A group of Philadelphia police officers are suing their department over an Internet message board whose posters allegedly made “racist” comments.
The Guardian Civic League filed the suit against Domelights.com, saying its users and moderators are White police officers who post racist messages on- and off-duty. The tag line for Domelights.com reads, “The Voice of the Good Guys.”
The League also claims that Domelights’ users “often joke about the racially offensive commentary on the site [....] or will mention them in front of black police officers,” thus creating “a racially hostile work environment.”
(You can read the lawsuit in its entirety here).
“Every time African-Americans do or say something in our city, we get this backlash of cops who think they’re anonymous on this Web site — just racist, nasty, hurtful things about what we do,” said Guardian Civic League president Rochelle Bilal, who is also a 23-year veteran of the force.
Attorney Brian Mildenburg, who is representing the League in their suit and is also suing a Philadelphia day camp that allegedly turned away blacks from using their swimming pool, called the timing of the two suits “a gift from the heavens.”
Both Mildenburg and Bilal have been monitoring Domelights.com for at least ten years. The breaking point for Bilal came when posters commented on the swimming pool lawsuit by saying, “Maybe the people who work for a living didn’t want to swim with a bunch of ghetto monkey faces.”
“When they said something about our pretty, brown, young, innocent children and called them monkeys because they wanted to go swimming, that was enough,” Bilal said.
A Philadelphia police sergeant who moderates the site under the name “McQ” has been named in the suit. Mildenbeg quotes McQ as writing, “Blacks and other minorities frequently don’t have the resources that white people have. Consequently, blacks may not be able to keep their vehicles inspected, registered, and roadworthy.”
Asked why McQ bears responsibility for the racist remarks of his site’s anonymous commenters, Mildenberg said it was because “he started it.”
A statement posted by McQ on the site reads, “I categorically deny any wrongdoing on my part,” the message reads. “I did not make racist posts. I did not maintain the Web site on city time.”
Mildenberg wants the website shut down, and is seeking unspecified damages available under the Civil Rights Act for the city’s 2,300 African-American police officers.
Shelley Smith, Philadelphia’s city solicitor, said. “The lawsuit is about a private Web site. It’s not a police department Web site. It’s not operated or overseen by the police department. The allegations against the city and police department are misplaced.”
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Free Mumia!! Free Mumia Abu Jamal!!
Is that a picture of old Robert Mugabe behind her on the wall? It sure looks like uncle Bob.
Racism wiill end when the blacks, prs, mexicans etc stop being racist. It is actually their racism that screams volumes whenever they make charges like these.
Len:
It appears you are correct on the picture behind this woman, if you have Zoom on your toolbar ,the picture can be enlarged and it shows the rodent Mugabe.
Now we know what this bimbo representents.
WOW! You guys are right, that IS Robert Mugabe in the background! Good catch!
Allow me to paraphrase: “Wah! Someone said something I don’t approve.
I’m trained to deal with life and death situations, but words hurt.”
Give me a break.
Go protect the community and quit your whining.
I think blacks have milked the “cry racism” cash cow to death. It’s getting to the point where there’s now a backlash. The only people playing the race card are blacks. They’re the true racists.
If their “culture” is so great and wonderful, then why can’t it stand on its own without having to blame whitey for all their problems?
The race card has been so overplayed that it is now bordering on the ridiculous. NAACP…….promotes the Black agenda. What if there were white organizations to promote the white agendas…..NAFAWP (National Association For the Advancment of White People)……or the American White College Fund. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would be jumping up and down screaming “racisim.” Now don’t tell me….there already are exclusive white organizations to promote the white agenda,like, KKK or Aryan Brotherhood. Well those agendas don’t represent mainstream white principles any more than the “NOI” or “Kripps” should represent mainstream blacks. It is time for people to be judged by their merit, not by the color of their skin. Racisim is solidly entrenched in Black America, especially in their politics. Just look at the White House. It is time to stop the “great give away” and to stop rewarding laziness with hand outs under the guise of Social Programs. Just like President Ronald Reagan said “the greatest social program is work.”
I am sickened every time I hear individuals underestimate, undervalue, and marginalize the value, contributions and very real concerns with respect to fairness and equity and African American. I happened to be a veteran of 25 years, USMC, I was once a police officer, and I worked in corrections, hands down I saw more blatant, overt, racism within these so-called bastions of righteousness than anywhere else. I did “work”, obtain higher education, have a spotless record, and solid reputation of being fair and equitable in my dealings with peers, subordinates and the public. I along with millions of very accomplished, patriotic, tax paying African Americans are still denied the rights and REAL Affirmative Action that right wing racists take for granted! I am sickened by the daily attacks on everything black, including despicable attacks against the Presidents beautiful children, these zealots don’t respect anything! God bless the President, his family, and every American Family, especially those that find themselves at the mercy of vicious, ignorant bigots. Harvard Professors are not even immune, there is a racist with an excuse for every injustice ever perpetrated against people of color.I pray that my two son’s, both of who also serve this great nation in the military, live to see a better America than I have seen during my last 43 years. I love this country, it just doesn’t love me or African Americans, institutional racism is still very much the law of the land! The “system” is not designed to protect the rights of African Americans!!!!!!
Invictus
I lol’d.
Blacks…lol