Officer Cobane Receives 30 Day Suspension—Not Termination—For "Mexican Piss" Remarks

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I approve of Officer Cobane's statements.
Inb4 cop-hating.

venomlash on May 12, 2011 at 4:10 PM

Maybe he was talking about Corona. I thought it was acceptable to call it Mexican piss.

jonesey on May 12, 2011 at 4:10 PM

Was Diaz afraid of looking too "Mexicany" if he fired the guy who said racist things about Mexicans?

Cui Bono on May 12, 2011 at 4:14 PM

I was going to say that Ian Birk probably could have gotten away with a 60-day suspension if he hadn't gotten nervous and quit, but since the max is 30, Birk could have gotten a 30-day suspension.

seatackled on May 12, 2011 at 4:17 PM

@1: Oh, for the love of god

Baconcat on May 12, 2011 at 4:17 PM

You know what a Mexican and a cue ball have in common, right?

The harder you hit them, the more English you get.

Old cop joke. Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

Fifty-Two-Eighty on May 12, 2011 at 4:28 PM

@6, fuck you. Suck on your big fat .45. Mexicans are better people than you.

Did anyone ask any questions about the apparently prevailing attitude at SPD that race and social justice training is a crock that no one in the department takes seriously? Does Cobane share that attitude? Is there any reason to believe that this isn't just more SPD shining us on some more? Because that's what it looks like to me.

I'm not seeing a commitment to solving the problem here. I'm seeing a commitment to pretending the problem has already been solved. A day of healing is lovely. When is the day of accountability?

Come on, Diaz. Prove you work for the people of Seattle and not just your officers.

Fnarf on May 12, 2011 at 4:41 PM

Looks like Cobane is ALL APOLOGIES. WHAMMY! Hello?

Dougsf on May 12, 2011 at 4:44 PM

@8, smells like cop spirit, eh?

Fnarf on May 12, 2011 at 4:45 PM

Social justice? I thought we had equal justice.

I guess you all missed the part where it was this illegal's hombres robbing people by machete.

on May 12, 2011 at 4:48 PM

I think the basic message of this "compromise" is:

don't get caught on vid saying racist shit whilst giving a beatdown--- but otherwise carry on gents, carry on...

We'll see how it all plays out soon enough, 'cause it's not pattern at all no, no.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 4:51 PM

@3 I was thinking the same thing until I got to the part when Diaz said he woud like to fire him.

@6 You should have tried resisting a little harder. ಠ_ಠ

I'm fairly disappointed that this officer is being transferred to patrol. I don't like the idea of any racist patrolling my neighborhood with guns.

DeepFriedBananaBits on May 12, 2011 at 4:58 PM

Can't wait to see how O'Neill and his ilk try to spin this one in the next issue of The Guardian...

COMTE on May 12, 2011 at 4:59 PM

I do love my big, fat .45, Fnarf. A caliber which is illegal in Mexico, by the way. Unless you're a scumball, which half the population seems to be, in which case laws don't matter much. I've never sucked on mine, but since you seem to have a fetish there, you're welcome to come over and suck on it any time.

Fifty-Two-Eighty on May 12, 2011 at 5:02 PM

The after the fact cultural justice sensitivity training just smacks of the all too common CYA shit the Police Guild always uses when protecting its' own when they are bald face caught, they need to be doing it much more as a matter of course beforehand.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 5:20 PM

"I've made clear to the department and [Seattle Police Guild President] Rich O’Neill that termination will be the presumptive penalty to people using racial slurs," said Diaz. "The line’s been drawn here. I thought I’d made it clear before. Now I’ve made it very clear."

Yeah, because NOT FIRING Cobane makes that point very clear. Also, why so much focus on the slur, the cop fucking stomped his fucking head. Words can hurt, but I'm still more afraid of a cops boots and fists than their mouth.

OuterCow on May 12, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Another question: What is Cobane's salary, including overtime? If he's like most cops, even with 30 days of no pay he'll earn twice what the average city resident makes. Some punishment.

Another: what IS the threshold for serious punishment in SPD? Because the message that is going out to the public and to the police force is, don't sweat it, you can do anything except blow away innocent people on the street without punishment, and even if you do that you'll get fired but you won't spend an hour in jail.

Fnarf on May 12, 2011 at 5:38 PM

"This has been an incident which has hurt us, by having the tape revealed to the public. Since we have no respect for the people we're supposed to protect, we'll act like we want their trust by handing out wrist-slaps and scoldings. We're here to say that if a cop does something wrong, we're here to pretend that he has to be responsible.
"Now I'd like to invite you all over to 5240's house, where we'll be guzzling 40's & beating up some filthy wetbacks."

Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In on May 12, 2011 at 5:41 PM

God Bless unions right Goldy?

on May 12, 2011 at 5:49 PM

20: as if the Police Guild is a real Union in any sense other than it being a goon squad for vested interests à la the Pinkertons, a fact that has been demonstrated over and again since at least, well since there has been a police force, ever.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 6:07 PM

This is why law abiding citizens like myself (well, except when it comes to doing drugs in the safety of my own home) hate and mistrust cops.

What a bunch of bullshit!

And yeah, fuck the police.

passionate_jus on May 12, 2011 at 6:30 PM

@6: la vieja policía bromea, oy vey, por que usted sigue siendo un gringo de mierda racista y culero, puta.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 6:30 PM

head stomping a restrained person on the ground is legal apparently. no taboos against that if you are in the right club.

aardvark on May 12, 2011 at 6:32 PM

"This is why law abiding citizens like me hate and mistrust cops."

No, you hate them to get back at mommy and daddy for raising you so bourgeois.

on May 12, 2011 at 6:37 PM

Stomping? In Tijuana they call that a Mexican Tap Dance.

on May 12, 2011 at 6:44 PM

Diaz has made it perfectly clear that brutally beating someone while using racial insults gets you a slap on the wrist, murder gets you asked to resign, and calling the majority of Seattle residents "the enemy" doesn't merit notice at all.

I feel more nervous around cops now than I did two years ago.

dwightmoodyforgetsthings on May 12, 2011 at 6:51 PM

@23:
"¿Una antigua broma de policía? ¡Caramba!, ¿por que todavía estás tan racisto, puto?"
Fixed that for you. Please brush up on your Spanish. Also, "oy vey" is Yiddish.

venomlash on May 12, 2011 at 6:57 PM

@25: can't people hate them for multiple reasons at different times?
like say, because of their of often turns at malfeasance, claims of ineptitude, or their outright bigotry, brutality, corruption and graft, to name a few possible aspects to to peoples misplaced distrust of the oh so benevolent protectors?

i doubt mommy and daddy enter into it that much except in your wish expectant mind of the wrong kind of dominance and submission.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 6:57 PM

@28, thats why i put it in there, 4 da yuks. shoot.

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 6:59 PM

Why hasn't Mary Wollum been suspended much less indicted for stomping on the arm of one of the suspects?

neo-realist on May 12, 2011 at 7:04 PM

Venano, calmante ese!

pissy mcslogbot on May 12, 2011 at 7:20 PM

30 days without pay would suck.

six shooter on May 12, 2011 at 7:53 PM

I suspect that Shandy will just make sure he's not on tape next time. So will every other dickhead in the SPD.

lauramae on May 12, 2011 at 8:16 PM

Forget the racial slur aspect of this, cops who behave like that should be fired. They were lying still on the ground and still being kicked. Fuck the police!
Next time a cop gets killed, I may just publicly cheer. You deserve so much more hostility than the public gives you.
Stop resisting citizen oversight.
Stop printing bigoted bullshit in your trade paper.
Police brutality is police brutality. Racist, bigoted language or not.
If you are a cop who is not an asshole, sorry. Time to stick your fucking necks out and demanding better of your fellow officers.
There is no fucking excuse for this shit anymore.

Tingleyfeeln on May 12, 2011 at 9:21 PM

Nothing funnier than a bunch of bourgeois, college educated white kids yelling 'fuck da police'.

U boyz iz da reel thang, homeys. 4 realz!

on May 12, 2011 at 10:45 PM

What job can you be a racist and get promoted?
Seattle police.

watchout5 on May 13, 2011 at 12:06 AM

"This is why law abiding citizens like me hate and mistrust unions."

on May 13, 2011 at 12:34 AM

I knew he wasn't going to lose his job because he didn't quit a week ago.

Ian Birk didn't get scared and quit, he was told he was going to get fired and given the opportunity to quit to save his record.

Shandy Cobane got off easy. Diaz is afraid to do his job. We thought his point was clear before too but apparently it wasn't.

monkey on May 13, 2011 at 8:13 AM

How was this racist? Did the suspect have some other ethnicitiy's piss in him? The officer's remarks were purely descriptive.

on May 13, 2011 at 9:02 AM

Ken, I don't think he should be fired for the racist remark, he should be fired for the way he roughhoused a man who was not only prone and still, but also turned out to be innocent of the crime in which he was a suspect at that moment. Same goes for the other officers who delivered unnecesary physical violence. The racist remarks are just icing on the cake.

Tingleyfeeln on May 13, 2011 at 9:27 AM

@14 I try to give you the benefit of the doubt, because I'm a nice person. "Oh, 5280 must just be drunk", "Oh, 5280 is just trying to get a rise out of people", "Give the old geezer a break", but you really are deeply prejudiced against hispanics, aren't you? Half the country are scumballs, eh? I'm sure your position as a paranoid, ignorant alcoholic uniquely qualifies you to make that judgment. Someone ought to slap the shit out of you, but of course your cowardly ass would just shoot them if they tried.

Hernandez on May 13, 2011 at 9:31 AM

@43 Well put, sir!

More, I Say! on May 13, 2011 at 9:51 AM

@44- He's getting punished for the wrong things. Stop acting stupid.

dwightmoodyforgetsthings on May 13, 2011 at 10:12 AM

@44, no. His handling of a prone, seemingly cooperative suspect is unnacceptable. His racial remarks only add to the situation. All police departments need to weed these kinds of cops out.
And there is still no word on the other officer who kicked what appeard to be the legs of the suspect.

Tingleyfeeln on May 13, 2011 at 10:31 AM

First.... fuck all you shit bags.... Second.... you don't deserve the police service Third.... if anyone thinks he is getting off easy for uttering one fucking word.... The name of a COUNTRY.... then you are all more fucked up than I thought..... his penalty is nearly a $11,000 fine..... for one FUCKING word... the name of a LAME ASS COUNTRY! Fuck you all! The next time one of you Seattle libs gets whacked..... I hope the cop who finds your stinky body laughs there ass off!!!!!

on May 13, 2011 at 12:58 PM

@48- Is it possible that the people who review the evidence and make decisions regarding it are heavily in favor of letting the cops doing whatever the hell they want? Clearly the answer is yes.

dwightmoodyforgetsthings on May 13, 2011 at 1:29 PM

@20

"as if the Police Guild is a real Union in any sense other than it being a goon squad for vested interests"

That's exactly what a real Union IS.

@23

Parlar Englese. No esta Mexico. (And no, I really don't care if that's good Spanish or not.)

@43

I grew up in Yakima around people who could speak English in an English speaking country, but refused to do so. Coming to America? Learn English and use it or stay where-ever the hell you came from. And for goodness sake stop wasting taxpayer money on any government business conducted in any language but English. (Except of course immigration services.)

Seattleblues on May 13, 2011 at 1:42 PM

@40, without knowing much about the situation, there are a number of reasons why specifying 'Mexican' isn't acceptable here. For starters, it's entirely possible the dude wasn't of Mexican descent; there's a lot of Latin American countries. You can't just sort of gesture south of the Rio Grande and call the whole thing 'Mexico'.

Second, why was it necessary for Officer Cobane to specify an ethnicity, anyway? What was his purpose in doing so? Do you really think his intent was benign--while beating the piss out of him? I don't.

Finally, what is *your* purpose here? Are you trying to defend Cobane's actions and remarks? Do you think what he said and did was acceptable? What makes you think so?

Minimalizing racism, brushing racism aside, flat out ignoring overt racism is why this country continues to BE racist. It's not just the Cobanes of the world; it's all their little defenders and apologists.

clashfan on May 13, 2011 at 6:30 PM

Last I checked Mexican is a nationality not a race, and people of all races live in Mexico. It is no differnt from saying "I will beat the Canadian piss out of you."

Cascadian Bacon on May 13, 2011 at 8:26 PM

@53, if you think calling someone a 'Mexican' as opposed to 'Canadian' while beating the piss out of them is NEUTRAL, Imma have to disagree with you. Again, I ask, why did the cop feel the need to specify 'Mexican'? I don't think it was simply to add a little flavor to his discourse. I don't think he would have said "beat the blue-shirt wearing piss out of you" if the dude had been wearing a blue shirt.

Cobane specified a nationality that is closely associated with a particular ethnicity. I think he did that to demean the man, and to make it easier to beat the piss out of him.

It was racist to do so. Ignoring overt racism = covert racism.

clashfan on May 14, 2011 at 1:17 PM

Calling a Mexican a Mexican isn't racist, it is just stating a fact. If he said "Imma beat the lazy beaneating wetback piss out of you." that would be racist.

Cascadian Bacon on May 15, 2011 at 3:59 PM

@ 55, re-read @ 54 and try to address his points. Just stubbornly restating your case and ignoring the fact that it's been answered is one of the more obnoxious ways to debate, and can be taken to mean that you can't really answer your opponent's points.

Matt from Denver on May 15, 2011 at 4:11 PM

@55, have we established whether Cobane's victim *was* Mexican? Even if he is, did Cobane have any way of knowing that as he was beating the piss out of him?

Or did he just make the assumption that this Latino under his heel must be Mexican? That assumption, my friend, is racist.

If Monetti had been black, would it have been all right for Cobane to say, "I'm going to beat the black piss out of you"?

If Monetti had been gay, would it have been all right for Cobane to say, "I'm going to beat the gay piss out of you"?

The answer is no.

clashfan on May 15, 2011 at 7:03 PM

Officer Cobane Receives 30 Day Suspension—Not Termination—For "Mexican Piss" Remarks

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