Judge wears blackface to party

[Hampton]

A judge who wore blackface makeup, handcuffs and a jail jumpsuit at a Halloween party will be suspended for six months, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Monday.

The justices voted 5-2 to suspend Judge Timothy Ellender for a year without pay for dishonoring his position, but to defer half of that penalty. Ellender will lose more than $50,000 in pay, one judge noted.

Ellender, who is white, testified the costumes worn by him and his wife -- she was dressed as a policewoman -- were meant only as a joke to show he was her prisoner. The party's host, Ellender's brother-in-law, was dressed as Buckwheat.

The justices agreed Ellender did not mean to insult blacks. Nevertheless, they ordered him to take a sociology course "which will assist him in achieving a greater understanding of racial sensitivity."

Link. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/12/13/national2001EST0760.DTL)

Not that this differs much from the rest of the country but:

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/images/2000percent/LA_Black.jpg

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/images/LA_incrates2001.jpg

[Intifada]

America's justice system is simply racist.

By the way Hampton, where did you get the info about blacks incarcerated in Bush's US?

Just wondering.

[Hampton]

The graphs are from http://www.prisonpolicy.org a really good site for prison stats, reports, and other assloads of research.

[Intifada]

Thanks.

[cormacobear]

It's the hieght of the aristocrats dream.

Their lack of a social safety net forces them into crime, the streets of the poor are inundated by the CIA, and FBI with deadly narcotics. Which means they can keep the unemployed at minimal expense, in cages, like animals in a feed lot. This keeps them off the Un-employment statistics, which could reflect badly on their beloved economy.

[Hate Is Art]

I wish I had something else to say but I could only come up with this.

It seems the more and more of the news you read, watch and listen to, the more and more people you can identify as pricks. It would appear that the whole world seems to be inhabitited by pricks.

[Hampton]

When I read the story I think the most suprising thing to me was that the judge actually got some sort of punishment for it. If you remember in New York a few years ago 3 off duty cops rode on a float in a parade top of which the cops sat with a large bucket of fried chicken and watermelons. The men wore blackface and Afro wigs made of mops, and they mockingly engaged in various civil rights chants, including "No justice, no peace."

On top of which as the parade was ending one of them grabbed the back of the truck and dangled himself toward the ground, re-enacting the brutal dragging murder of a James Byrd Jr, a black man, in Texas two months earlier.

They were fired but got their jobs back citing free speech.

I won't be suprised if the same thing happens here.

[PRC-UTE]

Disgraceful and I must say shocking. You have to wonder how those cops weren't assaulted by anyone -- it's just terrible the injustice people will ignore!

Off topic: does anyone here support the All African People's Liberation Party? I'm just wondering if anyone here knows more about them.

[Xvall]

I'm surprised that he got off with just that. I believe that any judge, police officer, fireman, or other individual holding a position in a career that serves the public should be dismissed at the slightest sign of racism, homophobia, sexism, and [/b]any[/b] form of discrimination.

[guerillablack]

Should have been fired. How can he possibly be a fair judge towards blacks when he has racist thoughts.