Candidate Wineberry: I did not call SPD officer an ‘Uncle Tom’

Washington congressional candidate Jesse Wineberry claims he was the victim of Seattle police racial profiling, despite video evidence that some believe contradicts his story. He also told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson that the audio of Wineberry calling a black officer a “UT” was not a reference to the man being an Uncle Tom, instead insisting that he was referencing the University of Texas.

Wineberry is a black Democrat running for the 9^th District who told Dori that he would be supporting a caucasian male for president and has supported Adam Smith, his competition for the seat, in the past. He was pulled over July 20 after a rental company erroneously reported the van he was using as stolen. Police ran the plates and pulled Wineberry over.

Related: Congressional candidate allegedly driving ‘stolen’ van claims police ‘conspiracy’

Wineberry, who is an attorney, said he complied with every officer requests and that officers made a “mountain out of a molehill.” He said that he understands the anxiety officers have when approaching vehicles and recently spoke to African American churches on behalf of officers following the shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge. He said he authored the community-oriented police service law in the state and was attempting to cooperate by asking officers to take his driver’s license and check the van for his registration.

“I don’t know the police protocol for every kind of stop, but I have never heard of a situation where a police officer stops anyone in a vehicle and does not ask for their driver’s license and particularly, I don’t know of any criminals that are repeatedly offering their ID and offering to give them a chance to search the vehicle,” he said. “That’s what I was doing. And I can’t imagine being more cooperative than that.”

But Dori and Wineberry differ on the concept of being “cooperative.”

That includes one interaction involving Wineberry and an African American officer, Camilo DePina, where the following conversation was caught on the dashcam:

Wineberry: What a UT. What a UT. What a UT.

Officer: You can call me an Uncle Tom, you can call me…

Wineberry: I didn’t call you an Uncle Tom!

Officer: You just did.

Wineberry: I did not.

Officer: UT doesn’t mean Uncle Tom, right?

Wineberry: No.

Officer: OK, I’m stupid. I’ll be stupid here.

Wineberry: No, I think you’re a little sensitive.

Here is the back and forth after Dori asked what a “UT” means if not an Uncle Tom:

Wineberry: Well, UT means a lot of things. I mean, I’m a Husky, right? The University of Washington. U-Dub, there’s no offense to that. UT: Texas Longhorns, University of Texas. There’s always been that kind of a rivalry. There’s no vernacular that you can find …

Dori: Come on. You were calling him an Uncle Tom.

Wineberry: No way.

Dori: What were you calling him? What did UT stand for then?

Wineberry: What would he have done to be called … and what is an Uncle Tom anyway?

Dori: What were you calling him if not an Uncle Tom? What is a UT?

Wineberry: It stands for University of Texas.

Dori: You were calling him a Texas Longhorn? That doesn’t make any sense. Come on.

Wineberry: His name is Officer DePina. That’s not an African American name. That’s a Hispanic name; it wouldn’t even match up. What is an Uncle Tom, Dori?

Dori: But he’s a black guy?

Wineberry: No, he’s Hispanic.

Dori: He’s self-described as an African American cop.

Wineberry: Well, I wouldn’t know it by looking at him or know it by his name.

Dori: I’m not talking about his name. You were looking at him face-to-face. You couldn’t tell he was a black guy?

Wineberry: No, normally when the word used Uncle Tom, that applies to an African American, not a Hispanic.

Dori: He’s not Hispanic.

Wineberry: DePina?

Dori: You were looking at his face. He’s a black guy.

Wineberry: But he doesn’t necessarily look African American to me.

Dori: I’ve seen a picture of him, Jesse, he looks like a black guy.

Wineberry: But what does Uncle Tom mean?

Dori: This is insane. Why would you call him a University of Texas?

Wineberry: Because he’s a Longhorn.

Dori: You’re not making any sense.

Winebury: If you go to the University of Texas, you’re a Longhorn. If you’ve got a tattoo on you, you’re a Longhorn.

Dori: Is that where he went to school?

Wineberry: You’d have to ask him that, I haven’t had a conversation with him since then.

Dori: You’re not making any sense.

Wineberry: What does an Uncle Tom mean, can you answer that?… I never said the words … you find anywhere on that tape where I said Uncle Tom and it will be from editing, it won’t be from me.

Dori: Your explanation of University of Texas is making no sense… An Uncle Tom is a traitor to his race if used in that context.

Wineberry: But why would he be a traitor to his race?

Dori: I don’t know, you’re the one who used the phrase.

Wineberry: No, I never used Uncle Tom. … You’re never going to find any tape where I called somebody an Uncle Tom, particularly a Hispanic American.

Dori: Well, he’s a black guy and he doesn’t go to Tennessee or to Texas or any other University like that.

Wineberry: I think you may be limiting his culture by referring to him as only African American. DePina is a Hispanic name.

Listen to the full audio includes, which includes Wineberry explaining why the SPD did not follow proper protocol.

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