Mayor Grose was outed by a local businesswoman, Keyanus Price, who said,
"I have had plenty of my share of chicken and watermelon and all those kinds of jokes. I honestly don't even understand where he was coming from, sending this to me. As a Black person receiving something like this from the city-freakin'-mayor - come on."Grose was re-elected to the Los Alamitos City Council in 2006 with the backing of Congressman Ed Royce, Senator Tom Harman and then County Supervisor Jim Silva. The “Orange County Republican Leadership Voter Guide” claimed that Grose was part of the “Orange County Republican Team” and announced that Grose was endorsed by the Orange County Republican Party. Los Alamitos is a 2 1/4-square-mile Orange County city of around 12,000 people. The mayor is elected by fellow members of the five-seat City Council.
Grose responded that he didn't mean to offend her. He said he was unaware of the racial stereotype that Black people like watermelons.
"Bottom line is, we laugh at things and I didn't see this in the same light that she did. I'm sorry. It wasn't sent to offend her personally - or anyone - from the standpoint of the African American race."I hope that Grose is removed as mayor of his town for being a fool ... and for lying to us as if we were fools. Does any villager think that Grose didn't know that watermelons are part of a racist stereotype that Black people have endured for many years? Didn't he learn anything from similiar situation last year at the California State Fair?
I wonder if Michael Steele, the new RNC Chair, will have anything to say on this about this racist rant from one of his GOP leaders?