Re: Racial Profiling

I have been accused of racial profiling on many traffic stops. Like I can see the race of the driver at midnight through the cars dark tinted windows when it goes by at 70 mph in a 50 zone. Right! The best way to handle that is to just shrug it off. One answer I have used successfully when a suspect says that I only stopped him because he is black is to answer that he only said that because I am white. It illustrates the two-sided problem of racism, and can get a laugh with the right person. You really have to be careful about who you tell it to, though.

As for the case of Sgt. Crowley and Prof. Gates, I was not there and do not have enough facts to say how it should have been handled. Unlike the president, I cannot say how it should have gone down. Based on the police reports, and what is not disputed by Prof. Gates, I think the arrest was both proper and justified.

Look at the facts that both halves of the dispute agree on:

1. The police got a call for two black men breaking into a house.
2. The officer first on the scene found a broken front door and a black man inside the house.
3. The man refused to come out of the house, so the officer entered it.
4. There was some dispute inside the house.
5. The officer left the house after the man inside provided some identification.
6. The man followed the officer out of the house and continued the disturbance.
7. The officer arrested the man for creating a disturbance in public.

The only place I see that race may have been a problem is in the neighbor who called the police not knowing who lived in the house, and in Prof. Gates immediately assuming the police were there because of his race.

I don't know if the disturbance was caused by race or not, nor do I know who did or said what in it. The key point of the argument seems to be who refused to identify themselves probably. So, I can agree with the president that cooler heads could have prevailed, but in this case, I disagree with him on knowing who did what wrong and if the police were wrong.

Since there was an unbiased witness (the original caller saw everything outside the house), it should get interesting.

Re: Racial Profiling

I can't count the number of times I've been accused of arresting a person for being black. My usual response is, "No, I'm arresting you because you are stealing." and then pointing to the merchandise bulging in the suspects pants. Invariably though, he'll shoot back with, "Yeah, but if I was white you wouldn't be hasslin me!" As if we let white thieves go or something. It's ludicrouse, but what can you do? Some people play the race card in the hopes of getting off, whether by 'guilting' the officer or by wasting enough time that a crowd forms that will lynch the officer. Others do it because they genuinely believe they are being harassed because of the color of their skin. I would say that in cases where an officer is accused of racism there IS a racist present. However, it's usually the suspect.

Would I have handled the Gates incident differently? I don't know, like Steve I wasn't there. But from what I've been seeing Sgt Crowly handled the situation properly.

Interesting thing about Professor Gates...his field of study is basically racism. So, it's no wonder he would assume a white officer was only there to harass him since that is what his entire intellectual world revolves around...evil white authority figures abusing innocent minorities. If only HE wasn't a racist (and judging a person based on the color of his skin like he did Sgt. Crowly IS racism) then this situation would never have occurred.

Re: Racial Profiling

The police officer violated the 4 th amendment. They even said so on Fox News. The police can't come into your home! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Re: Racial Profiling

Old Hag you are incorrect. Gates refused to provide information at first contact and then moved into the residence, in what appears to be, an effort to distance himself from the officer. The officer should have followed him into the residence.

Re: Racial Profiling

i would of done exactly what Sgt. Crowley did. he did nothing wrong. if some one doesn't tell you what you need to know (obstruction of justice) when you investigate something, and starts yelling and screaming at u (disorderly conduct), and then starts to go into a residence (might be breaking and entering because you weren't told anything)

i would slap the cuffs on to. Racial discrimination goes both ways and man was that ever noticable in this situation. Sad to see the president go along with it. And apparently beer fixes the problem too.

Maybe that's what the government should do to fix our national economy and healthcare issue....buy everybody beer. "here, drink this....you'll feel better"...lol

what a fiasco