his response to the arrest of Harvard Professor Gates has me scratching my white liberal head wondering just how to respond. The thing is, being white and liberal creates an interesting dilemma in this dyke's head. I have some very strong opinions about this subject, but I often feel the pressure to be politically correct. So, let's take off the gloves and just let me say what I feel.
I really don't feel the arrest of Mr. Gates was racially motivated at all. In fact, I feel like Mr. Gates was inciting a racial riff on purpose. Now, I don't doubt that Professor Gates has had to deal with racial prejudice before, but to make this cop pay for those past instances is not fair to an officer, who up to this point, has had exemplary service and has never been accussed of being racist before. Mr. Gates was defiant to a police officer...period. Now, as most of you may know, or you will know after reading me for awhile, I am all for being defiant in the face of unabashed and undeserved authority. I don't think we should blindly follow any authority figure regardless of their station and/or position in life, but when an officer asks you to present your ID you present your ID, especially if you are innocent. Personally, I would be thankful to the officer for coming to protect my home and would extend to him as much courtesy as I could. Of course having a cop in your house is a little fucking weird, but you cooperate and then the situation gets resolved, hands are shaken and everyone goes about their day.
What if this gentleman did not know that there was a criminal in his home with him? It was the cop's job to secure all of the people in that house, not only for the safety of the home owner, but for his own personal safety as well. I am not a cop, nor do I know the protocol of this particular police department, but Mr. Gates was being completely disrespectful and the cop, according to all accounts, was following procedure. Had he not followed procedure for fear that he might be acussed of racism how can he possibly do his job? And what person has time to formulate in their head all the possible outcomes such as being acussed falsely of something when perhaps a situation is escalating and needs to be dealt with?! This wasn't a milita that responded to a possible burlarly, this was an agency charged with the responsibility of protecting and serving, sometimes people who are innocent must be detained in order to make sure everyone is safe. Mr. Gates was only cuffed and taken into custody after his verbal tirade and not cooperating with the officers.
Mr. Gates, I can not pretend to understand your circumstances as a black man nor can you pretend to think that this man was being racist. You made an assumption Sir and with that assumption you chose to ignore your duty as a citizen of this country in complying with the request of a law enforcement officer. Asking for your ID was in no way a racist act nor should it be touted as one. There are bigger battles to fight, looking for racism in little nooks and crannies will not bring about change, it will further serve to divide our society. I am not saying that Mr. Gates has not experienced racism in his life, I am quite sure he has, but that is like a rape victim assuming every man is a rapist. It's not fair. Just my $0.02...
And President Obama...I get that you probably feel a responsibility to have spoken out on this subject. I am sorry that you spoke without knowing all of the facts and that you felt that you automatically had to support someone because of his color, assuming that is what you were doing. I think you exercised bad judgement on this one...gather the facts then perhaps deliver a calculated statement, don't just say something out of some sense of responsibility.
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