The lapdog media, in what can kindly be described as a docile press conference on healthcare, lobbed Obama a race charged question -- giving him, yet again, an opportunity to whip the American people with the racism charge and demonize law enforcement as racist. He grabbed the opportunity on national television, in yet another seizure of the airwaves, to divide and create discord. Mind you, this is Obama's fourth prime time press event in almost as many months -- more than Bush had in his last three years (and the craven networks would not accommodate Bush's last one, while we were at war). Bush had a total of four in his eight years in office.
How very disingenuous. Are we to believe Obama is not familiar with what actually happened? That he didn't read the officer's report? Read Officer James Crowley’s official arrest report here. Or is it another opportunity to scream racism and further divide Americans? This is exactly what I outlined here in my oped piece at WND.
Note the reference to FOO (friend of Obama) -- so I guess that exonerates him. Free pass, above the law and all that jazz.
Here's what happened:
Officer Crowley had been called to Black Studies Professor Henry Louis Gates's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts last Thursday to investigate a reported break-in. A white woman in the neighborhood had called the police when she saw two young black men apparently forcing their way through the front door of the house. As soon as Officer Crowley arrived and got to the front door, he encountered, standing inside the door, none other than Gates, who instantly began yelling at him in an extremely loud voice that he was a "racist police officer." Instead of defusing the situation by cooperating with the officer, who was, after all, only doing his job, instead of simply explaining politely that he lived in the house and that his house had not been broken into (though it's still not clear who the two young men were), Gates continued his "tumultuous," threatening ("you don't know who I am, you'll be sorry for messing with me"), and extremely insulting behavior for a long time, first inside the house, where his voice was so loud that the officer could not conduct a conversation over his police radio, then outside the house, alarming passersby, until, after warning Gates twice that he was behaving disorderly, Crowley arrested him. And during the whole time Gates kept bellowing that Crowley was a "racist police officer."
Also, from early on in the incident, Officer Crowley repeatedly began to leave Gates's house, but Gates stopped him, insisting that Crowley first tell him his name. But each time Crowley gave his name, Gates kept shouting so loudly that he couldn't hear the officer's answer. And when Crowley would again start to leave the house, Gates would again demand his name.
UPDATE: The police report was removed from the Boston Globe website.
UPDATE: The Gates question was the only non related health care question. And when Obama called on Lynn Sweet (the reporter who asked the Gates question) for the last question, there was a mix up: it was another reporter's turn. But rest assured that Obama made sure he went back to Sweet and gave her the last question -- the only question not related to healthcare. On racism.
UPDATE: BTW, Gates is demanding an apology from the officer.
Demotix has the pic:
UPDATE: Officer Crowley says he won't apologize. What should he apologize for? Doing his job?
Obama should apologize. He is so good at it.
When Sergeant James M. Crowley climbed the front steps of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house last week and unexpectedly placed himself in international headlines, it was not the first time he had a memorable encounter in the line of duty with a prominent black man. Nearly 16 years ago, as a Brandeis University police officer, Crowley desperately tried to save the life of Reggie Lewis after the Boston Celtics star collapsed while practicing in the school gym.
“It bothers him terribly that he couldn’t save him,’’ Crowley’s 74-year-old mother, Verina Crowley, said yesterday, speaking of her son and the famous basketball player.
The man has a record and a reputation that neither Gates nor Obama could hold a candle to.
But people who know Crowley were skeptical or outright dismissive of allegations of racism. A prominent defense lawyer, a neighbor of Crowley’s, his union, and fellow officers described him yesterday as a respected, and respectful, officer who performs his job well and has led his colleagues in diversity training.
[...]
Crowley himself, speaking to the Globe yesterday and again last night in Natick, said he will not apologize and asserted, “I am not a racist.’’
No, but Gates is. And so, demonstrably, is Obama.
Crowley’s police union issued a statement saying it had reviewed the arrest of Gates and expressed “full and unqualified support’’ for his actions.
“Sergeant Crowley is a highly respected veteran supervisor with a distinguished record in the Cambridge Police Department,’’ said the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association. “His actions at the scene of this matter were consistent with his training, with the informed policies and practices of the Department, and with applicable legal standards.’’
The city’s Police Review and Advisory Board, which is independent of the Police Department, has set a meeting July 29 to decide whether to launch a formal inquiry into the incident, according to board investigator Joseph Johnson. He said Gates had not filed a complaint with the board and that no one has filed a complaint against Crowley in the last 12 months.
[...]
His neighbor Ed Shagory, a retired lawyer, was less reticent. He said he has been friends with Crowley for more than 17 years, and “I think the world of him and his family.’’
How disgusting - I say this is Obama's waterloo.
The white police sergeant criticized by President Barack Obama for arresting black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his Massachusetts home is a police academy expert on understanding 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.
UPDATE: Wait, it gets better! Apparently, Gate's home was broken into earlier this month. Got that?
