Judge Arrested for DUI Uses Racial Insults on Police Officer
[Guest Post by Jack Dunphy]
A Connecticut Superior Court Judge arrested for drunk driving in Gastonbury, Conn., last October was caught on videotape using insulting language – including the notorious “N-word” – on a black state police sergeant who was assisting in the booking process. The judge was arrested after sideswiping a parked police car. Tests showed her blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit more than two hours after the arrest. The Hartford Courant began the story this way:
Repeatedly using vulgar and racial insults, Superior Court Judge E. Curtissa Cofield argued with a police officer — addressing him as “Negro trooper” at one point — who was trying to process her on a charge of drunken driving in Glastonbury last October, a police video released Monday shows. Cofield also is heard twice on the video using the racial term “n—–.”
Shocking, you say. Surely this story should have been picked up by the national media, with the result being that the offending judge resigns in disgrace after the tape is shown endlessly on the various cable news shows.
Well, no. You see, Judge Cofield is herself black and apparently held to a different standard. Though Connecticut’s Judicial Review Council has scheduled a Feb. 9 hearing to address charges of misconduct, the story has attracted little attention outside the state.
And why is that?
–Jack Dunphy
I agree, the “n” word is apparently only offensive if the user has the wrong skin pigmentation.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:31 pmOh come on, you know why there is a double standard. A lot of blacks use racial terms between themselves. That does not make it a national racial incident.
It is not the same loaded issue as in, say, a white judge saying that to a black trooper. Yes, it is different.
Then of course Mel Gibson going off against the Jooooooooos when he got pulled over for a DUI. Well that was Mel Gibson and he just made a movie some people suggested was anti Semetic. That is why a media firestorm was set off.
In this case, what you have is a judge getting a DUI and acting like a jerk. She should be prosecuted for endangering police officers and damaging property. But this is really not that big of a national issue.
Joe (dcebbd) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:44 pmBecause it is another case of name that party!
She is a liberal democrat. Oh, and of course, blacks calling other black people “n*****” (I’m referring to the word that ends in ‘o’, here, you racist bastards) is not racist.
I’ve seen the video. I guess we know who’s smarter now, don’t we?
Jack (d9cbc5) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:44 pmI don’t think that black judge should have gone off that way on that negro trooper.
Dan Collins (4dc2da) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:47 pmShe actually used the term “Negro?” What, is she over 80 years old?
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:48 pm[…] negro trooper. Posted by Dan Collins @ 6:49 pm | Trackback SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Black Judge Denounces [Dan Collins]”, url: “http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=14212” }); […]
Black Judge Denounces [Dan Collins] (7a2640) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:49 pmSo having one set of standards for everyone is out of the question?
Damn.
Rob Crawford (b5d1c2) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:53 pmwell, we are all n22222s ain’t we.?
achalle (562c57) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:54 pmJay-sus we is sunk.
Let me guess:
AD (7d0655) — 1/29/2009 @ 4:57 pmShe’s not getting a lot of media flak about this…
Because she’s a Democrat!
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Do I win a prize?
“Do I win a prize?”
You’re almost ready to run your own right wing blog.
imdw (a81897) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:00 pmThis is so sweet, the state trooper thought to himself, this judge is a fucking idiot and is so going to pay…
funny thing, I wonder if that trooper voted democrat?
Jack (d9cbc5) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:01 pmPlease, Dmac, the proper term is “shegro.”
Dan Collins (4dc2da) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:02 pmAm I going to Hell for thinking that “Notorious N-Word” is a good name for a rapper?
roy (a1e331) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:06 pmI’m not sure I believe anyone should be arrested for diction under the influence.
Dan Collins (4dc2da) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:06 pmI thought some people were more offended by Mel Gibson’s use of the words “sugar tits,” when referring to one of the officers during his arrest. Then again, I did not get to see a picture of Officer Sugar Tits to verify if the appelation was appropriate, but it was definately a poor choice of words by Gibson under the circumstances.
In Chicago on inauguration night we had a female alderman stop her car on southbound Sheridan Road and insist that fireman move firetrucks that were blocking her path back into the city. It was unfortunate for her that they were fighting a fire at the time and she was also blasted. She was arrested and held overnight. DIDN’T THEY KNOW WHO SHE WAS!!!!!
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:08 pmShe wasn’t arrested for her words. She was arrested for DUI. But all I want is for the same standards for everyone, much like Dr Martin Luther King Jr said regarding opportunities. No sliding standards based on gender or skin color.
John Hitchcock (fb941d) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:10 pm“I’m not sure I believe anyone should be arrested for diction under the influence.”
Dan – This is a family blog, I’m not sure Patrick wants you using that “d” word here. Plus, it attracts Ehrenstein.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:10 pmThe judge was probably listening to NWA on her car stereo when she was pulled over too. Wanna bet?
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:14 pmThis piece reminds me of some great Hip Hop videos
Obama über alles!!!!! (48dd5e) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:15 pmHey this sounds like a hate crime!!!!!!!!
Obama über alles!!!!! (48dd5e) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:16 pmColor me shocked.
Racists.
JD (aba8e3) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:24 pmSomeone get that retard Jack Dunphy a broadband connection. I read about this story LAST MONTH, from a newspaper located a couple thousand miles from me:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/hc-govwatch1228.artdec28,0,1804068.column
So because Jack Dunphy hasn’t heard about a story, it must mean there is some anti-white coverup behind it, right? It couldn’t possibly be that he’s ignorant?
Zan (dbfcb4) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:34 pmYou stupid nigger! Who do think you are nigger? F*ck you nigger! Nigger! I hate you nigger.
Emperor7 (0c8c2c) — 1/29/2009 @ 5:45 pmGet back to your cave nigger!
Oh I am sorry. Didn’t realize you were white.
On a personal level, the “negro trooper” guy should not have to take that bullshit from a judge regardless of shared color of skin.
I’m sure this is nothing the trooper hasn’t heard before from people of his own race, but I like to think a judge would be required to conduct themeselves better than that.
If I go into her court and call her “Ms. Negro..” we’ll see a real double standard pop up.
Emperor… it actually goes like this:
SteveG (a87dae) — 1/29/2009 @ 6:20 pmYou stupid white mother f****! Who do you think you are white boy? F*** you white klu klux klan motherf*****! F*** you motherf***** white motherf******…. white mother****** I’ll kill your white motherf******* ass motherf*****
The sliding standards aren’t based on gender or skin color, they are based on political party affiliation.
Actual (1df102) — 1/29/2009 @ 6:22 pmGuess that Political Party! You get three guesses but the first two don’t count.
Could she be a — dare I say it — a democrat? Nooooo. There’s no media double standard.
J. Raymond Wright (e8d0ca) — 1/29/2009 @ 6:34 pmUm, Zan? WTF are you talking about?
Really. I’m curious.
Pablo (99243e) — 1/29/2009 @ 7:08 pmI read about this story LAST MONTH, from a newspaper located a couple thousand miles from me:
Zan, are you insane? Did you actually read the posting here before you went off your meds?
Dmac (eb0dd0) — 1/29/2009 @ 7:11 pmYes I did read the posting. Jack is clearly trying, in his lame attempt at being snarky, to say that the reason we haven’t heard of this idiot judge is because she’s black and the media would never rip on a black person. I pointed out that this case has definitely gotten attention nationwide (it was posted on DRUDGE of all places)…which means that, in Jack’s world, when Jack hasn’t heard of a negative story involving a black person, it must mean there is some massive media conspiracy…it can’t possibly mean that he has blinders on.
This judge deserves to be banished and ridiculed. But to say that her case deserves some kind of nationwide uproar is fucking absurd. I can guess what’s going through Jack’s idiot mind: “Why isn’t the case of a black judge drunkenly running into a parked police car getting as much national outrage as the case of the white cop fatally shooting a black man in the back in an Oakland train station? OH I NOES….ITS RACEISM!!!”
But I leave it to Jack to answer this question: about how much attention should a case like this, where a small-time judge gets humiliated but otherwise does little lasting harm, get nationwide? You already said it got played endlessly on cable shows. So what other metric of exposure does this case need? The front page of the NYTimes? Top story of the evening nightly news?
Zan (dbfcb4) — 1/29/2009 @ 8:29 pmwhy is that?
Diff’rent Strokes………… %-)
redc1c4 (9c4f4a) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:19 pmChange her sex and race and you don’t think this would have garnered more breathless coverage? Good Allah, you are dense. Early frontrunner for Friday’s Twatwaffle of the Day.
JD (aba8e3) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:30 pmThat judge just confirms my suspicion that most of the black community throughout America — were it facing a peculiar political dilemma and scenario — would end up choosing a 100% white White House and a 100% white US Congress that was 100% liberal/Democrat than a 100% black White House and a 100% black US Congress that was 100% conservative to moderate and Republican.
Mark (411533) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:40 pmZan – Had you actually read the post, as opposed to simply claiming that you did, you would have noticed that the video was just released on Monday. Reading for comprehension is clearly not one of your strengths.
JD (aba8e3) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:43 pmWow, that retard Zan came back, claimed he read the post and still manages to completely miss the point.
Outstanding work comrade!
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:49 pmDo you think Zan works in the Obama Administration?
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/29/2009 @ 9:51 pmThis was the shocking part to me:
What the?! She sideswiped a police car, but if she completes her program all charges will be dropped?!?!?!?
Umm, you mean she won’t even be charged with “reckless driving” like most smart DUI’ers who retain attorneys???
That is crazy. She was not stopped for swerving or driving a bit wonky. She was stopped because she hit a police car! A few inches more and it would have been a full on crash, seriously injuring her and/or the policeman.
Must be nice to be privileged.
H2 (0922fa) — 1/29/2009 @ 11:29 pmThat judge should be thrown off the bench. Period.
Amen to that.
RickZ (472435) — 1/30/2009 @ 3:08 amHow did this person get to be a judge? Aren’t there some standards?
Her BAC was double the legal limit.
YGTBSM!
arch (84c50a) — 1/30/2009 @ 8:04 amCurtissa? Oh please.
Kate (3e5b03) — 1/30/2009 @ 12:57 pmStory I mentioned in comment #15 from January 21, 2009. I didn’t mention that the Alderman is a black woman.
“Chicago Ald. Sharon Dixon (24th), who was arrested early this morning and charged with driving under the influence, said the situation was the result of a “huge misunderstanding” with police.
Dixon appeared at an afternoon news conference in reaction to her arrest in the 6900 block of North Sheridan Road at about 1:25 a.m., where police were controlling traffic in connection with a fatal apartment fire.
She said she was returning from a friend’s house in Evanston when she was stopped.
Dixon described the incident as “a huge misunderstanding took place with the police. Matters escalated and got out of hand and I was arrested.”
Dixon, 46, a first-term alderman, also was charged with obstruction of traffic by a motorist and operating a vehicle without proof of insurance in addition to the DUI charge.
Shortly before 9:25 a.m., she was released on her own recognizance from the Belmont District headquarters, 2542 W. Belmont Ave., where she had been processed.
Ald. Sharon Dixon leaves a police lockup this morning. (José M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)
While uniformed police officers were blocking traffic with their marked squad cars to facilitate fire equipment access to the scene, Dixon drove up in her personal vehicle and told officers to move their squad car so she could get through, according to the arrest report, said Police Officer Laura Kubiak. The police car had its emergency lights activated, she added.
When officers asked her to move her own car, she got out and yelled at them, Kubiak said.
At that time, she was cited for obstructing traffic and no proof of insurance.
Dixon got back into her car, but then approached officers again, grabbing the door handle of their squad car and demanding their badge numbers. This time they smelled alcohol on her breath, Kubiak said. Dixon got back in her car and waited for a sergeant.
After he arrived, she again refused an order to leave and was put under arrest, Kubiak said.
Dixon denied that she was intoxicated and was driving without proof of insurance.
“The report is not who I am,” Dixon said in her statement. In a response to a reporter’s question, she said she did not take a breathalyzer but declined to say whether she was asked to.
Dixon said she had not asked for special treatment as an alderman but wanted to apologize to her constituents.
“Obviously, I am embarrassed,” she said.
Dixon said she expects to be vindicated in court. She has a March 9 court date.
Dixon’s ward is on the West Side. She was elected in 2007.”
From another source:
“In earlier reports, Alderman Dixon said she felt mistreated by police. But police sources say she declined to file a formal complaint in the presence of her attorney.
She was also quoted as saying she couldn’t have been drunk because she didn’t have to use the bathroom for seven hours while in custody.
But Dixon wouldn’t elaborate on those details later today – on the advice of her attorney.”
Wait for the race card.
Also in January, Mayor Daley’s Cousin, Cook County Judge Sheila McGinnis was sentenced to 18 months of supervision and fined $1,000 after she pleaded guilty to DUI. The Judge was arrested in May of 2008 when she crashed her SUV into the back of a minivan.
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 1/30/2009 @ 1:31 pm