Obama said that while “I don’t know all the facts” of the arrest or the role race played in it, the case highlighted “a long history in this country of African- Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.” He also added: “That’s just a fact.”
ABC NewsSoap Box Ravings invites you to look at the picture of the much abused Mr. Gates as he exits his house under arrest. I can see that his mouth is open, wide open. I doubt he is engaged in polite discourse. On the right is a police officer who looks exactly like someone trying to calm Mr. Gates down. On his left is an officer who is guiding Mr Gates by touch. Mr Gates is not subject to any type of hold causing him to comply. In short, a minimum amount of force is in use in this picture.In front of Mr. Gates is a police sergeant who looks like he is very tired of listening to Mr. Gates.
Now lets look at the facts:
A neighbor reports a possible burglary in progress on a house that has been previously burglarized.
A police sergeant comes to the house to ascertain if it is a burglary. At this point the officer probably does not know who owns the house, or who is allowed inside the house.
The police reports indicate that Mr. Gates goes hostile when questioned by the responding police sergeant, a white police officer..
The police sergeant, for the safety of Mr. Gates' and himself, is trying to determine if Mr. Gates is the homeowner and if so could there be unknown people in the house. I believe the reporting neighbor reported two black males breaking into the house. Also it is not unknown for a person present illegally to lie and claim to be the homeowner, such as a black man who could have stole Mr Gates' wallet. Plus there is also the question of where is the second man reported by the neighbor.
Mr Gates refused to talk about the situation politely but then it appears he tried to change a situation of his making, into a situation of racial harassment. Mr. Gates attempted to take control of the officer and his investigation. If the officer left without making positive identification and the officer had been fooled by a burglar, the real homeowner, Mr Gates would have really been incensed.
Lets look at some possible reasons for Mr Gates behavior:
He could be upset because the officer does not recognize him as an important person, or perhaps he is embarrassed because he had to break down his own door after not be able to open his door with the key and now a neighbor, the police radio and a white cop all know what he did.
Check here for some more thoughts on this issue:
http://pandagon.net/index.php/site/comments/why_class_does_matter_in_the_gates_arrest_debate/
In Soap Box Ravings opinion, Mr gates is acting as an "elite or moneyed" person trying to place the situational blame elsewhere and in particular on someone, the officer, who Mr. Gates sees as less than his equal.
Obama also continued with "But I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry."
Soap Box Ravings wonders why any homeowner would be pretty angry that a police officer showed up with regard to a "Burglary in Progress" call in the homeowners own residence that had suffered a previous burglary. He also wonders why a homeowner would claim harassment for being a Black man in America when the officer, who is there to specifically present to protect the homeowner.
In Soap Bax Ravings opinion, Obama acted like a black community organizer from Chicago, not the President of the United States. Soap Box Ravings feels that Obama acted in accordance with the teachings of Reverend Wright. The same Pastor he claimed never to have listened to for 20 years while he attended the Reverend Wright's church. Obama has certainly done his level best in this instance to set back police, community relationships in this country. But I guess this just adds to the growing chaos laid on this country by his administration. After all his administration said ‘no crisis should be allowed to go to waste’and I suppose that means even if he caused the crisis.
As a elitist, Obama finds it impossible to publicly apologize to the officers and department involved for his behavior, yet many continue to believe it is not all about him. Shame on him.
Obama also took another shot at police professionalism in his interview by reflecting that he'd hope the police were called if he were seen breaking into his own house. He then paused and said "I guess this is my house now," remarking of the White House. "Here I’d get shot."
In Soap Box Ravings opinion, the Secret Service which protects the President of the United States deals with erratic civilian behavior on a daily basis and as far as I know they shoot very, very, few of them. I think Obama has done a disservice to the organization sworn to protect him with his "open mouth , sink ships" comment.
Sunday, July 26, 2009 (Addition)
Gates Says Time to 'Move On' From Arrest
http://news.aol.com/article/henry-gates-says-move-on/579147
In this article from www.politicsdaily.com Gates promised to do all he could so others could learn from his arrest. "This could and should be a profound teaching moment in the history of race relations in America," Gates said. "I sincerely hope that the Cambridge police department will choose to work with me toward that goal."
Soap Box Ravings says that if you are present in your home after jimmying the door to gain access, commonly known as breaking and entering, and a police officer shows up responding to a "burglary in progress" call acting like an idiot may get you arrested regardless of your skin color or perceived social status.
Soap Box Ravings also says that since the elite Gates was involved, obviously it would have to be a "profound" teaching moment. Most likely, all of professor Gates teachings are "profound" since he is a Harvard professor (i.e., a person who professes to be an expert in some art or science).
In Soap Box Ravings' opinion, Gates agreed to have a beer with Obama and Crowley in order that he, Gates, and Obama can square that white boy away. It definitely would not be to resolve any perceived problem as neither Gates nor Obama have really expressed any remorse for their actions. In fact many think, Obama threw down his comments to distract and take the heat off of his health care plan.
Since 1991, Gates has been teaching African American studies at Harvard, where he serves as the director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. De Bois, an American civil rights activist, sociologist, historian and author, was an avowed communist and socialist sympathizer.
See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=105028 for more information regarding Mr Gates, his elitist beliefs and friends as well as his time at Harvard.
See: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104935 for more information on Obama's Cambridge history and also comments by activist Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, founder of BOND Action, Inc. and entertainer Bill Cosby.
