I wrote recently about the very welcome arrest of four East Haven, CT police officers for violating the civil rights of a priest who videotaped them harassing Latino immigrants. You’re not gonna believe the response of the mayor when asked what, in light of those charges, he was doing for the Latino community in the city. He says, “I might have tacos when I go home.” And then he goes on a long diatribe about eating ethnic food. The reporter is absolutely baffled and actually tries to back him down, and the guy doubles down on the stupid.
Jan 27 2012
East Haven Mayor Goes Braindead
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MikeMa
January 27, 2012 at 1:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Mayor got a whole pile of tacos delivered to his office in protest. Not a effective as a swift kick in the butt but not bad.
Sadie Morrison
January 27, 2012 at 1:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What stood out the most for me was, in the midst of Mayor Stupid’s babbling about possibly eating Italian food for dinner and being of Italian descent, his claimed solidarity for the Latino community on account of having occasionally been mistaken for “being of an ethnic background.” For those of you watching at home, “ethnic background”= “non-white.”
freemage
January 27, 2012 at 1:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
He’s since announced that he’s not going to give any more interviews.
Just how worthless a politician do you have to be before you decide to bail from any sort of publicity?
Stevarious
January 27, 2012 at 1:34 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I got as far as that agonizing sentence and couldn’t listen any more. I don’t know how this guy got elected. But if he gets RE-elected after this fiasco, then we’ll know its the constituents that are brain dead.
holytape
January 27, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m supporting him by eating some wonderbread and saltine crackers.
otrame
January 27, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
When are these idiots going to realize that blatantly inappropriate comments like this are no longer buried in local news?
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I have always felt that when you have a case like those four cops, that the root cause is an atmosphere where such behavior is acceptible, and that atmosphere comes from the top. I believe that if the chief of police , the major and other senior officials set an example of decent behavior you are much less likely to have incidents like what happened in that town (and when it does happen those leaders jump all over it instead of supporting the perpetrators). Clearly this is a case where the mayor, at least, did not set an example of decent behavior.
Bronze Dog
January 27, 2012 at 1:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That’s definitely one aspect of the internet I like. And if you’ve gotten enough international internet attention for saying or doing something horrible, some of the locals might get motivated to deal with the problem people.
Of course, one nasty side of it is that I’ve seen some locals defend their idols from being judged by basic moral standards, just because we’re (on average) outsiders.
Dr X
January 27, 2012 at 1:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
East Haven, smaller version of Cranston with a little higher income.
subbie
January 27, 2012 at 2:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It’s like Les Nessman got elected mayor. Except for the fact that Les, while being clueless, wasn’t a raging, bile-filled bag of bigotry.
juice
January 27, 2012 at 2:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Although that’s a clever protest, it’s also a huge waste of food (if the tacos weren’t eaten).
Sadie Morrison
January 27, 2012 at 2:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Whoa! Juice actually said something that I can agree with. ;)
KathyO
January 27, 2012 at 2:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@Holytape Make mine a fluffernutter sandwich.
yellowsubmarine
January 27, 2012 at 2:43 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Holy crap, is he drunk?
Also, as a person of italian descent, he doesn’t think it should be important what anyone’s ethnical background is, but that’s not going to stop him from bringing it up over and over again.
eamick
January 27, 2012 at 3:29 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
If memory serves, one was left symbolically at the mayor’s office and the rest were donated to soup kitchens and the like.
timgueguen
January 27, 2012 at 5:22 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sounds like this guy is related to Mayor Tommy Shanks of Mellonville.
exdrone
January 27, 2012 at 6:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I wonder if the mayor was thinking to himself, “Damn. Why can’t he get it? Tacos = Latinos; Spaghetti = Italians. It seems obvious to me. Okay, I go over it one more time. This reporter sure is dim.”
Stevarious
January 27, 2012 at 6:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Maybe they got it from Taco Bell, so that no actual food was wasted.
Blondin
January 27, 2012 at 8:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I can’t help picturing Archie Bunker in his place.
gvlgeologist
January 27, 2012 at 11:48 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’m so embarrassed. First the state where I 1st went to grad school (RI) has a Cranston meltdown. Then the state that I grew up in has this idiot.
At least now I live in Florida. What could go wrong here?
marymallone
January 28, 2012 at 2:10 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Oh,my. I made it through the first minute or so. I had to shut it off when he started bumbling about how people have made comments about assuming he is from an “ethnic group.” I have never understood why people would assume that stating “people think I’m a foreigner, too,” can be a carte blanche for expressing whatever racially insensitive thoughts come to mind. IMHO, that sort of argument – “I can’t be racist, some others have assumed I’m from a minority group” – is a more devious permutation of the “black/gay/etc. friend” excuse (“I think all gays should go to prison, but I’m not a bigot, because my friend is gay,” etc.) because the person using such a tactic presents his or her self as a victim, which simply pisses me off for reasons I can’t articulate.
And, aside: how does this man imagine the video could be twisted to make it WORSE?
And: if he were to say he was going to spend time in the Latino community to let them voice their concerns and share their thoughts, and if he actually meant it (“I’m going to spend time with those Latino members of our community who may feel victimized by recent events, and I’m going to talk to them and listen to their concerns so that we can move forward to create a more integrated, accepting community” etc.), then I would have more respect for him. What was he thinking when he went on the taco tangent? Jeez.
Pen
January 28, 2012 at 4:02 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Maybe the real culprit here is that brand of elementary school diversity education that consists of trying out each others’ recipes and filling in a coloring sheet for each others’ principal festivals. The Mayor obviously hasn’t moved beyond that stage yet. Very sad…
carolw
January 28, 2012 at 12:09 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I have never seen such a basic lack of understanding of a serious issue. Equal rights =/= eating at different restaurants. Unbelievable. If that were true, I’d be the greatest advocate for Tex-Mex relations ever. Peace through guacamole! Salsa for justice!
Dr X
January 28, 2012 at 9:45 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
And tacos are Mexican, and I’d bet the “Latinos” who were abused were Puerto Rican. CT doesn’t have a big Mexican population. Most of the Hispanics are Puerto Rican. So there is probably yet another layer of stupid on top of the stupid.