‘Ulster Sheriff's Office is Old White Boys Club'

Dear Editor: We need search no further than our own backyard to find the same white supremacy that reared its ugly head in Charlottesville, Va., recently. It seems that Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum rules over a fiefdom systematically skewed against those whose skin is not white.

We recently met with three Ulster County law-enforcement agents who have filed a federal anti-discrimination suit against two of their superior officers and the sheriff. As the case advances through the courts, we believe it is important to bring the substance of it to broad public attention.

The aggrieved officers are all skilled and competent with long histories of good service. Yet they seemingly have been passed over repeatedly for job promotions. According to the lawsuit, the sheriff and his officers routinely award the better jobs to their white junior colleagues, heirs apparent to an Old White Boys Club.

The complaint documents a culture of systemic racism and explicit white bias. Hopefully, the justice that has eluded these loyal public servants within the sheriff’s domain will be delivered through the federal judiciary.

It seems the county division of law enforcement suffers from systemic corruption, where white officers are immune to reprimand. In one incident, an off-duty officer threw a sharp object at a woman’s face, causing a laceration requiring multiple stitches. This constitutes criminal assault. But the officer received only a slap on the wrist before being returned to active duty.

Sheriff VanBlarcum has been quite vocal about the need to strictly adhere to the law when it comes to civil infractions by our undocumented neighbors. But he does no more than pay lip service to the law when his white officers are involved.

For the sake of public safety, as well as justice within the department, it would seem that the creation of an external Internal Affairs Bureau is both necessary and long overdue. The Rev. Frank J. Alagna, Ph.D. Holy Cross/Santa Cruz

Episcopal Church The Rev. Jim Childs Pointe of Praise Church The Rev. G. Modele Clarke New Progressive Baptist Church Kingston