Good to hear President Obama tonight characterize the Cambridge, MA police as acting "stupidly," in their arrest of Harvard professor Skip Gates in his home for disorderly conduct. Gates, an African-American, had trouble getting into his home - the door was jammed - so he went in via the back door with his key. But not before a concerned citizen called the police to report a possible break-in. "So far, so good," as Obama said. But when the police arrived, and Gates showed them his ID, he was arrested. "The Cambridge police acted stupidly," Obama aptly said.
Also in racist way.
I'm Caucasian, but once upon a time I was a teenaged kid in New York City, and I saw plenty of outrageous treatment of teens by New York City police. And that was a mild form of profiling indeed compared to what African-Americans have been subject to in this country.
The Cambridge police dropped the idiotic charges.
Now I hope Gates or someone pursues charges against them - for an outrageous, racist arrest.
16 comments:
Thanks Pres. I certainly hope that he is fired!
Was the Black cop assisting the White cop with the arrest racist against blacks too. Get a life.
2nd anon: You're the one who needs to get out a little more. There's a long history of racism practiced towards one's own group, by minority people who work for majority racists.
And while you're at it, learn a little courtesy.
I like having a smart, articulate president.
The times they-are-a-changing...hopefully. Some folks still don't realize that racial profiling is not acceptable. Thank you President Obama for helping them with this from the Big Podium, in a succinct, intelligent and nonthreatening way.
Isn't it wonderful that the FFT (feckless fifty two point seven percent)put this race hustler in the White House? He can use these events to his advantage by creating a racial controversy and maybe distracting the electorate from voicing opposition to the destruction of American medicine.
Hey Sam - if you don't like democracy, probably North Korea would be happy to have you as a citizen...
Not necessary Paul, your ilk are doing just fine at the task of eliminating the liberty Americans once cherished. You must be proud.
Thank you for your concern.
Actually, Sam, I had little to do with it, but there were record voter turnouts in many demographics in many states in 2008.
Or - the complete opposite of "eliminating liberty".
If you don't like the policy of an elected government, your best course of action is to work rationally to change it, rather than calling people names (like "race hustler").
Paul,
The tyranny of a majority of zero liability voters is not the opposite of the elimination of liberty. The zero liability voter votes benefits for themselves to be provided by others (slavery!) You are so progressive, I suppose you think the evil employed deserve to be enslaved... with the exception of college professors, entertainers, and lawyers, that is.
Sam -- point to anyplace, anywhere, where I ever said or wrote that anyone deserves to be enslaved...
More of the same, I feel.
To me this issue couldn't be a more poignant one. I think Obama initially got this unbelievably wrong & showed his inexperience once again. This police issue becomes more serious by the day & think it even threatens the very foundations of our democracy and economy. A black friend of mine told me recently that his brother planned to join the Miami-Dade PD, and was lambasted by his own family & friends for it as if he were a traitor to his people – I find this tragic (however understandable) and needs to be addressed most urgently. And now we could construe that our own President has no sense of the importance the of rule of law in our society.
I believe in the rule of law, too - and it was the officer who acted illegally, by abusing his authority when he arrested the professor.
Why do you think the charges were dropped?
It was because someone higher than the officer thought the officer was wrong to make the arrest.
Obviously a rhetorical question on your part, but I'm going to answer anyway. I heard that it had more to do with who the Professor was & who his connections were; if that is the case, then the police did act incorrectly for dropping the charges when the professor behaved beneath his position.
The police lawyer reviewed the situation & determined to drop the charges, however they in no way accused the officer of wrong-doing. As he stated, they tend no to second-guess an officer's actions at the scene unless clearly in violation. In this case, they did not find the officer's actions were racially motivated & if you go with the assumption that they were correct, they still could choose to drop the charges based on the fact that the man did in fact own the house and due to the potential appearance of racism- they should have stood their ground since it only served to make them look more at fault. This was a very difficult situation for that officer; it seems to me that the professor racially & professionally discriminated against the officer, not the other way around. As to the charges being dropped, that in not an uncommon occurence after the lawyer review - cops are people, after all & should be representing the best interests of their own community, but they do have emotions & do make mistakes while acting in the moment.
I do not deny that police abuse of authority can & does happen from time to time (a necessary evil, consequence of our humanity), but I find the chance of instigating any defensive actions by LE drops significantly when you show respect for not only their position & authority, but for the unbelievably difficult & dangerous job they do. Accept the fact that you might have done something with the outward appearance or perception of being wrong (absolutely believable in this case), and all would have been well.
I understand your position & formerly was the same- please watch some old COPS episodes & try to stand in their shoes. If you believe in the rule of law, look for solutions, do not denegrate the entire police force in Cambridge in front of the entire country (with abuse of Presidential power) just because you can. And certainly do not do it when the police are already facing unbelievable discrimination - not all police are racists & most joined the profession because they want to make the world a better place. Give them a little credit!
"but they [police] do have emotions & do make mistakes while acting in the moment."
Absolutely. But, since we invest police with deadly power, we cannot afford police who make mistakes and give in to their emotions when dealing with an innocent man in his home - any more than we can afford a surgeon with shaking hands, a pilot with narcolepsy, etc.
I never said all police are racists, and I give the enormous credit.
But not an officer who wrongly arrests an innocent man in his home.
That displayed "stupidity" as Obama correctly said. And, in my view, also racism.
Post a Comment