Something I’ve Observed: The Henry Gates Incident
I am really tired of the racial profile circus. I am a white guy and I will never know what it’s like to be racially profiled by law enforcement and I will admit that. I don’t always like police officers, in fact, sometimes they have big heads and macho attitudes. I see it, I am not blind…but will I argue with them for simply doing their jobs based on a reasonable suspicion? NO!
Being a white guy…I too feel the pinch of discrimination that goes subtly undetected in the opposite direction as well. I can be called a honkie’ but I can’t call someone the N word…I can’t march down the street with a million other white men, but others can…I can’t wear a white T-shirt with a Swastika but others can wear a huge FUBU jacket…on and on.
I am not a racist, I think it’s disgusting, I wasn’t raised in a family that thought that way, and I won’t raise my kids that way either. None the less, if two legitimate, no good prowlers were actually breaking into Mr. Gates’ home, damn right he would want the cops called! Wouldn’t you?
Thank god there are people, like his neighbor, who had the gut feeling to call the police because something looked suspicious. On the flip side, I have lived around people who were absolute paranoid cop callers and would call the police to report that the mail carrier didn’t have his shirt tucked in…or try to bust an 8 year old kid selling cookies because he looked Mexican. There is a balance that has to be stricken, but two men ramming a door with shoulders and backpacks? Looks like a break in to me folks!
Shame on you Dr. Gates for throwing an adult, racially charged temper tantrum because the police questioned you on your front porch. I would have thrown your ass in the handcuffs too. If the same thing happened in my neighborhood I would want the cops to do the same damn thing, even if I was the one being questioned. In fact, I have had contractors walk up to my house for professional service apprasials and neighbors have called the police because they “just weren’t sure”. It had nothing to do with race, because these contractors were all skinny WHITE dudes !!
They didnt bitch, they didnt throw out an accusation of racial profiling claiming the police labeled them “dirty construction workers”. They didn’t end up in handcuffs for being questioned….no…they cooperated and laughed it off after the fact. In fact, one gentlemen told me he gets the police called on him all the time because he replaces driveways and frequently walks around people’s front yards!!
Shame on you Mr. Obama as well, I like your fresh face of change, but do not accuse police officers of acting “stupidly”. This was not Rodney King and these weren’t the riots of 1992. Not every cop is a Mark Fuhrman.
The officer in question for the Gate’s case, for all accounts and purposes, is a decent family man who is caught in a fire storm. This same cop has received honors from top ranking BLACK officers within the same department. I am pretty confident without actually standing on the porch and witnessing the whole thing that Dr. Gates and his driver brought this on themselves.
I don’t want the cops to feel like they can’t respond to a call in fear of the racial backlash.
Dispatcher: “911, what’s your emergency?”
Caller: “I need to report a suspected break-in”
Dispatcher: “Sir, are the subjects white or black?”
Caller: “Well, one looks black, a male..and there appears to be a white female too”
Dispatcher: “Hmm, okay…can you describe the black male…does he have a key or do you think he may actually live there and is just trying to jimmy his door?”
Caller: “Can’t you just send an officer out here to check it out?”
Dispatcher: “Well, we have to be very careful about who we approach…we have sent an officer out to investigate the female suspect.”
I sure as hell hope it does not come to this for the sake of my family’s safety and others out there. Let the police do their job and trust that black, white, hispanic, or whatever color of police officer…is there for your protection and if you abuse them, they will only protect themselves…and abuse you back.
Shame on FOX news too, they are having a field day with this story !
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