CPW director on leave after complaint of racist comment

[TOGIE]

“bull in a china shop”

i'm sorry, but there's just gotta be something offensive about that...

 

[huntandfly]

If there is incentive both monetarily and in social standing / virtue score why wouldn’t someone want to get “extremely offended” if they see an opportunity?

How do we incentivize taking a more measured and personal approach to correcting these types of issues?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

i'm sorry, but there's just gotta be something offensive about that...

"You see, big black men were known as "bulls" that racist whites irrationally fear. China shops sold fine wares to affluent whites. For a "bull" to enter such an establishment (full of WHITE china) was thought of as a terrible situation hence the way the term is used".

 

[Sytes]

We live in a society where it’s very possible to make a career-ending racist comment completely on accident. I’m all for alternative and constructive ways of addressing these occurrences rather than “off with their heads!”

The current culture is, "Off with their white heads" otherwise, riots in and around Colorado... I believe it was the best manner to reduce the chance of amplified settings... IMO, pretty sad...

 

[runningmt]

People in positions of power should be held to a higher standard. If a poor off-hand comment can be made…..a poor decision can be made also, and probably has been. The brain that controls his mouth also controls his decision making.

Wouldn’t be a stretch to say the majority of us on HT are white males. We really have no idea how we might feel in the same situation.

If he is smart, he will resign, as he won’t be trusted from now on.

 

[np307]

If there is incentive both monetarily and in social standing / virtue score why wouldn’t someone want to get “extremely offended” if they see an opportunity?

How do we incentivize taking a more measured and personal approach to correcting these types of issues?

I've lived in the South my entire life so that definitely influences my perspective, but I've seen quite a few years of "more measured and personal approaches" resulting in the offended party being completely dismissed or retaliated against. That makes it pretty tough to say "you're overreacting, you need to be more measured" when you've watched others endure similar things and be more measured, only to be told their experience was invalid.

 

[huntandfly]

I've lived in the South my entire life so that definitely influences my perspective, but I've seen quite a few years of "more measured and personal approaches" resulting in the offended party being completely dismissed or retaliated against. That makes it pretty tough to say "you're overreacting, you need to be more measured" when you've watched others endure similar things and be more measured, only to be told their experience was invalid.

Yep this has definitely been a problem in the past and still continues to be I think. However, different situations should call for different levels of response (“nuance” as others have already brought up)

 

[Gerald Martin]

i'm sorry, but there's just gotta be something offensive about that...

I figured someone would find something homophobic or an Asian slander about that.

 

[BuzzH]

Thankfully, I have only been involved in one case of very blatant racism and it brought a level of awareness that I "thought", through extensive training and otherwise, I was prepared to experience. We thought we were prepared to represent that case, and the I, in the we part, was most certainly not.

The only "good" thing to come from it was that the employee we were representing was compensated at the highest level that the arbitration judge has ever awarded in his career (he told us that during his closing remarks). While the employee we represented thanked us profusely, I felt hollow, angry, and in no way felt like a win. As ugly as it was for us to experience, I won't pretend to know what those suffering the brunt of it go through.

I hope I never have to represent another employee again that is a victim of racism.

 

[elkduds]

IMO, Dan Prenzlow is an asset for sportspeople, wildlife, habitat, parks and CO voters. I've worked w him on the Roundtable for 3 years. I see him as a pro who strives to navigate the bureaucratic state government and CPW jungle for the betterment of wildlife, habitat and hunters/anglers. I never noticed any racial bias from him or any member of the Roundtable, which is mostly white and mostly male like me. I'm professionally trained to be sensitive to all the -isms, and this seems to me a tempest in a tea pot. I'm willing to consider I may have a blind spot on this language. I've used the back-of-bus expression to mean farther from being in control. Not the same as Rosa Parks' cultural context, in retrospect.

To me, Director Prenzlow deserves a level of slack, especially with his mea culpa apologies which I believe to be genuine based on our contact. So there are likely other dynamics. I expect Director Prenzlow has said No to the gov on unrelated topics, consistent w his professional role.

Gov. Polis and Ms. Lee: This should be an opportunity for mediation, not termination. Plenty to be learned here. Unless your real motive is political

 

[Sytes]

Too many placate to "causes" vs prudence.

 

[Gerald Martin]

Given the level of seriousness with which blatant racism is (and should be) treated, being accused of racism is a label with as much stigma as being labeled a sexual predator or abuser.

The very accusation and association with this incident will very probably cause injury to Shane Mahoney’s career and personal reputation.

If I were him, I would want her to back up her accusations with proof or issue a public apology and a disavowal of her remarks including him in this drama.

False accusations are slander and persons making false claims injurious to another’s reputation and career should be held as accountable as well.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

any one got any insight on this one?

Is there another context I'm missing, only thing I can find is it's an Elizabeth Warren hat/shirt?

 

[Drake4]

Obviously has something to do with Indians.

 

[Bigjay73]

Obviously has something to do with Indians.

You mean Guardians?

 

[Zach]

What a crap show CPW has become... and then the whiteness apologist that follows.

Remember when it was just about wildlife....

Personally I feel sorry for Prenzlow. I've had conversations with him before his director appointment. Not a hint of racism in my opinion. Given Commissioners like Adams though, something like this was a when, not an if. Hell, they had to stop calling it the sportmans roundtable....

 

[TheTone]

The letter to Polis is interesting to say the least, almost that she expected something to happen or was already upset prior to this event. This seems like something that should of at best went to CPW HR but instead went straight to the governor. I’d guess she effectively torpedoed her own cpw career but I’m sure has something lined up or soon to be

 

[Bigjay73]

This will go nowhere. I hate racism, this is bullshit and the sense of "boy who cried wolf" that goes with it only hurts efforts to move society forward

 

[Lasiocarpa]

I take racism/bigotry seriously and don’t have much tolerance for it. That said, without some more context or a pattern of similar behavior, I have trouble labeling the comment in question as overt racism by itself.

I have no doubt stuck my foot in my mouth a time or two. Hopefully that’s all that happened here. Doesn’t negate the need for an apology though.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

The very accusation and association with this incident will very probably cause injury to Shane Mahoney’s career and personal reputation.

If I were him, I would want her to back up her accusations with proof or issue a public apology and a disavowal of her remarks including him in this drama.

False accusations are slander and persons making false claims injurious to another’s reputation and career should be held as accountable as well.

A couple folks at the event have posted about it on FB, Mahoney's remarks were pretty much what you would expect. The racism/eugenics/genocide accusations appear to be due entirely to the fact that he praises Teddy Roosevelt for his conservation work.