Supervisor Crabtree:
“Rags Around Their Heads” Not Meant As Slur
“Rags Around Their Heads” Not Meant As Slur
Loren “Shorty” Crabtree, chair of the Modoc County Board of Supervisors, said he did not intend to make a racial slur yesterday when he referred to people at a recent auction in Woodland as wearing “rags around their heads.”
During a routine item at the end of the board’s meeting in Alturas, Crabtree, a retired brand inspector, reported on attending an auction of county equipment where “there was people from all over the world and some of them had rags around their heads.”
The comment drew considerable laughter and Crabtree went on to say “they were from another world,” but “I didn’t ask them to show their home base or anything.”
Asked by the Modoc County Daily News what he meant by the comment, Crabtree said he did not mean it as a racial slur.
“There’s a lot of those Hindus, a lot of them around that country down there,” Crabtree said. “Rick Rudometkin (Modoc County CAO) told me there would be people there from all over the world. I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t mean it was a racial slur.”
Crabtree defended his “rags” reference to the custom among various Middle East cultures where the turban or pagri is commonly worn because he didn’t know the name for the headdress.
“I don’t know what else you’d call it,” he said. “I never thought about offending any body or a racial slur. I didn’t mean to do that. If I did, I hope somebody didn’t take it that way. I’m not used to that stuff.”
-- Ray A. March
30 comments:
Really....? Need there be any more said. Do your homework and get prepared even if you have to listen to it on tapes. Why was he even sent? Prepare a delegation and send the right "stakeholders" to these events or the citizens who are prepared to deal PROFESSIONALLY, in any situation. It boils down to respect and honor for other cultures than our own.
Many of those farmers around Yuba City and Marysville area are both Sikhs and Hindii. They have been there for at least two generations and are not at all new immigrants. They are established families with successful farms. I am embarrassed for Modoc if this is how we are represented when we venture off our mountain.
The head man of our county representing us in fine fashion. Like a moron. He was bound to embarass us eventually. Makes me wonder what kinds of things he said at the auction. Is this really the best Modoc has to offer?
I wonder if the County paid for that trip? Be interested to know what the purpose was and if taxpayer money was spent on this bumbling racist!
Well, give a hoot and a holler then. Think about it, ... Shorty's only been to 2 hog killin's and a few county fairs. People with turbans was a new sight for him. Not knowin' the name of their headgear, Shorty came up with the best description he could find words for. I can't believe Modoc folk who buddy with and vote for Woodland's Jim Nielsen go to such pieces at few misspokes from Shorty. Them diversified farmers from Yuba County ain't gonna bail the county out of the mess it's in. Don't think Nielsen will, either.
Shorty made no racial slur. I listened to the recording of the incident several times and it sounded as if he was simply being descriptive in the way he is accustomed to speaking. Let's not look for things to be offended by. Shorty is guilty of speaking a bit too casually at an official BOS meeting but no more.
I don't think Shorty was trying to make a racial slur. And it's entirely possible that he didn't know the right word for the headgear. However: IF he was aware that such headgear is representative of a person's religion, then he should have been sensitive enough to know not to focus on it as a descriptor in that context. And IF a person is NOT aware, in this day and age, of the religious implications of the turbans, then I'd say that person is not really "in tune" enough with current events to be an effective community leader. Just my $0.02...
If this was the first time such racist ignorant remarks were made by Crabtree, that is one thing. However, if we will remember back a couple years, it was him who made the "Oh, I didn't mean it like that comment", about the "Indians just wanting gaming," regarding the Modoc Frontier Healthcare Coalition effort. That is a lot closer to home and I'm sorry but I don't believe either comment was funny or excusable from a County leader. Heard he was attending toastmasters, don't they teach etiquette there? Someone should tell him he is now in the minority regarding white, right and cowboy and how do we know when an investor could be "watching" Modoc or Modoc's leaders?
You last two anonymous posters (4/14-@10:01 and 1:00) sound so bound up you must wobble when you walk ... and that ain't no racial slur I'll have you know. It ain't very bright of you to: 1) Draw religion into this political situation. Separation of Church and State ... Remember? and 2) Replaying a race card that never existed. Shorty could have said the BOS just wanted a casino to gamble away the county money in, but he didn't. Would that have been more acceptable to you? Why don't you two beat Shorty to his next stop and give potential "investors" a good look at a Modoc package ... will give them something to use for comparison when Shorty arrives and smiles.
Good for shorty, after all that is just a towel rapped around thier heads. since when is a towel used as a hat? In Amercia.
A couple of posters here have totally missed the point regarding Supervisor Crabtree. The remark(s) were inappropriate and racist from anyone, let alone a man who has been elected to represent the interests of a county. The electorate should examine the true qualifications of candidates the next time they vote. Throw that good ole boy brand inspector cowboy crap out with the bath water, and a political science class 55 years ago doesn't county as a qualification for office. The voters are equally at fault here, they put him in office.
A leader in the 21st century just doesn't make those type of comments. Blurred vision is not just a physical condition. The eyes closed mentality is disrespectful. As for Silence Dogood, at least we have something that "wobbles" when we walk. Sure wish our leaders did.
Qualification? Shorty is more qualified than the president of the united states. And you bleeding hearts dont complain about that. You must be democrats.
"Shorty is more qualified than the president of the united states."??? At what? Checking brands or reading?
To 7:57AM - Why paint others with a broad brush or label them as having one political or ideological view simply because they feel that the highest county officials in Modoc should be more careful with what they say?
Sure, Shorty probably meant no ill will with his poor choice of words, but making this into an argument against an entire group of people that feels differently IN THIS CASE than you do is the biggest reason the United States as a whole isn't a functioning democracy anymore.
There is already too much labeling, name calling, and finger-pointing and not enough listening, cooperating, and problem solving.
Your comment above just make this situation in our county and our country worse, not better.
"Shorty is more qualified than the president of the united states."
Hey, we're not discussing cattle rustling here, we're discussing misuse of public funds. You might want to reconsider your view...
O.K., forgive and forget but for heavens sakes let's learn from this. If we are supposed to be tolerant of Shorty's inability to read, and we let him "rest his eyes" in board meeting's and sit like an "old cowboy", can he please speak and act professionally when he represents us? I believe that is a fair request. If he can't then please send someone else. This whole absurd Modoc drama just gets worse as the days go by. Someone should be filming this as a documentary of what not to do as elected officials or a comedy sitcom. It is all very sad.
I as a county employee and tax payer would love to take mu flip video and video tape the next board mtg. I suspect atitudes would change emmediatly. Everyone would get along and hold hands and sing Kumbaya. What would really happen is that I would be cuffed and removed for disrupting a public mtg.
Is there rules against video taping a mtg?
No, taping a public meeting with audio or video is legal, so long as it not disruptive.
Here is the law:
Government Code section 54953.5(a) provides:
(a) Any person attending an open and public meeting of a legislative body of a local agency shall have the right to record the proceedings with an audio or video tape recorder or a still or motion picture camera in the absence of a reasonable finding by the legislative body of the local agency that the recording cannot continue without noise, illumination, or obstruction of view that constitutes, or would constitute, a persistent disruption of the proceedings.
May county boards and and city councils videotape their meetings so that the public can view and hear the audio. Surprisingly, elected officials start acting a little differently when they know they are on camera. In this case, however, I'm sure the ignorance would only escalate if they knew they were on camera. No hope left for Modoc.
Right on, Anonymous 4/15 @7:41 p.m. Set me right to roaring, you did. So did Anonymous 4/15 @2:38 p.m. Can you believe that anyone in Modoc professes to not recognize "professional" acting? Appears to me that everyone involved in most everything around here fancies they're acting professional. When in Rome ... you know the rest.
And here is why we need better English teachers...
... and that ain't no racial slur I'll have you know. It ain't very bright of you to....
our Board could do with listening to some other counties that run a more professional board, most counties have their meetings either audio available or televised. One large county has the clerk of the board read the agenda and the meeting goes much smoother and is more organized. What is wrong with looking how other counties do things and take what works and use it here to make us at least more professional.
It is amazing what ignorance and stupidity will do to a kind person. I am sure Crabtree is a nice person, just uneducated. Someone commented above, if one is going to be a public speaker, get prepare, show respect and kindness in your speech. Look educated at the very least. Public officials set examples, at least they should!
Just another slip of the tounge for poor ol Shorty. This is a man stuck in the past, way in the past. I don't think this is a good representative for our county.As is most of the BOS. The county is in very bad shape WE NEED GOOD LEADERSHIP NOT THE GOOD OL BOYS ANY MORE. What we need is some Industry and foward thing officials.
How dare one of you Anonymous stud-muffins pick on my straight-shooting wording? Oh, because you're Anonymous? Well, of course. And how dare a really mean sort herein describe Shorty as ignorant, stupid, and uneducated? Because they're Anonymous too. To enlighten the big A-list cowards, cowboy Shorty held a state job with enforcement duties. Pretty sure some education and reading abilities were required. Public officials aren't elected to "set good examples" ... that's sports figures you're thinking of. Daylight's burning whilst you fritter away time in taking pot shots at Shorty's talking, rather than getting serious about cleaning up the near-bankruptcy and Rudometkin problems. Time to sober up. Over and out.
Forgot to add for Anonymous 4/16 @9:27 a.m, that the way Modoc looks right now, BOS folk, et al, are authentic representatives of the condition Modoc's in.
Shorty was duly elected to represent his district. Some of the statements have degenerated from constructive, honest critisizm of an elected official to personal attacks. Let's keep things a little kinder.
Well Silence Dogood sure has pants or pantys in a wad..truth hurts..
Anonymous 4/16 @8:42 p.m. ... you say "truth hurts" ... sorry to hear you're in pain and feeling poorly. As for me ... your panties comment don't apply, if you get my drift.
Post a Comment