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Racial Discrimination at Secret Service; 100 Agents File Suit

News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Jun 2, 2008 10:37 AM EDT
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The Secret Service flatly rejects the allegations, but the lawsuit has led to the discovery of troubling internal e-mails circulated among senior Secret Service managers.

One video e-mail attachment depicts an interracial couple — a black man and a white woman — lying on the ground kissing, and then rolling over onto a white sheet. The shot then reveals a group of Ku Klux Klan members surrounding the couple and a burning cross.

That video, according to court documents, made the rounds among senior Secret Service agents.

One of the agents who was recently on the detail of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is under investigation for allegedly forwarding a January 2005 e-mail that included a crude sexual joke about blacks and American Indians.

That agent has since been promoted. It is unclear what disciplinary action, if any, he will face.

Other messages target prominent black Americans, from activists to entertainers.

A 2003 e-mail sent to several senior agents jokes about the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife being killed, saying their deaths "certainly wouldn't be a great loss."

Another white senior supervisor, apparently bitter towards the Rev. Al Sharpton and angry at Ruben Studdard for winning "American Idol" in 2003 over Clay Aiken, allegedly wrote, "Reverse discrimination and political correctness are destroying virtually every aspect of American life."

"I think these e-mails confirm what our statistics show," Hogan said. "They confirm the anecdotes that have been told to us by our clients and others, that there is a culture of racism at the Secret Service."

It's not just e-mails — a noose was recently discovered at a Secret Service training facility outside of Washington, D.C. The service thus far has declined to release pictures of the noose...


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More racist e-mails in Secret Service lawsuitAssociated Press - GoogleSun Jun 10Comments
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{"commentId":1875262,"authorDomain":"caroaber"}
caroaber

Deja vu, all over again, like Yogi Berra said.

{"commentId":1875262,"threadId":"276070","contentId":"1531433","authorDomain":"caroaber"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#1 - Mon Jun 2, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
{"commentId":1889402,"authorDomain":"leogodin"}
leogodin

How much of this do you think is due to overt racism compared to remnants of a time when a lot of what is listed was considered appropriate. I'm only 34 and I remember a time when racial jokes were considered appropriate. I don't know anyone my age that makes hurtful racial jokes but it was considered socially acceptable one generation before me.

For instance, looking at the items listed I would put them in the following categories

overt racism: One video e-mail attachment depicts an interracial couple — a black man and a white woman — lying on the ground kissing, and then rolling over onto a white sheet. The shot then reveals a group of Ku Klux Klan members surrounding the couple and a burning cross.

a noose was recently discovered at a Secret Service training facility outside of Washington, D.C.

possible overt racism or possible ignorance a crude sexual joke about blacks and American Indians.

senior agents jokes about the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his wife being killed, saying their deaths "certainly wouldn't be a great loss." (People joke about George Bush dying all the time)

legitimate opinion Another white senior supervisor, apparently bitter towards the Rev. Al Sharpton and angry at Ruben Studdard for winning "American Idol" in 2003 over Clay Aiken, allegedly wrote, "Reverse discrimination and political correctness are destroying virtually every aspect of American life."

{"commentId":1889402,"threadId":"276070","contentId":"1531433","authorDomain":"leogodin"}
    Reply#2 - Wed Jun 4, 2008 8:13 AM EDT
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