Thursday, July 23, 2009

Gates At The Barbarians

So, I promised to weigh in on the Skip Gates arrest and the President's reaction to it. Being a large African-American man myself, I can relate. I've not been pulled over myself for "driving while Black" but I have been asked to leave a couple of business establishments over the years. People are jerks, what can I say.

Obama's reaction, having sponsored legislation as an Illinois State Senator to fight racial profiling, was both political and impassioned. Yes, racial profiling does exist. But blaming Obama for reminding the country that it does is idiotic. It exists. We're going to have to as a country deal with it. Was Skip Gates arrested because he was black? I don't know. My guess is he lost his damn temper and the cop said "that's enough out of you." The cop who arrested him isn't apologizing, that's for damned sure. Still, if Gates was white, would he have been arrested? Would the neighbor who called the cops still have called the cops?

And as much as I disagree (vehemently) with Don Surber on most things, this comment:
But if I were a cop, I’d wear a video camera helmet 24/7.
...actually isn't a bad idea.

I don't know. None of this is good.

2 comments:

The Grand Panjandrum said...

I've retyped this four times now. The only thing I know for sure is that this country has gone off the deep end with the police state. I, too, don't know if Gates was arrested because he is black. I do know that Gates, and many others, are arrested because cops do not like to have their authority questioned.

It really isn't just this cop. What the hell is any police officer and by extension any police department thinking when they hold an individual in a holding cell for hours because that person was not appropriately deferential to a police officer? This officer knew that no crime had been committed. So what if Gates was pissed at him. Should anyone be arrested for yelling at a police officer? If that's the standard we are all in a world of shit.

The officer should be at a minimum be suspended until a full investigation has been completed. Then appropriate discipline can be meted out. If police officers are worthy of special laws to protect them (e.g. death penalty for killing a cop while commiting a crime) then they should be held to a higher standard when they violate regulations or laws.

Zandar said...

It's a definite problem. I've read story after story of police resorting to Tasing kids and crazy garbage like that and I have to say, I've broken into my own house before as a younger Zandar.

There but for the grace of jagoff neighbors calling the cops on me for doing so go I.

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