Exec. session recording: Parrey says ‘hood rat’ isn’t racist
TRENTON » City police director Ernest Parrey Jr. invoked a sportswriter’s use of the same derogatory term he was captured on tape using to describe city residents to justify his conduct before City Council members at a closed-door meeting this month.
Parrey at one point suggested his “hood rats” comment, perceived by some community activists as a racial slur, was not out of bounds because it was made at a book bag giveaway, in front of two black police officers who didn’t challenge the director over his words.
“I made the comment [as] two African-American officers pulled up on the scene,” Parrey said on the tape. “I can assure you this had nothing to do with color.”
The police director’s remarks at the Sept. 7 executive session, which was closed to the public, are being made public for the first time by The Trentonian which obtained a recording of the closed-door meeting.
“It seems kind of ironic,” Parrey told council members, before quoting from a passage in an ESPN story on proud Irish MMA fighter and crossover boxing star Conor McGregor.
Even more ironically, though the top cop left this part out, was that McGregor was reviled by media for making his own racists remarks about boxing champ Floyd Mayweather ahead of their star-studded bout.
Reading from the “Crossing Crumlin Road” article, Parrey noted that, just like he had, ESPN writer Wright Thompson used the term “hood rat” in his story but didn’t suffer the same backlash Parrey experienced.
The Trenton chapter of the NAACP called on the police director to resign over the comment.
“Proper Dublin recoils from his type: the Crumlin hood rat, shaped by the limits that define him, hem him in, make him feel caged,” Parrey read.
Unlike he did last time, when he chose to have the hearing held publicly, after receiving his third Rice notice Parrey, who did not respond to a detailed message left on his cell phone, chose to have this hearing in private.
He appeared before the panel at the request of councilman Alex Bethea, who imperiled the embattled police director with a fierce tongue-lashing over his “hood rats” comment, captured on body camera worn by fellow officers.
“You’re the boss, the head honcho,” Bethea said. “You’re talking in front of your subordinates and you use this color language. What are they supposed to do? What color language are they supposed to use henceforth?”
Over the course of about 45 minutes, Parrey, while apologizing for a “poor choice of words,” repeatedly justified his behavior as he was grilled about the impact it had on the department, city and blacks in the community.
For the first time publicly, Parrey defined the term “hood rats” and acknowledged the division in the ranks of his department which he said coincided with longtime PBA Local 11 president George Dzurkoc being voted out of office.
Since then, the department has been devoured by bad publicity, including emergence of body cam that caught three city cops disparaging a gunshot victim.
The infighting from power-hungry factions has ratcheted up as they slug it out ahead of the upcoming election.
Parrey remained resolute he has the backing of the rank-and-file and exclaimed many colleagues reached out to support him after he was exposed over the “hood rats” comment.
Despite the alleged racist remarks, Parrey said he believed he was still supported by the community, especially “people of color.”
One city councilman said the police director may be delusional.
South Ward councilman George Muschal, a former city cop, contended morale in the department is at an “all-time low.”
Another high-ranking police official said privately the bad publicity is “tearing” the department apart.
A prime target of the sniping after he was blasted for attending a charity golf event following a weekend of bloodshed, Parrey admitted to council he was not oblivious to the backstabbing in the department and placed the blame on aggrieved officers who may have been disciplined.
“There’s some things going on in my shop that I’m aware of,” he said. “Some folks aren’t happy with the way the police department is going. But that’s the way the police department has been. Discipline is paramount for me. When I constantly get complaints or I’m hearing that certain individuals in the community, i.e. the officers that are working for me, aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing that bothers me.”
Parrey didn’t mention anybody by name but it was clear from the tape council members were talking about three cops who were caught on body cam making fun of a gunshot victim and discussing how to get away with using excessive force.
Having a “sneaking suspicion” he would field questions about officers Tim Miller, Gloria Garcia and Sgt. Charles Lamin, who are being investigated by internal affairs, the police director brought the tape The Trentonian first published.
He accused The Trentonian of improperly editing the body cam footage. The newspaper did not edit the footage and published what was provided by a local attorney in its entirety online. It also reached out to Parrey for comment about what was contained on the tape but he didn’t respond.
After taking shots at The Trentonian, the police director patted himself on the back in front of council members for being the driving force behind the release of body cam footage that showed him making an illegal stop of a city resident.
The Trentonian received the tape only after making a request for it under the state’s Open Public Records Act.
Parrey admitted his motivation in releasing the tape was to avoid a fourth Rice notice.
“Actually, I insisted on that matter being brought to the newspaper,” Parrey said, not mentioning that the capital city has two daily newspapers. “The newspaper was the one that OPRAed that, and I made sure that OPR A request went out immediately.”
Defending himself over the illegal stop, Parrey said, “What type of example would I set if I just turned a blind eye and went about my business and pulled into police headquarters? Is that the type of police director we want?”
Later, the fulsome Parrey went tit-for-tat with Bethea, telling the councilman he took “pride” in three decades of service to the city, first as an officer and now as department head.
Parrey suggested the “hood rats” episode, made when the director was on his “own” time at a book bag event, was overblown.
“You know how passionate I am about this job,” he said. “When I have young children trying to get to a book bag giveaway, and I have young men that are out there in the way of these kids getting where they need to go, I have a problem with it.”
Bethea challenged the director over his explanation, saying his derogatory words undermined his ability to mete out punishment to officers accused of making similar remarks.
“We serve at the will of the public,” Bethea said, reminding the director he didn’t have a “9 to 5 job.”
“How can you reprimand them if they step off a little bit or use a bad choice of words?” the councilman continued. “It becomes very foggy and cloudy. It’s not acceptable coming from a person in leadership.”
Bethea was more troubled by the director’s “hood rats” comment because he felt comfortable saying it in front of black officers.
“The problem would not have surfaced if you were
talking to two white officers?” Bethea asked. “Something happened and somebody wasn’t happy. That tells me that something is really going on. … ‘If the director is talking this way to us and we’re black, what is he saying to the other guys, the white guys?’”
Bethea posed several questions to the director, some which Parrey evaded.
Most pointedly, the councilman quizzed Parrey about whether he believed his comments impacted the department, the city and black colleagues and residents.
Parrey said his comments didn’t have a “negative” effect on the department. He wouldn’t say whether it hampered how city residents view the department.
“I would never put myself out that way to say one was affected,” he said. “That would be disingenuous of me. I couldn’t speak on that unless I heard from the community in and of itself.”
Asked about a racial divide in the department, Parrey did not believe one existed.
“I have maintained an open-door policy,” he said.
“Every officer has the ability to come to my office, be it to make a complaint or to ask for something.”
Parrey said he didn’t care whether cops liked him or wanted to “break bread with me” as long as they do their jobs.
As it related to his job, Parrey disagreed with the notion his comment was racist.
“I know what the comment ‘hood rat’ means to me,” he said. “And I know what it means to my colleagues because they know what a ‘hood rat’ is.”
Parrey said a “hood rat” was “an individual who engages in unscrupulous behaviors, [has] tendencies to commit crime.”
“You don’t know what hood rat means to me,” Bethea shot back.
The councilman said he was uncomfortable talking to Parrey about the topic because he didn’t want to have to confront him about it but noted the director had to be held accountable.
“That’s not my forte,” he said. “But I thought it was necessary.”
When Bethea raised other issues, like when the police director previously got testy with council members and residents – which he was also Riced over – Parrey cut him off.
“I don’t think there’s anybody in this room … [He] without sin should cast the first stone,” Parrey said.
For his sins, the councilman suggested Parrey must face consequences, bringing up a possible weeklong suspension. In the end, council adjourned the meeting without sanctioning Parrey.
“You got the green light, brother,” Bethea told Parrey. “That should not be the case.”