Evidence found during the recent investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that racism among Ferguson, Missouri officials is so endemic that racial slurs are made over work email. The racist emails, dating back to 2008, were circulated among city officials without consequence until yesterday.
The report, which was released on March 4, includes a sampling of emails that report authors describe as “illustrative” of racial bias among current Ferguson officials. The emails were sent, with rare exception, via official City of Ferguson email accounts and likely during work hours.
Individuals involved are not named, but the DOJ does state that every email they gave as an example involved supervisors and commanders of the Ferguson Police Department patrol and supervisors of court operations. Both groups of people are in positions to promulgate bias and racism simply through example. Police supervisors are responsible for overseeing the conduct of the police, while court supervisors have significant influence over court operations and the management of individual cases.
Since the report’s release on Monday and revelations about the emails, Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III said steps are being taken to correct problems.
“We must do better not only as a city, but as a state and a country,” Knowles said to The Associated Press.
Knowles said three employees were responsible for the emails. One was fired Wednesday, and the other two are on administrative leave pending an investigation.
An email from November 2008 stated that President Barack Obama wouldn’t hold the office of president for very long because “what black man holds a steady job for four years.”
In March 2010, an email involving a story about child support mocked the speech and family stereotypes of blacks with antiquated speech more reminiscent of the year 1810. At one point in the email, which reads like slave dialogue from the book “Gone With the Wind,” the individual wrote: “I be so glad that dis be my last child support payment! Month after month, year after year, all dose payments!”
The sampling from 2011 depicts a slew of emails tantamount to a disturbing train wreck of ignorant rants.
