To FCC regulators ( fccinfo@fcc.gov ),

Chairman Kevin J. Martin: KJMWEB@fcc.gov
Commissioner Michael J. Copps: Michael.Copps@fcc.gov
Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein: Jonathan.Adelstein@fcc.gov
Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate: dtaylortateweb@fcc.gov
Commissioner Robert McDowell: Robert.McDowell@fcc.gov

This week on his show, Don Imus and his executive producer, Bernard McGuirk referred to the women on the Rutgers Basketball team as "Nappy headed whores" and "hard core whores."

Mr. Imus' comments are demeaning, inappropriate, extremely offensive and irresponsible and Imus' forced apology three days later is not contrition enough or commensurate with the unconscienability and irresponsibility of such a racist, sexist and asocial comment about a whole group of innocent human beings.

Mr. Imus must be fired. And if MSNBC still wishes to air his show, or if CBS Radio continues to produces Imus' hateful show, they both should be sanctioned and fined, or otherwise dealt with by the FCC for airing and promoting obscene and indecent materials on the public airwaves in violation with FCC licensing standards.

An apology is not enough:
There must be consequences commensurate with the offense of spreading hate, making disparaging statements about a group of people - here, Black women and feeding into hateful stereotypes that damage the image and value of Black women overall in society.

Both CBS Radio and MSNBC did not public ally reprimand Mr. Imus although they denounce his remarks but that doesn't take away the damage. He should at least have been suspended without pay for a period of time. But he felt no real pressure from his employers for such a grave offense. This may only embolden others of Mr. Imus' ilk and insensitivity, who will take this as a license, a signal that to attack Black women, to attack young black women student athletes is fine because the perpetrator won't face any consequences if they subsequently just "apologize." We demand that the FCC does what's necessary to effectively take Mr. Imus's license away to freely demean Black women and Black women athletes on federally regulated FCC airwaves in the US that is also streammed worldwide on the Internet.

If CBS radio and MSNBC continue to finance, promote and air the Don Imus show, thereby evidencing their refusal to follow the obscenity broadcast rules, FCC must sanctioned them as demanded by FCC obscenity laws and standards. ( http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/obscene.html)

Marguerite Laurent, Esq.
Chair and Founder, The Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network
PO Box 3573
Stamford, Connecticut 06905
203 829 7210
erzilidanto@yahoo,com