Those of you who listened to Obama’s press conference last night heard his remarks about Henry Louis Gates, Jr’s allegations of racism against the Cambridge, MA police department.
Here is the police report. Go read it and decide for yourself if, in Obama’s words, the officer really did act “stupidly.”
Crowley speaks to the media outside his home...photo courtesy of masslive.com
Gates knows better. Obama knows better. The message Obama is sending to youth about officers in uniform is nothing short of reckless. Yes, someone was acting stupidly, both last night and on July 16, but it wasn’t the Cambridge police.
In addition to the police report (there are witnesses to corroborate), take this into account: Sgt. James Crowley, who arrested Gates, is a police academy expert on racial profiling. He has taught a class about racial profiling for the last five years, after being picked for the position by former police Commissioner Ronny Watson.
What possible motivation would the guy have for being outlandishly racist, like Gates is arguing?
This is Cambridge, people! The streets aren’t exactly teeming with gun-totin, handlebar moustache-sportin hillbillies flying the stars and bars in the back of a Ford pickup. If Crowley had even a small hint of racism in him, he’d have been run outta town a long time ago.
Gates’ accusation does everyone a disservice…he is watering down the meaning of the word ‘racism.’ I’ve been accused of being racist countless times by infantile teenagers looking to squiggle out of being disciplined (ironically, they all have accused me of being racist while my fiance’s picture is staring back at them on my desk), and every time they level that accusation against me, it becomes just another instance of the ‘boy crying wolf.’ No different here.
Great points. Hard to believe Obama would comment so quickly and so wrongly.
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I think as a 70 year old black woman that President Obama had every right to respond to the question the way he did. He is first and foremost a human being, and should not have to measure every word he says when he feels something is amiss. I admire him for having the guts to say what’s on his mind. If Dr. Gates is supposedly a friend of yours , you should have felt the same. Maybe there is some hating going on with you against both Gates and the President in that you did not receive your tenure from Syracuse. It also comes across to me that maybe you’re not really black. As a woman with two sons, I’ve had to experience the racism that permeates this society. Both my sons have been victims of pure unadultered racism, although they’re both college graduates with professional degrees.
Maybe, the white sargent just felt that his authority was being challenged and his DNA couldn’t help but show his true colors. Please refrain from trying to justify any white person when it comes to us as a people. All that we’ve had to endure for over 200 years and are still enduring even today.
Bonita,
Wowwwwww.
Let me replay things:
First, you defended Obama’s comments–because he is a human being, and therefore what he said was not foolish. Will you apply the same logic to me? I doubt you think that just because I’m a human being that my comments were ok, otherwise you wouldn’t have wrote so strongly against my words…why the special pleading?
What if I apply that logic to white people who *are* racist? Better yet, what if I apply that logic to Crowley? He’s a human being, yet you don’t think that excuses him from what he did. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Secondly, if I had a friend that acted as Gates did, I’d talk some sense into him…*that’s what friends do.* They most decidedly don’t stick up for their buddies just cuz. Plus, Obama is the president of the United States and therefore has higher ideals to live up to than merely protecting his buddies. What if the situation were reversed? That is, what if Gates was a white Republican, and the officer black? Would you be ok if a white Repub. buddy in power stuck by the guy?
Thirdly, you attack my character in a gross way. You need to address my arguments, not any supposed hate going on. I don’t have to defend my character against you or anyone…your accusation is laughable. It doesn’t even make sense–I hate b.c I didn’t receive my tenure from Syracuse? Just because I disagreed with black man, therefore I’m not black?
Fourthly, the one thing you got right in your comment is that yes, *I’m not black.* Did the blog title tip you off? Or was it my picture in the “about me” section that you never looked at?
But you know what? *It doesn’t matter what the color of my skin is.* Again, what matters is the argument I’m making….your comments were the racially tinged ones: “Please refrain from trying to justify any white person when it comes to us as a people.”
Before you respond back, think on two final things: 1) from that last comment, am I to infer that white people are *always* wrong when they contradict a black person? What the heck is that? 2) Switch roles for a minute….if any other person of any other race said that about people of your ethnicity (e.g “refrain from trying to justify any black person when it comes to us as a white people.”), I’m fairly sure you would cry foul. The double standard of your comment screams out.
It is hard for the president or his friend Henry Louis Gates to see it your way, a good number of blacks in this country are taught from childhood to play the victim role and it is hard to forget that training even if you are a Harvard professor or a president of the United States.
I on the other hand came from a Latin country, have the Hispanic features and darker skin, speak with an accent and never in my 47 years here felt discriminated, maybe it is because I never saw myself as a victim.