A New Hampshire police commissioner who was overheard calling Barack Obama a ‘n——‘ is not backing down from his words.
Robert Copeland, 82, of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, is refusing to resign his post after being overheard using a racial slur to describe our 44th president.
Copeland, part of a three-person commission that oversees the police force in the town, says his use of the epithet was justified.
Wait, what?
“I believe I did use the ‘N’ word in reference to the current occupant of the Whitehouse,” Copeland said in a subsequent e-mail to his fellow police commissioners, which he forwarded to [the person who voiced the complaint]. “For this, I do not apologize — he meets and exceeds my criteria for such.”
Wow. Talk about your strong takes. That is… bold.
The town is attempting to force Copeland out, but it’s unclear if they will be able to.
Copeland has remained defiant, sitting with crossed arms Thursday as more than 100 residents showed up for a public meeting to discuss the incident. Many angrily called for his resignation.
But the commissioner has said he will not resign and has declined interview requests from the news media, not returning calls for comment and lashing out at a local television reporter who attempted to interview him Thursday, calling him a “skunk.”
This guy. Except that this guy is not just an 82-year-old nut. He is representative of our whole country.
[Jon Krosnick, a Stanford University professor who studies racism] said that studies conducted during Obama’s presidency have found that as many as 50 percent of white Americans openly express anti-black sentiments during in-person surveys. He added that the Obama presidency has led to an increase in outward expressions of racism — as well as an increased sensitivity by many other white Americans.
YAY. Fifty percent. Will openly be racist. That’s… a lot. Glad we’ve come so far.
[Equality via Shutterstock]