Temecula, CA, mayor quits after racist comment

[left-of-center2012]

Temecula, CA, mayor quits after writing that no ‘good person of color’ has been killed by local police

The mayor of Temecula, CA, has announced his resignation after facing raging criticism over an email stating he didn't “believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer. James "Stew" Stewart's comments went viral June 2 and drew a firestorm of calls for his resignation and threats of protests.

Stewart made the racist remark in a reply to a constituent "concerned about our police officers and their sensitivity training."

"As you know the City of Temecula does not have its own Police Department," Stewart said in his email. "We contract with Riverside County Sheriff's Department."

"And I don't believe there's ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer," said Stewart. Stewart posted a copy of the email on his own Facebook page explaining that he is dyslexic and uses voice text, and that he published the note without proofreading what was recorded.

"I may not be the best writer and I sometimes misspeak, but I am not racist. I deeply regret this mistake and I own it, entirely. I am truly sorry," Stewart said in his resignation letter posted on Facebook late Thursday night.

https://www.10news.com/news/national/temecula-mayor-no-good-person-of-color-has-been-killed-by-local-police

Now-former Mayor James "Stew" Stewart
(Watchara Phomicinda/AP)

[gratuitous]

1. It's the circular logic of the bigot

"Well, if he hadn't been doing anything wrong, the police would never have confronted him. Once confronted, it was the decedent's sole responsibility to abase himself sufficiently to avoid getting killed."

I wonder what old "Stew" has to say about Breonna Taylor? She shouldn't have been sleeping in her own bed if she didn't want cops to shoot her?

[chia]

2. How would proofreading have fixed it?

"And I don't believe there's ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer"

Unless I missed it, I don't see where he clarified what he'd meant to say.

[Aristus]

13. Yeah. A 'hood person of color', maybe? A 'goop person of color'?

Yeah, it doesn't pass the smell test...

[Nevilledog]

3. Okay.... So what was your dyslexic ass really trying to say?

What's next, the voice to text app was designed by a liberal and totally made up the racist comment??

App was made by Soros!!!!!

[Faux pas]

4. Yeah sure ya betcha...

[dalton99a]

5. "I don't believe there's ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer"

Misspeak, my ass

[cwydro]

6. What is it with CA these days?

Seems like every other story is coming out of there. Yikes.

[hunter]

9. California has a very rich history of racism.

The deed restrictions on my grandparent's home in California might have been written by the KKK.

California had plenty of sundown towns as well.

The California town I grew up in was 99% white and kept that way by police who harassed anyone who wasn't white, lenders and real estate agents who made themselves unavailable to anyone who wasn't white, and employers who didn't hire anyone who wasn't white.

I don't blame my parents for living there. They are artists who were at times the embarrassingly white sort of liberal artist. They followed their day jobs mostly. When they weren't following their day jobs we'd have all sorts of adventures like being homeless in France.

My own grandfather rejected my wife and boycotted our wedding because men in his Wild West family did not marry, in his own words, "Mexican girls." He eventually got past that, but not without difficulty. He was one of those "tolerant" people who could work on a professional level with people of any religion, color, or sexual orientation, but he'd completely lose it if someone brought it into his own home.

I haven't lived in a majority white community since the early 'eighties.

[Iggo]

11. The Inland Empire.

Used to live there.

Don’t miss much but the fresh air..

[Aristus]

14. We have our own Inland Empire here in Washington State.

Known colloquially as "Spokanistan" by blue residents.

It's basically Mississippi without the Spanish moss...

[StarfishSaver]

7. I thought dyslexia was a learning disability. Who knew it also causes people to be racist?

[edhopper]

8. dyslexia makes people reverse words

He meant to say;

A police officer has never killed a good person of color."

[Blue_true]

10. Ronald Reagan wannabe. nt

[Demovictory9]

12. so much to unpack from that statement