Vogel: My guest is Deputy Sheriff Orell Massey, a black man, a native of South Carolina and a 20 year veteran of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department as well as a 20 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps where he was assigned to embassy detail.
When I asked him to be a guest on this program to discuss his experience as a black deputy sheriff in Mendocino County, he asked, Are the people of this county ready to hear what I have to say?
In part one of our conversation recorded on February 1, 2015, Deputy Massey shared some of his experiences. You can decide if you are ready to hear what he has to say.
Massey: I have been in the county almost 20 years now. It has probably been the most challenging 20 years of my life. It's been very difficult at times and really tested every character trait and every emotion that I could probably come up with and more — being in this county and coming into contact with the people who live here.
I am an African American of course. I felt and still feel that it is very difficult for a person of color to be in Mendocino County in a lot of different ways. Sorry to say, but racism is still alive and it thrives in this county. I can attest to that on an everyday basis.
I am in a position of authority and I do come in contact with individuals. I think I've been called — if I could go two days without being called the N-word or some other discriminatory type words I would be happy. I think I would have a hard time coming up with all the different phrases or words that I have not been called in my 20 years in this county.
As a public safety officer, one of the jobs that I do is enforce the laws of the state and ordinances of the county, etc. The people I come in contact with — and I'm not saying everyone, there are some very nice people in Mendocino County — but I have contacted some people with preconceived ideas about certain races of people and especially people of color. I have been called monkey. I have been called the N-word. I have been told to stay away from white women. I received numerous complaints about things that you would probably laugh at if I were to describe them to you. Complaints based mainly on my color.
Vogel: Going back to some comments you made on the stage of the Ukiah Players Theater a few years ago, among other people who represented various minority groups who live here in Mendocino County, the comment that you made that stays with me is that not one day goes by at your work where you are not called the N-word.
Massey: It's very frustrating. It interferes with your ability to do the job knowing that there are individuals who don't like you because of the color of your skin. It's been something that I have never understood. I consider myself to be a fair, decent individual. I try my darndest to forget things. I try my best to treat people fairly. But I am always reminded of the color of my skin.
Let me give you a few examples of things people have said to me over the years. I have been thinking about writing a book and it would probably be a very thick book. I remember one time when I went out to Redwood Valley to handle a landlord-tenant dispute and I contacted the individual who called. I remember his name, but I would rather not say it here. When I spoke to him, he said his name and he said that he had a problem with his landlord. I resolved that issue and we even had a quick smile when I left and he waved at me. But when I got back to the office he had dialed 911 and spoken to the dispatcher and told the dispatcher that he wanted to speak to a supervisor which he did. He told the supervisor never to send another “N” out there again. “This is white people country and we don't ever want to see another 'N' out there again.” I heard about this because there was a dispatcher who called me and told me that someone had made a complaint about me. She didn't want to say what it was because she was embarrassed. My supervisor spoke to me and he had talked to the individual who made the 911 call and I never heard anything else regarding that. But my supervisor was not happy with the comment.
Another time I was in Calpella just watching the traffic go by when an elderly couple ran through a four-way stop sign. Out of safety for the public, I stopped them and asked them to slow down and they said they would. And they proceeded. Someone in the community watched that interaction, and then called the sheriff's office. The complaint was that I was an “uppity 'N'-word” and I had no business out there harassing the elderly white people. They said that I was very intimidating when I pulled up my pants when I got out of the vehicle. They did not think I should be out there.
On another occasion I was out in Potter Valley on regular patrol. Citizens there were so upset when I got there that they complained directly to me that, “We didn't know they had one of you on the force.” They called back to the office and said, “We don't want him out here.” That's what they said.
This is only a couple of the complaints. But they have been so abundant that one of my supervisors sent out a memo to all the sergeants having me removed from Potter Valley and Redwood Valley and moving me to South Ukiah so that the people in those areas — Redwood Valley and Potter Valley — would not complain so much. Instead of addressing the issue another way, they moved me. I found out from a supervisor who showed me the memo a long time ago showing what the commander had sent out. He said, “Let's keep this between the sergeants.” That's what the memo said. I read the memo.
Another time I was working in Boonville and somehow the rumor got started that I was going to be working in Boonville as a deputy. I found out that a petition was sent around stating that: We protest. We protest him coming here. We don't want him here.
Those are just a few examples. I could go along with numerous and numerous things that were said about me based upon my race.
I was at Lake Mendocino one day with another deputy. We were talking to some individuals at a campground. Someone saw it and called in to the office and said that that “N” is over there in the campground harassing white people. When you hear things like that it doesn't really make you feel good.
People call in and complain that I am following them around in the streets. I really have to laugh at that because it's probably one of my favorites.
I was off one day at home asleep when one of my peers called up and asked me, Are you on Talmage Road? I said, No, I'm at home sleeping. He said that someone called and said they saw me standing on Talmage at South State Street and it was “a suspicious black person” standing out there, and they said it was you. After that one of my supervisors called up and said that someone had reported a suspicious black person standing on the corner and they thought it was me.
When you look at things like that it's clear that I am singled out numerous times based on my color. You have to remember that I am the first African American law enforcement officer in the history of Mendocino County — and still the only one.
Vogel: What does the Sheriff do about these issues?
Massey: I am only me. I am the only one here. I really don't believe that anyone can really put him or herself in my position and know what it's like to be in my situation. Surely, I don't think anyone understands the racial discrimination that I have gone through in the last 20 years because it does not affect them directly.
When I talk to my peers regarding things that have happened to me they say that, Yes they hear it and see it but they can't feel what I'm going through because they are not me. They are not affected by it because they can blend in and no one will call them those horrible names that they call me. So I don't really know if the supervisors… Some of them probably are aware of the extra things that go on with me in my position. I have talked to all my supervisors. They've heard all the complaints and some of them are quite vigilant about trying to correct the problem. But they are all from here. They grew up here. They are part of the community.
I have to say that because of the things that happened to me, it causes me to be a lot more reserved. I don't laugh at the things other people laugh at because my laughter or my way of talking is interpreted another way and it comes back in the form of complaints. So I don't know that they experience all the things that I've gone through. I just don't think they can relate. Besides, I don't go out on a daily basis and complain because if I did I think the office would have a full-time job trying to resolve all the issues. And we are just not there to handle complaints 24 hours a day. So I absorb a lot of it and march on.
(Radio Curious, by Barry Vogel, February 1, 2015. Interview with Mendocino County Deputy Sheriff Orell Massey. More can be found at radiocurious.org)
The rhymes of history?
A disturbing, but not surprising report from Deputy Massey. His story is easy enough to believe, and must require enormous forbearance to live with on a daily basis. As a very pale echo, it recalls the initial polarization and distrust that greeted the early hippy influx of 40 and 50 years ago, and that only lasted as long as it took the local young people to grow out their hair. But history is history, and one can barely imagine the resentment that must flow from the genocide of the original native indian population at the hands of such homicidal actors as the notorious Eel River Rangers. And today we also have the only slightly more subtle culture clash with so-called illegal aliens. The whole issue of race is still a mess.
Thanks for the tip, looked up the reference and learned about a whole new level of hell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendocino_War. And the Mental Health people think that they can cure this with a “Cultural Competency Plan”?
As recently as 25 years ago, cross burnings in the boondocks east of the Clearlake Highlands (now the City of Clearlake) were inflicted on local residents with deeper dermal pigmentation and their lighter-skinned neighborhood friends. The same mentality prevails today, since the majority of the Board of Supervisors arose from their youth in that urine-soaked era and their stultifying policies prevail today — deployed by slightly better trained media handlers who know how to keep the public “barefoot and pregnant.” Planned Parenthood? Heaven forfend!
Nothing surprising about his story. Just ask the Native Americans about prejudice.
Now some people might be inclined to say these bigots are just the poor white trash that lives in Mendo County
I was born and raised in Mendocino county . We had a ranch there with 5 brothers and 5 sisters .Mother and Father Had a residential care home facility and were a big part of Ukiah (Mendocino county)
I am very familiar with Officer Massey ,he was heavy-handed and always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder ! White black or any color when a police officer has a chip on his shoulder And treats everyone as if he is better than they are Because he wears a badge there is a problem.
I had many family members and friends in law-enforcement in Mendocino county and there was never a problem ,no one ever treated officer Massey badly for color or his heavy-handed authoritarian behavior.
His interview and the comments of others really make Mendocino county look bad and it’s kind of sad .
But it is the media and these things sell .
I know this is an old article, but that’s bs. Have you seen the comments mentioning native Americans? That’s real shit, my family has been in this region for generations but the stories remain the same. I am very familiar with deputy Massey as well and your comment is a poor description of his character, sir. He’s not the type to go and lie about racism for sure either. If I absolutely had to pick a deputy to help me with a mental health crisis, it’d be him. On at least 2 occasions he’s assisted with a family member of mine with schizophrenia when I was young, and I remember just how calm but matter of fact he was. Throughout the years I’ve seen him in passing, and I suppose you could say he’s heavy handed, but most marines I know are so after reading this article, all this is making sense. Anyway, God bless
Blazing Saddles comes to Mendocino County.
Nice interview, Barry Vogel.