Results tagged “racism”

A dimwitted justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, recently denied an interracial couple a marriage license. Why? Like we need to tell you why. But we will: said justice of peace, Keith Bardwell, explained to Associated Press his reasoning, "'I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way ... I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Our old trekkie pal Zennie Abraham is back on his City Brights blog questioning the display currently in the windows at the Calvin Klein store in the Westfield Centre. A reader wrote in to say s/he thought it provoked images of African-American lynchings, given the ropes and, we suppose, the fact that these are literally black mannequins. We would argue it looks a lot more like circus/gymnastics imagery to us, given the trapeze and all, but sure, someone could make an argument that the bodies randomly slung by two ropes are questionable. Anyway, it's hardly a question for national concern, but Zennie has put up a poll and he's asking you to vote. We've embedded the poll here, so, for Zennie's sake, please let him know what you think.

Our current obsession? Concord. Why? Because the craziest stuff goes down there. Claycord, Contra Costa Country's best blog for breaking and bizarre East Bay news, reported on an unidentified pilot who has been harassing the fine citizens of Concord with their low-flying plane. Annoying, right? But wait, it gets better. Or worse. See, just last night said plane (allegedly) dropped offensive flyers meant for the city's Canterbury Village neighborhood. According to Claycord, "[t]he low flying plane was heard once again the morning of the thunder and lightning storms over the weekend." Later, "an anonymous resident of Thornwood Drive found the flyer pictured [here] in her backyard, then found more scattered on her street, in her neighbor's yard & in some bushes." The racially-insensitive flyers have the name of the small plane's pilot's girlfriend. Go here to read more about the drama in Concord.

If you're not reading Curbed, you're missing out. On a lot. Take, for example, this Bernal Heights home (638 Banks St Unit 638-A) they came across, which is currently on the market. The decision to use this, um, decorative comforter to sell a house in San Francisco sure does pop, doesn't it?

Brittney Gilbert over at Eye On Blogs stumbled across this gem: delicious chicken snacks named "Obama Fingers," made in Deutschland and featuring the Golden Gate Bridge on the package.

Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose -- an elected official who blasted friends and colleagues with this racist email -- has resigned today. The "No Easter egg hunt this year" email, followed by a White House adorned with watermelon groves, peeved some of the recipients.

Oh, Orange County. We do miss you sometimes.

A little over a week ago, Jan. 24, seven male suspects beat a UPS employee (who is black) in a park in the 3500 block of Morningside Drive in the city of Richmond. And it looks like the victim might have been baited. According to reports, the UPS driver walked to a nearby gas station after leaving work, wherein he met a group of men who offered him a ride home. After drinking a few round, they stopped at a park and the UPS worker used a restroom, "where he was struck in the back of the head by one of the suspects." The other men joined in the attack, yelling "racial epithets and fracturing the victim's face bones." Vile. All seven unidentified suspects are in custody. This comes on the heels of a Richmond lesbian who was brutally gang raped and beaten after a few Richmond pigs noticed the rainbow flag sticker on her car bumper.

Gothamist reports on popular Greenwich Village bakery Lafayette French Pastry's latest sweet treat, a "Drunken Negro Face" cookie in "honor" of President Obama. Actually, bakery proprietor Ted Kefalinos calls them "Drunken [N-word] Face" cookies, at least according to a My FOX NY report. He allegedly told a customer, "Would you like some drunken negro heads to go with your coffee? They're in honor of our new president. He's following in the same path of Abraham Lincoln; he will get his."

White San Jose resident Scott Pontzious was arrested and charged with a hate crime yesterday. The 28-year-old, English-only zealot was pinched after allegedly attacking another man because he was speaking Spanish on his cell phone. Pontzious, according to reports, told the victim that he needed to speak English, then assaulted him yesterday afternoon at Saratoga and Latimer Avenues. He is currently staying at the Santa Clara County jail. The Spanish speaking man is expected to live.

New cellphone footage of the night of Oscar Grant's murder has surfaced. What does it show? It seems, according to reports, a second BART officer, not Johannes Mehserle, can be seen assaulting a suspect moments before Grant's shooting death. In the footage, the officer, named Tony Pirone, goes over to one of the New Year's Day men who was sitting on the ground and clocks him square in the face. KTVU had this to say after viewing the footage:

Joe Eskenazi at SF Weekly points out a bit of San Francisco Giants' promotional material gone horribly awry. It seems, while promoting African American Heritage Night (8/22), this is the best the Giants copywriting team could come up with: "The package includes more then just a $20 discounted Friday night ticket with proceeds going to a local community group charity - it also includes a seat in the African American section of the park as well as Giants PA Announcer Renel Brooks-Moon talking bobblehead." Oops. Eskenazi ends the item right-quick for fear of making any cruel racist jokes, effectively sidestepping snide remarks about next week's Zionist Hoodlum Night (8/25). (SFW)

In the second time in two years, Guy Clark, the gentleman who sells flowers 15th and Noe Streets, had his stand vandalized. Yesterday, shit was smeared along the walls of Clark's makeshift flower shop along the sidewalk, and said poop was also used to spell out the n-word along the walls. No arrests have been made. Clark has been selling choice blooms at that spot for over 27 years, and the spot saw a similar attack occur back in 2007. (CBS 5)

Bumper sticker found on a vehicle in Oakland on Broadway and 20th Street.

Any ethnicity you don't see in there? Let us know if you see one so that we can be offended with you.

SFist's dear neighbor's, Wired, came across this racially explosive internet meme on the Daily Kos, which is set to have Democrats duking it out online. According to the Daily Kos, someone in the Clinton campaign took Obama's image from this video and darkened (a la OJ Simpson gracing the covers of Time and Newsweek) for this commercial. According to the Kos:

Jesus, have you seen those ads for this movie "Hancock"? Is it us, or is there something insaaaaaanely racist about them? Let's break it down: Will Smith plays an African-American superhero -- the first big-screen African-American superhero since, um, Robert Townsend in 1993's Meteor Man? Oh, that's right, there was that black sidekick in "The Incredibles." And Halle Berry as Storm. And Wesley Snipes as Blade ... so, okay, there've been four black superheroes in the last 15 years. But Will Smith's the first black leading-man flying superhero, which is a very cool and progressive thing to happen ... except that he's apparently a homeless dude who's borderline retarded and keeps getting in the white folks' way.

Gus Van Sant isn't the only one who might make you a shiny, coke-addled star here in San Francisco. Take, for example, MTV and NBC who want to use you for their up-and-coming reality programming.

Dispatches from TJICistan points out a delightful fact about General Frederick N. Funston--the apparently sensitivity-free Medal of Honor recipient known for his manliness in both the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War, and the current namesake for Fort Funston--who once boasted the following. Ahem:

Goodbye, Ed Jew's attorney Steven Gruel! The revolving door that is beleaguered former District 4 Supervisor Ed Jew's legal team spins once again, depositing the pugnacious Mr. Gruel on the street and leaving the team's latest addition Stuart Hanlon (hired to replace Bill Fazio in the state criminal case) in charge of all of Ed's legal matters. Gruel, as you may recall, was handling Ed's case on the city ethics charges and the federal racketeering claims, but now Hanlon will have all of Ed's cases. Busy man, Stuart Hanlon.

-- Unspeakable (2007): Documentary about the life of Satanic Priest Steven Johnson Leyba, "ordained by Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey, is known in the underground art world as the 'Father of Sexpressionism.'" (Chortle) Screens tonight at 7:45 p.m., 9:05 at the Roxie New College Film Center; $6.

-- Halloween in the Castro, or lack thereof. [The Snitch]

It's no secret that we adore -- that's right adore -- watching Big Brother, especially this season. If you're not familiar with BB, it's like this: twelve Type A personalities get locked in a house and try to win half a million dollars. They're systematically eliminated one by one via house vote, and it's all captured by dozens and dozens of cameras throughout the Big Brother house.

-- Avenue Q: This tee hee-inducing musical features un-Seaseme Street-like puppets (e.g., a closeted homosexual republican, for starters) and an ode to racism. What's more, the indie production won a surprise Tony Award for best musical, as well as best score and book, beating out Disney's Wicked. It opens tonight at 7 p.m at the Orpheum Theater, 1192 Market; $25-$90.

Photo of Chris Daly with youths participating in an air quality toxic tour.

Last week's winner, the Bay Guardian. More problems with the construction at Hunters' Point (this time: asbestos). Chris Daly is on it. A construction worker falls off the Golden Gate Bridge and his employer avoids liability because they used the wrong legal name on the OSHA citations it received. Send all legal paperwork to FSist, everyone! More taxi permit shadiness. Man vs. Wild -- who cares if he stayed in a hotel, he drank water from elephant dung. KUSF! Some bands playing this week. Cover article: Photography in SF. The Guardian doesn't hate the new Mission Italian joint Farina. And an Iranian filmmaker retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive.

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too - two of them in -Ist cities.

-- 4.2 tremor slightly moves the Bay Area, donuts. [Chron, Yahoo, Examiner, FCJ]

Quick, what was yesterday? Besides a lovely day -- it was also the deadline for Ed Jew to respond to the City Attorney with additional documentation of his residency.

This would have been even more awesome if it had been on top of a moving train. The police in Berkeley used a hook-and-ladder truck to conduct a manhunt on Telegraph Avenue rooftops after the robbery of a Noah's Bagels at around 6 a.m. Monday morning. After what was described as a tense "building-by-building, rooftop-by-rooftop search," the man was located on top of a building and arrested without further incident.