Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Los Angeles Police Department is launching a preliminary investigation into the video, released to TMZ, of a retired federal investigator singing a ?parody? of ?Bad, Bad Leroy Brown? that makes reference to Michael Brown. You can watch the video released by TMZ below.
Allegedly, Gary Fishell, former federal investigator turned private investigator and member of the Elks Lodge in Glendale, California performed the racist song mocking Brown’s death. The deplorable show took place at a golf tournament charity event organized by Joe Myers, a retired LAPD Officer. Nearly half of those in attendance were police officers.
The recorded lyrics are below, courtesy of Gawker.
Michael Brown learned a lesson about a messin’ with a badass policeman
And he’s bad, bad Michael Brown, baddest thug in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong, meaner than a junkyard dog
Two men took to fightin’, and Michael punched in through the door
And Michael looked like some old Swiss cheese, his brain was splattered on the floor
And he’s dead, dead Michael Brown, deadest man in the whole damn town
His whole life’s long gone, deader than a roadkill dog
?Police Chief Charlie Beck of LAPD tweeted the following upon review of the video.
1/2 I am aware of the video released via TMZ. Like many of you, I find it offensive & absurd. It does not reflect the values of the #LAPD.
— Chief Charlie Beck (@LAPDChiefBeck) December 24, 2014
2/2 I have directed our Professional Standards Bureau to look into this & determine if any active department employees were involved.
— Chief Charlie Beck (@LAPDChiefBeck) December 24, 2014
I feel heartache for Michael Brown’s mother. I can’t even attempt to guess what her holidays were like without her beloved son. The loss of a child, regardless of the circumstances, would leave a gaping hole. And, a loss which involves this kind of exposure – hearing and seeing the actions of those that are so full of hate and venom that they cannot even stop for the holidays ? well, I imagine that makes it that much more heart-wrenching.
Liberals are often accused of ?race-baiting? which is just a conservative’s way of saying,
?Stop talking about racism. We do it. We excuse it. We condone it. We deny it and we don’t talk about it!?
For several decades, a large segment of our population has dismissed the idea that racism still pervades American life, even when it’s not only slapping them in the face, but also stomping our society in the ground.
This is just one of those slap/stomp combos.
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Elizabeth Preston is a senior writer and an editor for Liberal America. She is a thirty-something wife and mother of three living in Florida. She is a fierce liberal with a passion?for equality and justice. As?a skeptic by nature she is?often the Facebook friend that rains on the urban legend parade with fact checking. Follow her on?Facebook,?Twitter,?and check out her personal blog,?My Four Ha? Pennies.
