan still marched, when racism was overt, all the name-calling I and my family had to endure," Thrasher said. [Ed: aawwww. someone got called names. Who didn't when they were young. Sorry, but just saying "name-calling" isn't going to cut it as proof] "Those kinds of characters were very common, and I'd like to see some sensitivity on the part of the county administration to do something about it."

So, the KKK dealt with smiling big mouth caricatures of black people made out of seeds? I don't recall seeing happy watermelon seeds hanging by nooses in posters or signs put up by the KKK? Who are the ones that do these kinds of art work? ARTISTS!! You see them all the time at the fairs. They do caricatures of people all the time with big heads and mouths!!

But, it was dealt with...

After The Bee's inquiries, Colusa County representatives took down the image Wednesday. "They don't want to offend anybody and will modify the exhibit," said Brooke Converse, a fair spokeswoman.

Thank the Lord that was handled with speed before anyone, especially kids, saw that and violence broke out. How many times do we hear of violence breaking out over cartoons these days. Thank the SacBee and strong and determined fair officials for taking a stand against hideous offensive cartoon caricatures of watermelons seeds before kids saw it.

Fair General Manager Norb Bartosik said the display, created by several teens at Colusa High, was intended to reflect the county's production of melons, pumpkins and watermelons. Bartosik said he had received no complaints.

A team of seven judges previewed the county exhibits before the fair opened and didn't find Colusa's entry offensive, Bartosik said.

Oh.. Too late. Wait? The kids designed it? And it got prior approval? hmmm. Ok, time to trot out the Academic Professor of All Knowledge...

According to University of California, Davis, professor Patricia Turner – a leading national authority on African American images – such caricatures are likely to have a different impact on blacks who lived through the civil rights era.

The Jim Crow caricatures "harken back for many people – particularly the older generation – to the period when there were only derogatory images of African Americans," she said.

Turner, who teaches African and African American Studies, authored "Ceramic Uncles and Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture."

Whether intended or not, the melon-eating caricature in the Colusa exhibit is reminiscent of early 20th-century images that include "the large, toothy smile, garish green pants and white minstrel gloves," Turner said.

The images in advertisements of blacks eating watermelon with their hands "connotes a kind of savagery," she said. Turner, 53, remembers African Americans eating watermelon with forks in public to combat that notion.

Ummm.. yeah. Ok? Now I am lost. So, the fact that I, a white person, eat watermelons with my hands makes me a racist? I am promoting savagery against black people by eating watermelons with my hands? OMG, I never knew. And... and, I even wore "garish green pants" when I was young during the 70's. Holy Crap!! I am a closet KKK member and didn't even know it.


Ok, before we go too much farther with this... .please click on the image above. It will take you to the linked article where you will see the full image of the racist seed. And, there you will also find his brother racist seed number 2. His name is Patrick Pumpkin Seed. Can you see any similarities or put things into context better?

Image caption reads: [Ed: bold and underline are mine]

Cartoons at a Colusa County display showed "Waldo Watermelon Seed" and "Patrick Pumpkin Seed" in an exhibit noting the county "is known as the center of world seed production of cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and watermelons." (RANDALL BENTON / rbenton@sacbee.com)

Waldo the watermelon seed is not really wearing green pants but has watermelon RIND legs. Note the coloration of his shoes as well. Watermelon colors. huh. As for his brother from another mother, he has a big mouth too (tho not smiling because everybody hates pumpkins), minstrel gloves as well and even big shoes like Mr. Watermelon. To me, he looks a little Jewish. I think if I were Jewish I would be offended that a seed is caricaturing my race as mad. Being mad is racist. Being a mad pumpkin seed is racist.

Can't we all just TRY to not find things to offend us? Can't we all just go about our lives and try and NOT be offended all the time? Can't we just assume good intentions first? Can't we just assume that friends know how to harass each other in a friendly manner? Can't we all assume that cartoon figures, even ones produced by Disney during the early days ARE NOT racist or promote the hanging of black people?

Can't we all just get along?