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God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

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A Catholic who follows Rome & the Magisterium. I'm against gay "marriage", abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, human cloning. Altar girls, Communion in the hand, Eucharistic Ministers and "Protestant" music in the Church doesn't bother me at all. A proud American retired submarine sailor. Our borders should be secured with a 10 ft. high fence topped by concertina wire with minefields out to 20 yards on both sides and an additional 10 yards filled with warning signs outside of that Let's get energy independent NOW! Back Israel to the max, stop appeasing followers of the Pedophile Prophet. Pro 2nd Amendment, pro death penalty, Repeal all hate crime legislation. Back the police unless you'd rather call a hippie when everything hits the fan. Get government out of dealing with education, childhood obesity and the enviornment. Stop using the military for sociological experiments and if we're in a war don't micromanage their every move. Kill your television, limit time on the computer and pick up a book. God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Second guessing the police

BOSTON (AP) - Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the police sergeant who arrested him last July after a confrontation outside his home both missed opportunities to "ratchet down" the situation and end things more calmly, according to a review of the case released Wednesday.
The independent review said "misunderstandings and failed communications" and a "certain degree of fear" each man had for the other led to the six-minute dispute that ended with the renowned black scholar being arrested by the veteran white Cambridge police sergeant.

Sgt. James Crowley arrested Gates for disorderly conduct at his Cambridge home July 16 while investigating a possible burglary. Gates alleged he was a victim of racial profiling. Charges were later dropped.

The conflict sparked a national debate on race relations, and President Barack Obama invited both men to the White House for a "beer summit."

The situation at Gates' home quickly escalated when it shouldn't have, according to the review put together by a 12-member panel assembled in September. No one on the panel had direct ties to the Cambridge Police Department.

The report suggests that Crowley could have more clearly explained what he was doing and why he was doing it, especially after being shown Gates' license and university ID. For his part, Gates could have used a more respectful tone to address the officer.

Neither man, in interviews with the panel, said he would have acted differently.

The incident was a "textbook example of how a police officer and a member of the community can clash if they do not share a sense of responsibility," according to the report.

The panel made 10 recommendations for avoiding similar incidents in the future, including better training for police in de-escalating conflicts, as well as more outreach to the public and academic community to teach understanding of the police department's job.

Commissioner Robert Haas and review panel Chairman Chuck Wexler have scheduled a Wednesday news conference to discuss the report's conclusions and recommendations.

Gates turned down a request to comment on the report when contacted via e-mail, deferring comments to his lawyer and fellow Harvard professor Charles Ogletree. Ogletree did not immediately return a phone call to his office Wednesday morning or respond to an e-mail.

A message left Wednesday for Crowley at the Cambridge Police Department was not immediately returned.

What a steaming crock of shit.

The article places primary blame on the police here. Big surprise in this day and age when any authority figure is guilty until proven innocent.

The public owes their cooperation to the police in the performance of their duties. End of story. Whenever a cop puts the uniform on he/she might as well be placing a bulls eye on their backs. It's become that kind of world. The general public, no matter if they're white, black or striped like a zebra, need to remember that one. Being a cop isn't on the same level as workfare, it's a damned difficult and nasty job done to protect law abiding citizens.

FWIW, I've run into abusive cops and ones who think their badge elevates them above the status of mere mortals. They're assholes. But they're also the exception to the rule.

Wonder if I could get a free copy of the report cited in the article, we're low on toilet paper here.

2 comments:

Mary Ellen/Nunly said...

This never would have escalated to this level if it was a dispute between a white cop and a white homeowner. Henry Louis Gates cried racism where it didn't exist and Obama was happy to jump in on the band-wagon.

Like you, I agree that there are some cops out there who use their badge to bully and badger innocent people. It happens, it happened to me with a State Cop.

I was having a hard time finding a DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) where my daughter wanted to meet me to take her drivers exam and when I saw the State Police car parked in front of a Seven/Eleven store, I walked in to ask him if he could give me directions...I figured he would know where it was.

Instead of giving me directions or telling me he didn't know, he badgered me with questions as to where I was from and why I called it the "DMV". He claimed that only people from California call it that. He then came out to my car and pointed out the small crucifix that was hanging on a thin leather string on my mirror and threatened to give me a ticket if I didn't remove it immediately. He said it was an "obstruction".

I didn't argue with him, removed it, and left. I was angry, but knew enough to keep my mouth shut...he was trying to pick a fight with me, he was a bully. Screaming at him and calling him a "fascist" would have gotten me nowhere but arrested.

If Gates had done the same thing, controlled his temper, gave Crowley all the info he needed and did it in a polite manner, he would never have been arrested. But instead he decided to play the race card.

(Oh, and I put the crucifix back up as soon as I got back home and it is still there, 10 years later.)

MightyMom said...

Teach understanding of the police dept's job????!!!!!!
You gotta be poopin me!!!!!

Every kindergartener in this country knows THAT!!!

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