"That apology will never come from me as Jim Crowley, it won't come from me as sergeant in the Cambridge Police Department," [said] Sgt. James Crowley . . . "Whatever anybody else chooses to do in the name of the city of Cambridge or the Cambridge Police Department which are beyond my control, I don't worry about that. I know what I did was right. I have nothing to apologize for."
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You know, for all my problems with my neighbor, if they saw someone trying to force their way into my house and called the police, I'd owe them a thank you. If it turned out I was the guy at the door, and simply lost my keys or the lock was stuck, the thank you would stand and I'd also thank the cops who showed up to protect my life and property. I sure as hell wouldn't berate them, argue about their need to verify I was the homeowner, or scream at them and drag in my political friends.
Is racism real? Sure. *Could* it be an issue here? Of course. Or, it could be what it seems like - a rich guy doing what some rich, well connected people do best, abuse and berate people of lower socio-economic stature.
That's a pretty posh area right? People living there probably don't worry about the exhaust pipe of their rusty Escort falling off on the way to work, or break into sweats when they see a Utility Company van pull into the alley. I'd imagine at some point, no matter where you started from, you lose perspective.
On the other hand I've lived in plenty of places where crime was a problem, and so I appreciate a bit of honest investigative work, even if afterwards I'm a little ticked off at the intrusion.
From what I can tell, he should have stayed cool and it would have been over and done in a few minutes. And no matter what party you belong to, it was WAY out of line for the President to comment on behalf of a friend in a criminal matter, especially when he admitted not knowing the details. The White House is doing damage control as we speak, but even if my man Dubya had spoken the words, I'd be saying "WTF?".
UPDATE: I saw a clip of Gates on CNN and I am now certain of my position. Arrogant and pompous when faced down by friendly interviewers, I can only imagine his tone and behavior when confronted by police.
BTW - He's 5'7". While this might sound flippant, I assure you I'm serious: In my 35 years on Earth, I've found that most (not all) men who fall well short of six feet carry a massive chip on their shoulders, one that tends to cause them to overeact in situations where they believe their masculinity is threatened.
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On a Boston radio program this morning, Bill Cosby suggested that President Obama spoke too soon on the controversial arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.
“I’ve heard about five different reports [on the details of the arrest],” Cosby said on Boston’s WZLX. “If I’m the president of the United States, I don’t care how much pressure people want to put on it about race, I’m keeping my mouth shut.”
“I was shocked to hear the president making this kind of statement,” Cosby said referring to the president’s remarks during last night’s press conference. . .
Cosby cautioned those from coming up with their own conclusions, but gave the president some leeway.
“People who have not been there, people who don’t know are beginning to have their own personal feelings, but they weren’t there,” Cosby said.
“Does this include the president?” asked the FOX25 reporter.
“It includes everybody,” Cosby said.
i rarely comment but i always read what you write because i agree with you all of the time and find your writing interesting and written well.
ReplyDeletei have to say that you put a spin on this that i NEVER would have thought of. I do not know the whole story either. At work last night they talked about it.
many many many people bring out the race card when it suits them well and thousands are profiled unjustly because of their race....this seems to be a time when a cop was doing his JOB and the home owner blew up instead of staying calm. That could have become dangerous.
I've noticed the 'height' thing too, Dan.
ReplyDeleteWhile it's not always the case [some guys could care less about how tall they are], in many cases, it's absolutely true.
I don't know a lot about this topic so I don't want to comment more for fear of sounding silly...but I absolutely agree with that statement.
My husband informed me, that he too was asked many years ago, what he was doing in an ally. My husband informed the police officer, that he lived there. And, still to this day my husband seems upset. Of course my husand is short, I agree with you about men being short, and I also agree that the police officer was doing his duty, and needed to come off strong. How would he know who he was talking to...Not everyone knows everyone by face.
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