[Curiosities] ‘Sick of Black Bastards’: US Launches Probe Into Sheriff's Comments

[The GodFather]

 

 

Rabat - The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has opened an investigation into racist comments by Sheriff  Jody Greene in Columbus County.

A controversial recording caught Greene ranting about colleagues of African-American descent who he described as “Black bastards.”

A recording obtained by local outlet WECT featured the sheriff saying: “I’m sick of these Black bastards. I’m going to clean the house and be done with it. And we’ll start from there.”

The conversation dates back to February 2019, when the Sheriff discussed his concerns with then-interim Sheriff Captain Jason Soles.

 

 

Soles was tapped to manage the sheriff's office at the time when election officials launched a probe into a complaint that questioned Greene’s eligibility to serve as sheriff.

In the conversation, Greene inquired about “who in the department had communicated” with Lewis Hatcher, a former sheriff. Greene defeated Hatcher in the 2018 election by 34 votes.  

The sheriff's win resulted in protests in North Carolina, with people expressing concerns that Greene did not live in Columbus County, where he would serve-- a legal requirement by state law.

The sheriff also wanted to know who communicated with Melvin Campbell, a sergeant who was recently fired. Both Hatcher and Campbell are African Americans.

The then interim Sheriff, Soles, told WECT that Greene started to call him late at night after his appointment as an acting sheriff amid the probe.

“This one particular phone call that received, he made the comment that he hated Democrats. And then he said, ‘I take that back. I hate a Black f***ing Democrat,” Soles said.

Soles emphasized that he knew he had to start recording the conversations given the serious nature of the remarks from the sheriff.

Soles is now running for sheriff against Greene. He expressed his concerns about Greene’s “racist” approach, stating that he would not “treat Black employees or the residents he policed fairly. It broke my heart.”

The sheriff's case is making international headlines. Activists, public figures, and citizens are calling for action to end gender and racial discrimination in the US.

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a press release on Thursday calling for the dismissal of Greene following his racist statements while welcoming the opening of an investigation into his racist comments.

Racism against people of color has always been a severe structural issue facing minorities throughout US history. 

Recent push-back against anti-racist movements have led to certain states banning any discussion in schools on the impact of structural racism on US society. Using the name of a university-level course on  “critical race theory,” white nationalists have created a panic aimed at controlling the conversation about persistent racial issues in the US. Any discussion about the US’ deeply racist past and present that create “discomfort” in white students is currently banned in Florida schools.

A survey from Pew Research showed that 44% of Americans believe that equality for “Black people in the United States is not likely to be achieved.” Pew Research Center cited data from one of its surveys carried out in October 2021.

 

 

https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/09/351607/sick-of-black-bastards-us-launches-probe-into-sheriff-s-comments