Suspended Boston police officer Barrett sues commissioner, mayor

talk about ballsy....

Justin Barrett, the Boston police officer suspended from the force for his e-mail likening Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., to a “banana-eating jungle monkey,’’ has filed a lawsuit against the Police Department, police commissioner, and mayor, saying the city violated his civil and due process rights.

The 18-page lawsuit accuses the three parties of “conspiring to intentionally inflict emotional distress and conspiring to intentionally interfere with the property rights, due process rights, and civil rights of the plaintiff.’’

Barrett added to the controversy surrounding last month’s arrest of Gates at his home in Cambridge, when he responded to a column by The Boston Globe’s Yvonne Abraham, using the racial slurs in reference to Gates.

When police officials learned of the biting missive, they quickly moved to fire him.

Later, during a national campaign to save his job, Barrett told CNN he is not a racist and “treats everyone with dignity and respect.’’

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/04/suspended_boston_police_officer_barrett_sues_commissioner_mayor/

The comment “banana-eating jungle monkey,’’ isn't in anyway a racial slur!

nt

And obviously the cops aren't going to do a damn thing to protect him (assuming they aren't the ones sending the threats).

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20090803henry_louis_gates_jr_mulls_moving_over_death_threats_calls_crowley_a_nice_guy/srvc=home&position=0

"...violated his civil and due process rights."

When he sent that e-mail to the Boston Globe, he was not serving in his capacity as a private citizen. He sent it when he was serving in a capacity as a state officer and used property owned by the government (computers, servers, etc.) to do so.

Any judge with scruples will immediately dismiss that lawsuit.

And we Boston folks were just getting beyond the shock of finding out that David "Big Papi" Ortiz tested positive for PEDs in 2003. What's next...Tom Brady receiving a pie to the face from some of his teammates at training camp?! I hope not for the good of the Bay State! B-)

Actually, I'm sure more than a few of the comments on the Boston.com Web site concerning this new development will be far more "ballsy" than Barrett suing Menino, Davis, and the Boston PD.