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| Probe: No racial motive in jail broadcast |
| By San Jose Mercury News |
| Published: 05/07/2001 |
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An internal investigation by the Monterey County Sheriff's Department has concluded that the broadcast of a movie soundtrack over the county jail intercom last month was not racially motivated but has resulted in unspecified action against two deputies involved. The NAACP and other organizations demanded the investigation. This is a real travesty of justice, said Mel Mason, a member of the Monterey Peninsula National Association for the Advancement of Colored People executive committee and chairman of its legal redress committee. 'It's also testimony to the fact that there's no way that anyone can trust that police investigating themselves is ever going to turn out the right way. I think this report is an insult to the community at large, Mason said. Black inmates have complained that the broadcast of the soundtrack from the Vietnam War movie 'Full Metal Jacket'' included repeated racial epithets. The sheriff's department said in a one-page statement released last week: The investigation revealed that the playing of the tape was not racially motivated; nor was it played in an effort to instigate confrontations between groups of inmates within the facility. The movie, much of which is set at a military boot camp, includes numerous racial slurs. The statement said a deputy played a tape of the soundtrack for two other deputies who were discussing their experiences in basic training. During the playing of the tape, the intercom was activated, which allowed inmates to hear short excerpts of the tape, the statement read. The resulting investigation, the statement continued, has exonerated one deputy, and appropriate action has been initiated concerning the two others. The department said it would not identify the deputies or provide any details about actions taken against them. NAACP officials have contended that the incident is a sign of increasing racial tensions in the Salinas jail. They also have contended that the department has retaliated against inmates who have spoken out about the broadcast and other issues. |
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