National

Letter in Police Mailboxes: Black Officers Belong in Toilet

Published

10 years ago

February 19, 2015

A Bridgeport Police Department vehicle (Douglas Healey/AP Photo)

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A threatening letter that disparages black police officers has been found stuffed in mailboxes at a police department.

State police are investigating the unsigned letter, which is on Bridgeport Police Department letterhead and begins and ends with the term “white power,” city officials said Wednesday. Black officers said it was at least the third hate-filled message to circulate within the police department over the past year.

The letter singles out black Officer Clive Higgins, who was acquitted last month of civil rights violation charges in the beating of a Hispanic suspect in the racially diverse city. A white officer and a Hispanic officer pleaded guilty and were sentenced to three months in jail.

The note says Higgins doesn’t belong at the police department and threatens him.

“You better watch your back. We know where you live,” it says. “Your face was all over the newspaper. Remember you have no duty weapon to defend yourself.”

The letter also says, “These Black Officers belong in the toilet,” and it alleges Chief Joseph Gaudett Jr. and Assistant Chief James Nardozzi don’t want “them,” especially Higgins, in the department.

A minority officers’ group, the Bridgeport Guardians, held a news conference Wednesday to discuss the letter. Higgins attended but declined to comment.

Members of the Guardians said they believe the letter was written by someone within the police department because copies of it were found in mailboxes in an area not open to the public.

“If it came from the outside, we’d think, ‘OK, people really don’t like police,'” said Detective Harold Dimbo, vice president of the Guardians. “But coming from inside, there are no words to be said.”

Dimbo added, “This type of behavior affects a minority and spreads racism and hatred throughout the Bridgeport Police Department as well as the community.” He said some officers were concerned about their safety.

The episode adds to a history of discrimination problems in the Bridgeport Police Department.

The Guardians sued the department for discrimination in 1978, leading to findings by a federal judge that the department was fraught with discrimination against its minority officers. The judge appointed a special master to oversee assignments and discipline of officers, an oversight that didn’t end until 2010.

City spokesman Brett Broesder said that the city has zero-tolerance policies against racism and discrimination and that anyone found responsible for the letter faces swift discipline. He said Bridgeport, which has about 150,000 residents, has the most diverse police force in the state.

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Activism

Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill

“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

Published

2 minutes ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.

The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”

Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.

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Activism

“Unnecessary Danger”: Gov. Newsom Blasts Rollback of Emergency Abortion Care Protections

Effective May 29, CMS rescinded guidance that had reinforced the obligation of hospitals to provide abortion services under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when necessary to stabilize a patient’s condition. Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

Published

3 days ago

June 14, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom is criticizing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for rolling back federal protections for emergency abortion care, calling the move an “unnecessary danger” to the lives of pregnant patients in crisis.

Newsom warned that the rollback will leave patients vulnerable in states with strict or total abortion bans.

“Today’s decision will endanger lives and lead to emergency room deaths, full stop,” Newsom said in a statement. “Doctors must be empowered to save the lives of their patients, not hem and haw over political red lines when the clock is ticking. In California, we will always protect the right of physicians to do what’s best for their patients and for women to make the reproductive decisions that are best for their families.”

The CMS guidance originally followed the 2022 Dobbs decision, asserting that federal law could preempt state abortion bans in emergency care settings. However, legal challenges from anti-abortion states created uncertainty, and the Trump administration’s dismissal of a key lawsuit against Idaho in March removed federal enforcement in those states.

While the rollback does not change California law, Newsom said it could discourage hospitals and physicians in other states from providing emergency care. States like Idaho, Mississippi, and Oklahoma do not allow abortion as a stabilizing treatment unless a patient’s life is already at risk.

California has taken several steps to expand reproductive protections, including the launch of Abortion.CA.Gov and leadership in the Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a coalition of 23 governors supporting access to abortion care.