Enough Already! Stop Crying 'Racism'

Posted By Bobby Eberle at GOPUSA, 'The Loft' On July 24, 2009

There are a few issues that rise above the rest for me. One of those is race relations, and how those on the left view "equality." We are all supposed to get along and treat each other fairly, right? Yet, the liberals attempt to do this by treating people unfairly. With racial preferences, different racial and ethnic groups are given favor over others. This is fair? This is equality? I'm sick of it.

Then... when something doesn't go right, these same people claim it's "racism." In the case of test scores, it's never because someone actually performed better than the person complaining. With a promotion, it's never because someone was better qualified than the person complaining. And with crime, if someone was falsely accused or there was a misunderstanding, it's never an honest mistake. It's racism. Give me a break!


The case that has brought this to a head for me is the one involving Obama friend and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Here are the details.

Police were called to the home of Gates by a neighbor. The neighbor saw a man trying to force his way into Gates' home, and was concerned that there might be a burglary taking place. The police arrived, and it turned out that it was Gates and his driver who were trying to force open the door. The police asked Gates for identification at which time he became belligerent and uncooperative. Because of this, the police charged him with disorderly conduct. The charge was later dropped.

Those are the facts, but here's how it went down.

As the police report states, Sergeant James Crowley first met the caller outside of her house. The report indicates:

She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch (of Gates' house). She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry.

According to the report, Crowley could see Gates in his house through the front door.

As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied, "no I will not." He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was "Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police" and that I was "investigating a report of a break in progress" at the residence. While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed "why, because I'm a black man in America?" I then asked Gates if there was anyone else in the residence. While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer.

In the report, Gates told Crowley that he had "no idea who he was messing with" and continued to call him a racist police officer. Additional requests to talk with Gates outside were met with "ya, I'll speak with your mama outside." Gates was repeatedly warned that he was becoming disorderly, but continued the tirade. After these warnings, Crowley placed Gates under arrest for disorderly conduct.

Here's where the craziness begins. First, Gates is a professor at Harvard and supposedly one of the premier professors on "race in America." He is also a friend of Barack Obama. Word of the arrest quickly spread and it even made it into a question at the end of Obama's press conference on Wednesday night. Here is what Obama had to say in all his "wisdom:"



Where do I begin! Obama acknowledges that he doesn't know the facts in the case. He had not read the police report, yet he still feels that it's appropriate to comment and MAKE it an issue about race. Let's look at his points: #1 any of us would be pretty angry, #2 the Cambridge police acted stupidly, and #3 there is a long history of African American and Latinos being stopped disproportionately.

Ok, #1. Any of us would be pretty angry? When we are using our credit card, we are asked for ID. Why? To verify ourselves as the card owner and make sure there is nothing fishy going on. In this case, Gates was asked to identify himself and indicate if there were others at the house. This is done to verify the owner and to also cover instances where there may be intruders inside the residence. It is all done to verify the situation. Would this make me angry? NO. Rather than Gates screaming racism, how about simply saying, "Thank you, officer, for protecting my home."

On to #2. Obama states that the police acted stupidly for arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. Hello! Gates was not arrested for breaking and entering. It was well acknowledged that Gates was in his own residence. Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct, and there is nothing to indicate that the police acted stupidly as our president states.

And #3. Blacks and Latinos are stopped disproportionately. What does this have to do with anything? This was not a traffic stop. The police did not see a "black man" breaking into a house. They were responding to a call from a neighbor. Thus, it is impossible that this has anything to do with profiling. As it turns out, Crowley is a "police academy expert on racial profiling."

Cambridge Sgt. James Crowley has taught a class about 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.

Police officers are also standing by Crowley. As FOXNews.com reports, "Many police officers across the country have a message for President Barack Obama -- Get all the facts before criticizing one of our own."

"What we don't need is public safety officials across the country second-guessing themselves," said David Holway, president of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, which represents 15,000 public safety officials around the country. "The president's alienated public safety officers across the country with his comments."

The fact is that Barack Obama should have kept his mouth shut. He had no idea what he was talking about, yet used the incident to play the race card. As if this was yet one more example of oppression. I'm sick of it. I would be happy the police were doing their job. I would be thankful that a neighbor cared enough to call the police. And I would certainly respond to the requests of the officers.

All of that seems pretty simple, right? Perhaps if I were one of the foremost scholars on race in America or the president of the United States looking to score cheap points, I might think and act differently. Fortunately, I'm not.

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