Obama: Police Acted 'Stupidly'.

Chicago Tribune

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama unexpectedly injected himself Wednesday into a burning national controversy: the treatment of minorities by police across the nation. Responding to a question during his evening news conference, Obama said the Cambridge, Mass., Police Department acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., a professor at Harvard University.

AP video

[edit on 23-7-2009 by traderjack]

Personally, I found his speech racist. My wife, who is white (well, more of a peach), was stopped in a small town west of our hometown on the way to work. The officer was also white (sort of a fish belly color).

She had a taillight out. We had just had work done, which she explained to the officer. She showed him the receipt. My wife was very courteous. He was not. He wrote her a ticket for 98 bucks for a 'defective vehicle', which the county judge dismissed after seeing the details.

Oh, and she called me as he was writing the ticket, I told her to check the fuse, she did. It was the fuse. She fixed it and even showed the officer. He didn't care.
Furthermore, my wife is very attractive and bosomy.

My point. Many times cops are insecure jerks, former high school bullies with a score to settle. While I will concede race might play a factor in some cases, it does not always!

Furthermore, in the Gates case, it was not race, it was Gates' rude and belligerent behavior that got him arrested.

I do believe Mr. Obama just opened a large container of annelidans. Good goin' there 'Mr. Uniter'.

This incident is backfiring on bammer and gates as more people find out that the cop was doing the right thing and gates went ballistic on him.

Might add that Gates is a racist who teaches Black History. If a teacher taught a course called White History, he'd be called a racist.

I am so embarrassed this man is our president.

I fail to see the big deal here.

The police officer was shown identification proving that Mr. Gates was not breaking and entering, as the building was his place of residence. Why the hell did the officer stick around? His job at that point was over. He should have simply said "Have a good day sir" and left the premises.

I agree with the President. The Cambridge police acted stupidly.

Originally posted by danj3ris
I fail to see the big deal here.

The police officer was shown identification proving that Mr. Gates was not breaking and entering, as the building was his place of residence. Why the hell did the officer stick around? His job at that point was over. He should have simply said "Have a good day sir" and left the premises.

I agree with the President. The Cambridge police acted stupidly.

The big deal is obama pretty much using the pulpit and call him stupid when the economy is in a free fall maybe

"And No. 3, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped . . . disproportionately,"

Time to say something which, though obvious, inevitably leads to being accused of racism to point out. Data would seem to indicate that the reason minorities are "disproportionately" stopped by police is because they "disproportionately" seem to be indicated in more crimes than white people do. Watch the local nightly news for a week, pay carefull attention to your local "Crime Stoppers" suspects. You'll notice a whole lot more "black male" "hispanic male" searches for suspects than "white males", I guarantee that. Now, I'm open to a debate about why black and hispanic males commit a disproportionately higher number of crimes than their white brethren because I agree that certain issues like economics, family, upbringing, etc play major roles in the equation... moreso than simply blaming their skin tone, but none of these underlying issues eliminates the fact that they are committing more crimes and, as a result, are questioned more frequently by police.

It offends me to see issues like this immediately called racism. In my opinion it's racism for minorities to automatically attempt to excuse any belligerance from a minority suspect against a white police officer by citing a "history of blacks and latinos being stopped...disproportionately." I'm not automatically a cop lover, but I can honestly say if I was breaking into my own home and a cop came along demanding ID and trying to protect my property, I'd be appreciative of the fact that at least the police were doing their job and trying to maintain a safe neighborhood. But that's just me.

the treatment of minorities by police across the nation.

Obama claims racial profiling by law enforcement to be a fact. I am intrigued that no law enforcement has come out to try to prove him otherwise. Guess law enforcement have no problem with what he said.

Originally posted by Spartak_FL
The big deal is obama pretty much using the pulpit and call him stupid when the economy is in a free fall maybe

Actually for me a bigger deal is that he used tax payer funded time and a tax payer funded "pulpit" to not only spout a personal agenda, but also to try to authoritate an individual's (Gates') position in an ongoing state/local legal matter. Furthermore, he used the oportunity to stir the pot, effectively increasing tensions when he holds a position which should be doing the oposite.

I'm sure if Gates had been in attendance, standing next to the dias, there'd have been a dap or chest bump as Obama walked away from the podium in acknowledgement of Obama using the free world's largest speaking platform to jsutify his friend's behavior.

reply to post by jam321

Obama claims racial profiling by law enforcement to be a fact. I am intrigued that no law enforcement has come out to try to prove him otherwise. Guess law enforcement have no problem with what he said.

In some areas it is definitely true. The area i grew up in was this way. Not white...good chance you'll get pulled over. Why? No minorities in the area so officers automatically know that they are out of towners.

Racial profiling will always exist...unfortunately....and it's far more prevalent in rural areas.

The cop that arrested the professor just said that Obama was "out of line" regarding his comments....I think this proves that the cops are Stupid!!!

If I were Obama, I'd drop that idiot so that he never works in law enforcement again.

Only an idiot local cop would speak as if he were some kind of man against the President of the United States. The uniformed flatfoots need to be put in their place.

Originally posted by IDK88
The cop that arrested the professor just said that Obama was "out of line" regarding his comments....I think this proves that the cops are Stupid!!!

If I were Obama, I'd drop that idiot so that he never works in law enforcement again.

Only an idiot local cop would speak as if he were some kind of man against the President of the United States. The uniformed flatfoots need to be put in their place.

Uh, Obama holds absolutely NO power over that officer above whatever power he holds over any other US citizen. Local and state officers do not take a vow of service to the US president, only to uphold the law and protect the citizens of their jurisdiction. Your suggestion that the officer was in the wrong to defend himself against Obama's inappropriate, arrogant, and ignorant comment against him and his coleagues indicates that you believe anyone who dares to vocalize a disagreement with Obama should also be "put in their place" and I would advise that you brush up a bit on your knowledge of the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Yes racial profiling exists but this man shouldnt have had a fit and pulled the race card. People who pull the race card over stuff like that make the real profiling cases seem less legitimate.

When I first heard the story I was on the professors siide but after totally reading it I think he was totally outta line.

Oh and F Obama. That mans not my pres.

Peace

[edit on 23-7-2009 by jeasahtheseer]

reply to post by burdman30ott6


Perhaps how you have characterized the situation is the way it is in the perfect world you live in. But in this world, which is very imperfect, President's use their positions to be Presidential; sometimes in the manner of Dictators.

Obama probably won't follow my advice but as President he needs to put his dogs on a leash. This would be the perfect time to show whoever in the military that thinks they don't have to follow his orders or whoever in local law enforcement that thinks he can arrest belligerent citizens on THEIR OWN PROPERTY - who also have rights according to our consitution - he is in fact President and has more clout than you.

That particular cop needs to be taught a lesson in how the world really works. Again, if it were me that decided that cops fate he'd be out in Idaho farming potatos so fast, tomorrow he'd be telling young children about how a long, long time ago he used to be a police officer in Massachusettes.

I will reevisit the constitution...far be it from me to be the only person in the country who is mistaken concerning its contents. Nevertheless, I think that when a cop has arrested a man on his own property or in his own home for something he said from his mouth the cop was the first to violate the constitution. But I am probably wrong because local cops are among the most intellectually brilliant citizens in our society. Violating that cops constitutional rights would make things just about square.




[edit on 23-7-2009 by IDK88]

The white police sergeant criticized by President Barack Obama for arresting black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his Massachusetts home is a police academy expert on racial profiling.

Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley has taught a class on racial profiling for five years at the Lowell Police Academy after being hand-picked for the job by former police Commissioner Ronny Watson, who is black, said Academy Director Thomas Fleming.

"I have nothing but the highest respect for him as a police officer. He is very professional and he is a good role model for the young recruits in the police academy," Fleming told The Associated Press on Thursday.

news.yahoo.com...

oops double post

[edit on 033131p://bThursday2009 by Stormdancer777]

Isn't it ironic the first black President of the USA would side with a man hollering he is being picked on unfairly due to the color of his skin?
I guess I hoped his election would start putting this behind us now, but my more reasonable side knew all along how things would just get worse.
They do not want "racism" to go away. Even to the point of inventing circumstances where there really is none. I have friends who are afraid to speak their mind about Obama in front of minority friends for fear of upsetting them and being called a racist. My children were called racist by some students at school because I didn't vote for Obama. I told them to ignore it and teach them how to speak on the subject of why I didn't vote for him.
I do not worry about what they call me. If they ask, I tell them what I think about his policies as a president. I don't care what color his skin is. He is a man, just like me. No better and no worse. I didn't like him being elected and I admit it, but now that he is in there I respect his position. I am not impressed one bit so far.

All in all, a large percentage of people fear the change of actually being treated as equals. Equality comes with large responsibilities and no one to blame but yourself when you fail.

reply to post by Daz3d-n-Confus3d


I think Gates created the situation because he sees now that he is married to a dying philosophy.

The Professor's federal grant money is drying up and the future looks bleak...he totally created this situation...but I don't think it goes any deeper than his annual budget from the University to write books, attend speaking engagements or otherwise convince the world that what he has to say is still relevent; when he is not.

As soon as Al Sharpton's name appeared, the set-up was revealed.



[edit on 23-7-2009 by IDK88]

From what I gather from the report, if Gates had just calmly explained the situation to the cops, it wouldn't been a big deal. He caused a bigger scene than what was neccessary and Obama chimed in haphazardly. I find it difficult to believe that the POTUS can't have all the facts at his fingerips within minutes of first hearing about it, especially if it's a good friend of his.

In the end, I think it was a big stunt by him to get attention to his PBS series and such. If the NWO/Powers that be are interested in ever impletenting martial law I don't see how making cops angry at you is the way to go, unless they're trying to start a race war as a means to bring martial law. Who knows with these people. Since his press conferences are always scripted, one has to wonder why Obama would want it brought up at all, I would hope he'd have bigger things to deal with than the adventures of his old buddies.

Originally posted by Spartak_FL
I am so embarrassed this man is our president.

OMG, shame on you!
How can you say that about our President?...
Don't you know that dissent is patriotic?

Er, at least that was the case just a few months ago.



/sarcasm off