Philadelphia Police sued over Domelights.com

[granuale]

For those who don't know, domelights and more specifically the domelights forum is a place where mostly Philadelphia police discuss various issues, and gained interest here at PAFOA because of the many posts and posters there who are hostile to gun rights of law abiding Pennsylvanians. Anyway, thought this was interesting:

Posted on Fri, Jul. 17, 2009

Black police officers' group sues over Web site

By Troy Graham and Allison Steele
Inquirer Staff Writers

An association of black police officers has sued the Philadelphia Police Department in federal court for allowing its officers to post "blatantly racist . . . and offensive" content on a popular Web site devoted to law enforcement topics.

The suit, filed Wednesday, says Domelights.com, which bills itself as "the voice of the good guys," was founded by a Philadelphia police sergeant who uses the screen name "McQ" and "encourages the racially offensive conduct."

The Guardian Civic League also sued McQ and the 10-year-old Web site, a forum where officers discuss crime news, police gossip, current events and other topics, often in profane and humorous rants.

Guardian Civic League attorney Brian Mildenberg said that black officers had long reviled the site and that complaints had been been lodged with current and past police administrations to no avail.

Even the word domelights, which normally refers to the police lights on top of cruisers, has taken on an "insulting connotation" among black officers, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cites several posts, including one showing slain white officers next to black suspects and the headline "Guns Don't Kill People, Dangerous Minorities Do."

Mildenberg said white officers post and moderate the forums while on duty and on department computers, creating "a racially hostile environment."

"It's the same thing as you can't hang racist material in the workplace," he said.

The lawsuit does not identify McQ, but his Domelights profile contains the name Fred McQuiggan. In 2004, McQuiggan wrote a letter to the editor published in The Inquirer that included his Domelights e-mail address.

There was no response to two requests for comment sent to that e-mail address yesterday, and other efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman, confirmed that McQuiggan was on active duty and worked at Police Headquarters but said he did not know whether McQuiggan was involved with Domelights.

The department would not comment on the lawsuit.

By 7 last night, Domelights had collected 54 comments and more than 4,300 page views on a forum devoted to the civic league's lawsuit.

Many were defensive, some were belligerent, and several included unprintable opinions about league president Rochelle Bilal.

One post read: "Please tell me this is some idea of a sick joke! Freedom of speech, anyone?"

Mildenberg said there was no First Amendment protection on an employer's computer. "The employer owns your e-mail, your computer," he said.

Police policy also should prohibit officers from posting racist material on their own time, he said. Regulations require officers "to avoid engaging in racially offensive speech or conduct in public," according to the lawsuit.

The site is open to the public, and some posters have identified themselves as black officers and weighed in on racially charged discussions.

The topics also range to the mundane. Recent discussions have included "Legendary Cops & Great Supervisors," and a fair amount of trash talk on the best FOP softball team.

But discussions on crime and other racially tinged issues - such as a group of city children who recently were disinvited from swimming at a suburban pool - often include provocative comments.

One post on the swimming pool controversy likened the children to "a bunch of ghetto monkey faces." Another suggested that the swim club "thought that the kids were going to turn the pool into chocolate milk."

Other comments cited by Mildenberg were more reasoned but still racially sensitive.

"I don't bash blacks," one read. "I tell it like I see it and if you don't see the destruction that's going on . . . and who is doing it, you must be color blind."

The class-action suit, filed on behalf of 2,300 black Philadelphia police officers, asks the court to order the Police Department to ban officers from operating Domelights or posting racially insensitive material.

The suit also seeks an unspecified amount for damages.

The Philadelphia NAACP and the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers joined the civic league as plaintiffs.

[BimmerJon]

lol

police on police crime...

so screwed up...

They should spend less time chatting on internet forums during work and more time LEARNING the laws and TRYING to improve things.

[truecrimson]

Does this mean I won't get two in my melon?

[headcase]

Does this mean I won't get two in my melon?

No sir, you still get two in the melon

[CerealKiller]

National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers

Are you fucking serious? I mean really... What is more racist than that? I mean I'm all for them getting to have their private club if everyone else gets to have theirs.

Oh but i'm sure the National Association of White law enforcement officers would not fly AT ALL. That wouldn't be PC.

The stupidity in this country is at an all time high.
Please somebody hit the Armageddon button now... 20,000 Thermonuclear weapons in the world... They're not gonna set themselves off.

[jcabin]

I don't follow anything at domelights. I honestly don't think I've ever even been there except when I see outrageous shit they post, linked on another forum. From what I've gathered it's a pretty racist, low intelligence, violent website.

Thats just the general consensus taken from all around the web.

[CerealKiller]

I don't follow anything at domelights. I honestly don't think I've ever even been there except when I see outrageous shit they post, linked on another forum. From what I've gathered it's a pretty racist, low intelligence, violent website.

Thats just the general consensus taken from all around the web.

I agree completely with that statement, but if you don't like what people are posting DON'T READ IT. I don't like reading about the idiots over there talking about shooting innocent people in the head for open carrying, even though they're probably just talking out their ass, blowing off some steam cause they're stressed out or because they have a stick up their ass. I mean welcome to the internet. A whole bunch of people talk a whole bunch of shit they wouldn't ever have the balls to back up. I actually appreciate this message board very much because it is (as far as I'm concerned) one of the better ones.

However (back to my point) just because I think the general population of that forum are dip shits doesn't mean I should sue them. It means I shouldn't read it. And if I choose to read it after not liking what I read, then that's my problem. I am not entitled to money for it, and neither are these assholes.

You wanna talk about someone ruining a good thing for everyone? You need look no further...

[jcabin]

However (back to my point) just because I think the general population of that forum are dip shits doesn't mean I should sue them. It means I shouldn't read it. And if I choose to read it after not liking what I read, then that's my problem. I am not entitled to money for it, and neither are these assholes.

Well the likeness of Domelights and various other forums where racism and extremism run rampant and unchecked is obvious. The difference here, is the members of domelights are public servants. They're talking the shit about trials and arrests theyre connected to, before, during, and after trials. Theyre talking racist shit about fellow officers. Personally, I don't see the point in the site being shut down, another will pop up. The admins and mods should try and clean it up a little bit. Then again they don't have to, but these people are the people we entrust firearms and power to, I'd like them to have a little class.

As stated, I don't read domelights
But I'm Just sayin'

[mrnyman]

Good , they should get the shiite sued out of them for conducting racist business on city time, what happened to the good old days of just joining the KLan, where you get to wrap yourself in your Chinese made sheets and your Chinese made hoods, sold to to you by Jewish Merchants, waving your Dixie flags made in China, driving at the parade in your Japanese made truck ?

Dont they know we live in a surviellance society?
Theyre on the Net with thier Racist bullshot because theyre too lazy to go to a Klan meeting thats what! Burn that mideast gas and go to a meeting!
Nyman

[LDMF]

They are a bunch of racist thugs(so I hear), but wouldn't that website and its content be protected under the 1st Amendment? Wouldn't this be exactly the kind of thing that we should be upset about? Infringement on anyone's, correction any citizen's constitutional rights is a bad thing.

I think that you must like and respect the constitution when it fits your purposes and lifestyle and even when it doesn't. It's not a part time deal.