So, it's been a week. A week of dominating the news. A week of dominating conversation. A week that the snowball has been rolling downhill.
I've been asked my thoughts. Since I was not there, I will be general--
If my neighbor saw folks(of any color) fiddling around at my back door, I would want her to call the police.
If the officer arrived and asked me for proof of residency, I would think that it was a reasonable request and comply.
If the officer then wanted me to step outside, in order to check my home, to be certain that I was not under duress, I would again think that it was reasonable and comply.
If I were POTUS, I would not have used the word "stupidly."
I do not think it is a good idea to have bad blood with the folks that would be "first responders" to my home.
I do think there is enough blame to go around.
That is all.
Your comments--priceless!!
Well first of all if I would see someone at my back door that I didn't know trying to get in, I would shoot them. No really...I might! lol, I live alone right now...don't mess with a girl who's man is deployed in iraq and is kicking it alone.
My issues stand with the reaction of the officers after Identification was given.
Everything else they did was protocol.
I see fault on both sides. I would want someone to question who was trying to get in my front door and to check for intruders, but he did not offer to check for intruders. I believe the professor got indignant after the police officer asked for his ID. Although he complied, it was not without attitude and comments. The professor asked for the police officers badge number. He should have given it to him, but he choose to engage him instead. I believe this was a situation where both parties were at fault.
There are always 3 sides to every story: yours, theirs, and what really happened. Not having been there i find myself using my worldview which is to believe that the cop had attitude and Professor Gates probabaly reacted with feelings of unfairness. Since they are both making accusations that the other is denying i guess we will never know for sure.
I agree with Catladysd, but also loved how you summed this up.
I think there was probably a lot of overreacting on everyone's part, but I would not go after the person who'd be my first line of response.
But goodness, talk about coincidence and irony....you do make valid points, though.
I say enough already.....you have 3people here that did not put their best feet forward in this matter.
Prof. Gates should not assume that the officer should know who he is and that it was his home.
The officer should have given him the information he was asking for, because he should be trained to handle a suspect in any situation with dignity.
POTUS should have kept his opinion to himself, he was not there, and therefore didn't know the full details of the matter.
Now many people think all three of these men meeting for a beer at the White House will solve the matter.
However will it really solve what is being alledged "Racial Profiling"
I don't see a Bud, Miller High Life or any other brand of beer solving the real problem..... "Cheers"
Sometimes in an effort to protect your friends or family, you make hasty statements in their defense that they do not justly deserve.
I feel badly for President "Roc Roc" on this one. I believe he meant to come down on the side of what seemed to be "justice" in his mind.
I believe there are weightier matters that he should be concerned with other that trying to protect the honor of someone who does not have the presence of mind to avoid locking himself out of his own home.