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Police union says newsletter protesters suck, but is asking for more members to write for it to reduce the hateful taint
By adamg on Thu, 07/12/2012 - 11:59am
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association is acknowledging the recent protests over the content of its bimonthly newsletter, Pax Centurion.
First, the union fires back at people who asked advertisers to pull out:
We utterly reject the ugly accusations which are currently being hurled against Jim Carnell, our Union, and our members. For many years, Jim has taken on a thankless task of trying to keep our members, the police community, and our supporters apprised of the issues confronting us and the battles we have waged. He has chronicled our fights to secure decent contracts, protect members unfairly disciplined, and secure legislative and other benefits, such as being paid what we were promised for advancing our education. Of course, none of the media has bothered to point to these writings, which form the vast bulk of Jim's work.
But then, the union adds:
The PAX has always explicitly stated that any opinions expressed in the paper are those of its editor and not necessarily those of the leadership or members. We have respected Jim’s right to express his personal views. To the extent that critics gratuitously call us bigots or racists, we wholly reject such scurrilous attacks. If our Union stands for anything, it is our shared belief that every member, and indeed every person, deserves to be treated fairly and decently, without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, or any other such label.
This controversy has served notice that greater oversight of the PAX is warranted. Like it or not, the public views articles in the paper not just as Jim’s or other writers but as the shared beliefs of all of us.
To that end, we want to reach out to our membership to contribute to the paper, thereby reducing the burden on the few among us, like Jim Carnell, who have shouldered all of the responsibility for filling its pages.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
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Comments
So they're throwing the bus driver under the bus?
So they're throwing the bus driver under the bus?
Well that's a novel maneuver, I suppose.
sound like they're taking responsibility
BPPA is finessing an attempt to sound like they're taking responsibility but they are not.
They live in bubble.
"thankless task"
i wonder why no one is thanking him
I am sure...
members of the Krusty Komedy Klassic are thankful. :)
Wait a minute.
Are you serious? The BPPA somehow is refusing to admit that the Pax centurion contained hateful sexist, racist and homophobic rantings that are in print for all the world to see? What a bunch of idiots. Somehow, they're not allowed to be called out on these issues, especially the part whereby the BPPA leadership and membership did nothing to stop these hate-filled views. So, they say that poor, overworked Jim really could use some help and then the will clean it up. Sure. I'd love to see this in a few months.
And I'm not shopping at Stop and Shop any longer until they decide to pull their ads.
Bullshit.
"It is our shared belief that
If this is truly a "shared belief", then why did the newsletter, which represents every union member, go out of its way to unfairly and indecently dump on women, occupy protesters, Muslims, people from certain neighborhoods, and politicians who happen not to be white?
Perfectly put.
Perfectly put.
This is why we Bostonians
This is why we Bostonians have so much faith in our institutions. The police union puts out an extremely offensive publication that calls into question the ability of certain officers to impartially enforce the law, and the world realizes it. In any other city this would lead to an apology and a firing. But not here. Here, it's the non-racists and non-sexists and non-bigots who are at fault for not recognizing the guy for the times when he wasn't offensive. Maybe next time I get pulled over by one of these fine officers I'll say "how dare you criticize me for driving 100 MPH today? I usually drive under the speed limit, and should be recognized and thanked for all of those days."
If you get pulled over...
It appears you might have a better chance of getting away with it if you tell them you were late to help lynch an Occupier.
Don't ignore...
I hear the trains ran on time under Mussolini, too. And no-one enforces a dress code like the KKK.
Read all the municipal unions' newsletters writings.
Read all City Departments' unions', collective bargaining groups, labor relations organizations' newsletters. Writing in these unions' newsletters reflects the consumers approach to public services departments. The consumers here are the staffs.
Advocate that Boston Public Library and City Archives acquire our municipal unions' newsletters for study.
Wow!
The BPPA trying to mask this as some sort of freedom of speech issue shows a disturbing ignorance about the law. (Yeah, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt that they're not trying to bamboozle us with fancy doublespeak.)
Certainly, Jim Carnell has every right to say whatever he wants, but he doesn't necessarily get to say it wherever he wants. Presumably the money to put out Pax Centurion comes from the union, so the union owns it. If Adam didn't like my comments, for any reason, he'd be perfectly within his rights to revoke my comment privileges; just like BPPA members could do the same to Carnell.
Statement makes total sense
When injured, the Blue Line is self-healing. Tighten the ranks and don't let them ever think one of you screwed up. Far be it from the Union to not practice in public relations what they already practice on the street while in uniform.
Oh, see, there's OUR problem right there! We clearly aren't treating Carnell "fairly and decently" in all this. Our apologies, officers! Please, do carry on and tell us what the towelheads and bleeding heart pansies did to offend you all this month...
But seriously, are they tone deaf to the easily provable fact that MAMLEO (Massachusetts Minority Law Enforcement Officers), who are members of their own BPPA, have had problems with Carnell's content for years! How can they say they want everyone treated "fairly and decently" when they ignore their OWN PEOPLE complaining about not being treated fairly and decently?
I think it's time to see if their behavior runs afoul of their employment contracts. They just don't get it as it stands now. They've made that abundantly clear.
Meanwhile, another advertiser drops out
Stop & Shop to discontinue ads.
Who wrote that, anyway?
It's not bylined. How is it that s/he speaks for "the union"?
I wouldn't be surprised in
I wouldn't be surprised in the least if that response was written by Carnell himself.
Accountability, BPD has none
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/07/12/leomin...
LPD police chief said that if they can verify that the office in question said what he said, he will be fired. Period.
For something said, and quite frankly less offensive, that an active officer did while off duty, outside of any semi-official publication or trade group that links itself back to the force.
Why is this so hard for BPD and Boston?
Hello, Hello, McFly?
Davis would do the same if he could.
But it would be very hard to fire someone over something like this.
If they tried to fire him, I'd say there would be a 90% chance the city would lose a lot of money.
fair enough
but case in point why practically no one likes public employee unions.
...and you don't have to be
...and you don't have to be Scott Walker to feel this way.
A vote for Scott Walker
Is a vote against Tommy Nee.
This issue has brought me, a lifelong true-blue New Deal Democrat, to thinking, "Maybe Walker's kind of got a point."