9296: New York’s Not-So-Finest.

From The New York Daily News…

Two NYPD officers involved with West Indian Day Parade bump and grind incident were ‘stupid’: source

By Rocco Parascandola, Daily News Police Bureau Chief

The NYPD is reviewing a new Internet video that appears to show city cops in uniform provocatively grinding scantily clad women at the West Indian Day Parade.

Several women participated in the parade-route debauchery and sought out uniformed officers for the dirty dancing.

Two men in uniform who appear to be NYPD cops looked embarrassed and practically stood still when they were approached by women who bent over and shoved their rear-ends into the cops’ groins.

But two other apparent NYPD officers were all too willing to get frisky. They can be seen on the video aggressively play-thrusting their pelvises up against the backsides of at least two women, gyrating to the beat.

Everyone in the video — including at least four cops in uniform and scores of revelers — is laughing and having a good time.

But NYPD bosses don’t think the video is very funny.

A police investigative unit in Brooklyn has been ordered to look into the video and the cops who are seen dancing on it, sources said.

“It’s not corruption,” said a source familiar with the investigation. “But it looks bad. It’s young cops doing something stupid.”

The video was first posted at worldstarhiphop.com.

7185: NYPDiscrimination…?

From The New York Daily News…

Ex-cop sues NYPD, claims race and sex bias, says boss didn’t like ‘women because they have babies’

By Thomas Zambito
Daily News Staff Writer

A former NYPD sergeant says her dream of rising through the ranks ended when she was assigned to a boss who didn’t take kindly to her showing up for work pregnant.

Tamara Golston-Green sued the NYPD and Capt. John Denesopolis for race and sex discrimination in Queens Supreme Court on Monday.

“‘I just don’t like women because they have babies,’” the lawsuit charges Denesopolis told Golston-Green shortly after she joined his staff in September 2004.

Golston-Green says she was forced off the job two years later after being assigned an overnight shift in a Queens housing unit while she had two young children at home.

“He was the one who made it impossible for my dream to continue,” she said during an interview on Tuesday.

The Springfield Gardens High School grad said in the seven years before working for Denesopolis she enjoyed every assignment she held.

Golston-Green, 36, has since moved from Queens Village to Texas, where she works in reservations for a major airline.

“Going to work was a nightmare which caused her to have panic attacks and be very emotional driving there,” lawyer Anthony Ofodile writes in the lawsuit.

“The torture just got worse,” he adds.

The lawsuit says Denesopolis became enraged at Golston-Green after scanning an entry log one morning.

“‘I am not going to hold your hand and sing ‘Kum-bah-yah,’” the lawsuit quotes Denesopolis as saying.

City attorneys declined comment because they had not yet seen the lawsuit.

7118: Philly Style.

From The New York Daily News…

White cop told cornrows break work rules, while dozens of black officers wear the hairstyle

By Simone Weichselbaum and Rich Schapiro
Daily News Staff Writers

A white Philadelphia cop who reported to work with his hair in cornrows was yanked off the street and ordered to get a new ‘do.

Officer Thomas Strain was relegated to desk duty by a black superior this month, even though several black cops sport the same hair style, Philadelphia police sources said.

“If other ethnic groups are permitted to wear their hair in that manner, why are they singling out this one officer?” a fellow cop told the Daily News.

“It is ridiculous that we are wasting time and energy on this.”

Police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said Strain’s boss, identified as Inspector Aaron Horne, told the veteran officer to cut his hair to look more “professional.”

Police policy requires officers to have “clean, properly trimmed and combed hair” that doesn’t extend to their collar or cover their ears, Vanore said.

The policy prohibits radical hair colors but doesn’t ban specific styles, such as cornrows, Mohawks or dreadlocks.

Vanore stressed that Strain, who has since cut his locks, was reprimanded because his hair was unruly - not because it was in cornrows.

But not all Philly cops bought that argument.

It’s absolutely discriminatory,” a fellow officer told the Philadelphia Daily News. “[Strain’s hair] was neat. It was above his collar. It’s not like he shaved a Nazi sign or something anti-black or anti-Hispanic on his head.

“It’s just cornrows,” the cop added. “I don’t know what the problem is.”

6934: Tall Tales.

Towering tidbits in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Chicago landmark Sears Tower has officially changed its name to Willis Tower. Somebody call Gary Coleman to holler, “Whatchu talkin’ ‘bout, Willis Tower?”

• General Motors’ bankruptcy filing includes allowing the automaker to dump sponsorship deals, including its 70-year presence on Times Square. Funny, don’t ever recall seeing GM ads on Times Square. Guess that demonstrates another of GM’s bad marketing moves.

• The NYPD graduated its most diverse rookie class ever, with 58 percent of the recruits being members of minority groups. These guys make New York advertising agencies look criminal.

• Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are opposing the proposed building of a new Walmart on land where noteworthy Civil War battles took place. Guess they don’t want to outshine the historic skirmishes with contemporary wars over sales items in the underwear department.

5655: Displays Of Independence.

Holiday fireworks in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• On Wednesday, 1,000 new NYPD officers celebrated as one of the most diverse graduating classes ever. Roughly 30 percent of the officers are Latino, 14 percent are Black, 5 percent are Asian and 49 percent are White—with women accounting for 17 percent. Madison Avenue will probably inquire if any of them are interested in joining the ad industry as security guards.

• Jazz singer Rene Marie drew criticism at a mayoral event in Denver, where she was scheduled to sing the national anthem but opted to perform the Black national anthem instead. Attendees expecting to hear The Star Spangled Banner were surprised with Marie’s rendition of Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing. “I am an artist,” explained the singer. “If I wait until I am asked to express myself artistically, or if I must ask permission to do it, it would never get done. I knew that if I asked to do my version of the national anthem, the answer would be ‘no.’” Mayor John Hickenlooper remarked, “We all respect artistic license and support freedom of expression. But in a tradition-laden civic ceremony … making a personal substitution for the national anthem was not an option. We asked for ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ and that’s what we expected.” He probably should avoid kicking off the next mayoral event with Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

• Kanye West will attend anger management classes, following recommendations from his own management team. The goal is to help the star on a personal level, plus aid him in landing more endorsement opportunities. Hopefully, West won’t enroll in the same school that graduated Naomi Campbell and Foxy Brown.

• Staffers and the distributor of Rachael Ray’s TV show are facing a discrimination lawsuit from an ex-employee. The man charges he faced a hostile work environment because he’s anorexic, with bosses making “vile comments” that included, “Anorexics should not be able to work.” Wonder if they’ll serve Dunkin’ Donuts during pre-trial meetings.

• Mickey D’s is facing a boycott from the American Family Association because the fast feeder recently joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, placed an executive on the group’s board of directors and donated money to the organization. “Hatred has no place in our culture,” said a Mickey D’s spokesman. “That includes McDonald’s, and we stand by and support our people to live and work in a society free of discrimination and harassment.” An AFA official declared, “We’re saying that there are people who support AFA who don’t appreciate their dollars from the hamburgers they bought being put into an organization that’s going to fight against the values they believe in.” Um, if they were really concerned about family welfare, they wouldn’t feed their kids fast food.