Obama Stirs Racial Passions In Harvard Case

[CatherineM]

You made a couple of good points. Why didn't his neighbors know what he looked like? Maybe they just heard the break in but didn't see anything. I am surprised the Obama didn't understand how these things can lead to riots. Been through a couple of race riots in my life, and they aren't fun. I guess growing up in a foreign country, he was clueless.

[BG45]

[quote name='saintwannabe 777' post='1930480' date='Jul 24 2009, 06:57 AM']Yeah, however, there were pictures of the professor right on the walls of the house.[/quote]

True, but when responding to a case where there's a possible breaking and entering and someone is standing there in front of you that matches the description given by the witness, the cop probably wasn't looking much at the walls.

No one is innocent here, at least in my opinion. Each party acted stupidly in one manner or another.

1) The cops: Yes they were totally within their legal rights to do what they did (especially given they were responding to a break in call), but they could have decided to not cuff and arrest him even though he was openly violating legal codes regarding disorderly conduct. If so, then they could play the victims as the professor went after them later.
2) The professor: Break into your house (granted you had no choice), refuse to show identification to law enforcement responding to break in call who identifies himself as such, and then actually follow outside where any snarling/demands/raised voice can be taken as an act of disorderly conduct (which it was).
3) The President: Butted into a local issue while having important legislation before the houses of Congress. His entire message of health care reform that he wants passed can now be effectively undermined by his opponents by crowing about this incident, and trying to distract from the issue.

Well I take that back, two parties did not act stupidly (at least in my opinion).

1) The neighbors: They saw what looked like a breaking and entering and called the cops, unfortunately they didn't know what their own neighbor looked like.
2) The maintenance man: The guy who showed up at the end to fix the door after Dr. Gates apparently called for someone to fix the door. Both Dr. Gates and the police trusted him to do his job and secure the scene after, and he did.

[Sojourner]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1930669' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:21 PM']You made a couple of good points. Why didn't his neighbors know what he looked like? Maybe they just heard the break in but didn't see anything. I am surprised the Obama didn't understand how these things can lead to riots. Been through a couple of race riots in my life, and they aren't fun. I guess growing up in a foreign country, he was clueless.[/quote]
Well, the woman who called it in (according to the police report) said she saw two black men with backpacks trying to force the front door. So apparently she did see them, but didn't recognize them. Actually it's not clear if she was a neighbor or just a passer-by. Oddly, she hung around on Gates' front porch while waiting for police. If I suspected a burglary, I might stay close enough to keep an eye on things but I would not be on the front porch.

[homeschoolmom]

What I found most shocking is how the President can dare to say that the police acted stupidly if he admits that he does not know all the facts?

Judges are expected to remain impartial until they know all the facts. Why is the president even commenting on this at all?

[CatherineM]

If she was on the front porch, I'm surprised he didn't see her, and ask her what she was doing there.

[picchick]

I am not a cop lover but here I do stand with the officer. He was not racial profiling. He was asking identification.

My father who is white was asked his identification when he was inspecting his worksite. The officer told him that he was tresspassing and was not allowed there unless he worked there. My dad finally did show his ID. Now, there was no reason for that officer to pull my dad over but that is another story.

I am sure that if the person who lived in that house was white, he would also be asked for identification. Why? Because it looked like he was breaking into a house. But it is situations like these that people go up in arms about because the person was black. If the person was white, no one would be up in arms.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' post='1930716' date='Jul 24 2009, 12:04 PM']Judges are expected to remain impartial until they know all the facts. Why is the president even commenting on this at all?[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
i'm beginning to think that Pres. Obama is a micro-manager - nitpicking on every little thing. i cannot begin to believe that is a good thing for our country.

[CatherineM]

Obama just issued an apology. [url="http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na"]New York Times[/url]

[Didacus]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1930669' date='Jul 24 2009, 01:21 PM'][snip]

Been through a couple of race riots in my life, and they aren't fun. I guess growing up in a foreign country, he was clueless.[/quote]

So now he's president?!