Racial Tensions Stirred by Henry Louis Gates Arrest Could Grow
By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
O.J. Simpson, Simi Valley, Rodney King. They all stand as visions of a racially divided America, an aspect of American life and culture of which no one is proud. I'm just wondering if the controversy surrounding the clash between renowned African-American scholar Henry Gates and a sergeant in the Cambridge police department is going to become a clash of larger proportions.
And I hope it does not.
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Reader Comments
Angela sounds like a real loon
and a hate monger with paranoid fantasies. Fortunately, most people don't believe that kind of made-up drivel anymore.
You live in a dream world..... liana of OH...............
"Any man who cooperates with the police in this type of situation has nothing to fear from a police officer"
Why don't you tell that to the countless number of black men who have been beaten within an inch of their lives or WORSE by merely "trying to cooperate" with a police officer.
Sweetie, you obviously know nothing about the "struggle" so keep your pathetic comments to yourself. Of course, the police were were friendly to your husband....he is white! That is why I cannot let this issue go. It's white people like you and so many others that have NEVER been treated in such a brutal, hostile, violent way by the police. If you have never walked in those shoes; then please do not comment.
You do not know what you are talking about and you CANNOT and WILL NOT ever be able to relate to someone who has been mistreated and racially profiled by the police.
Unless you have been there and can UNDERSTAND how it feels; you have no right to say anything on the subject.
You are clearly wrong and oblivious to the facts.
I'll bet you don't even have any black friends; let alone know any black folks, do you? If you did, you would KNOW the truth.
Yes, I am a white woman and I know what I am talking about. I've seen too much.
Do you know who the Black Panthers are/were?
The main purpose of their organization starting was because of the terrible racial profiling and police brutality towards black people in the 1960's in Oakland, CA.
I suggest you take a look at your history books; or turn on CNN and get your facts straight before you say another word on this subject.
Racism goes both ways Gates
In regards to the Gates incident:
One day last fall my husband was in our back yard looking for an arrow he had shot. He is from the south and we live in the north now. A neighbor 2 houses up did not know who he was and called the police. THe police arrived, walked to the back of our 2 acre yard and questioned my husband as to who he was and why he was there and can i see your ID. My husband complied, had a nice conversation with the officer and the officer helped him look for his arrow for a few minutes before leaving. My husband is a white man. Any man who cooperates with the police in this type of situation has nothing to fear from a police officer.
Gates is at fault for what happened to him. He disrespected an officer who was looking out for his (Gate's) best interest. But he had to run his mouth. Anyone knows you don't run your mouth to a police officer and expect it to turn out good. For an educated man, he intelligence flew out the window in this instance. Gates is the racist in this case. The police officer has nothing to apoligize for.
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