Gastesgate, or is Obama stupid?

[Shady]

I don't know if any of you have been following this little soap opera that the leader of the free country and messiah of "post-racial" America had felt the need to stick his long, long nose into, but I have. Mostly because I can't seem to avoid it more than anything else.

If you're not familiar with the situation, allow me to explain. A black man was arrested by a white officer after breaking into his own home. The charges were disorderly conduct. The officer is accused of racial profiling. Obama states the police "acted stupidly."

The rest is history.

The question is, how much does this situation help or hurt the mission for a post racial America? Was the Cambridge police officer using an excuse (disorderly conduct) in arresting Gates? And should an officer investigate further a man who lives in the house he was just witnessed breaking into?

My opinions are this.

I think this situation has greatly hurt racial relations. Living in the deep south where I am witness to a great deal of anger from both sides, I believe this situation has caused some setbacks to minimal progress. I live in the heart of racist society at its core. Both sides of the race war are wanting to attack the other over whose fault it is instead of trying to mend it. And to be honest, I am not sure it can be mended in some of the most important ways, and in some of the most needed places.

As for the Cambridge officer, Sgt. Crowley, it's difficult for me to say if he loosely used Disorderly Conduct as a reason to arrest Gates. In a situation such as that it really could go either way. I don't believe Crowley's intent was to show Gates who is boss. But I am puzzled about what I would do myself. As an officer, when do you walk away, and when do you put a lid on it? I would need to read a transcript of the terrible audio tapes. I've listened, but I can't really make anything of it.

Some have brought up the feminist aspect. What if Gates was an estranged spouse who could show ID and prove he lived in the house, but had been thrown out by his wife for some unknown reason. If he was there that evening, breaking into her home and could show ID with that address on it, what would he have to do to prove innocence?

Well, nothing. I don't agree with the feminists, though. I'm not saying that's an unreal scenario because it's very real. But the rule of law is presumption of innocence and I think that is a very valuable presumption for our society to continue to keep.

And finally, I think Obama acted "stupidly" when he made a comment about it at all besides something generic such as "an unfortunate situation transpired, I hope things turn out fine."

What are your thoughts on Gatesgate?

[Grunthos]

The iconic photo from yesterday:

Obama saunters forward (sans coat, sleeves up) to the waiting arms of the press and his teleprompter, while the 'racist, stupid' policeman (in formal suit and tie, in Washington, in July) helps his 'victim,' Obama's frail, infirm friend (also in suit and tie) down the White House stairs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/GrunthosToo/afterbeers_PS-0436.jpg

Tells you every single thing you need to know about the whole episode. Who helped whom, who used whom, who needs to rely on whom.

[Tonus]

What are your thoughts on Gatesgate?
I think it was covered best in this extensive post (http://www.qando.net/?p=3708) at Q and O. I think it was an unfortunate confluence of events, exacerbated by two men who overreacted at attitudes that were more perceived than real. Thanks to a reporter who decided to raise the issue during a Q&A on health care, and a president who decided to jump in and take a strong stance despite his admitted lack of information, it blew up.

A neighbor, probably aware that Gates was out on a trip and unaware that he had just returned, sees two figures attempting to force their way into Gates' home. She calls the police to report the apparent break-in (notably, she makes no mention of race) and they respond. By this time, Gates has gotten into his home, no doubt tired from his trip and frustrated over the way he had to gain entry into his home. When the cops arrive he overreacts to Crowley's request that he step onto the porch, in a manner that can be diplomatically described as regrettable. It's possible that the implication of racism is what got under Crowley's skin, and pushed him into playing Bad Cop.

As far as I can tell, Crowley never brought race into the confrontation. Gates did, and Obama did when replying to the reporter's question later on. But it sounds to me like Crowley could've handled his end of it better, instead of arresting an old man who was simply trying to get into his own home. Part of an officer's job is to deal with the public, and sometimes that public is unfairly rude and obnoxious, and the officer has to keep his cool and handle the situation with grace and tact. This one got away from Crowley, IMO.

It's hard to use this incident as part of any discussion on race, though. The way they acted makes it appear that both Gates and Obama have a pretty big chip on their shoulders regarding the issue of race. I know a lot of people will say that it's understandable, but I don't think that you can wag a finger at White America and lecture it on race relations until you show that you aren't on a hair-trigger over the issue yourself.