I heard the news about the arrest of Henry Louis Gates yesterday and said to myself, “Well that was dumb”. I was surprised and happy to hear President Obama refer to the Cambridge Police as having acted “stupidly”. You see, It is not just that I am anti-police. I’ve never trusted the police, and since 911 things have just gotten worse. It is also that I am anti stupidity. The stupidity displayed in this case is off the scale.
I despise law enforcement stupidity. Power mad police officers seem to wear stupidity as a shield. Once Sgt. James Crowley realized he was trying to arrest the tenant for breaking into his own house, nothing short of a face full of horse manure should have caused the arrest of Gates. But no… Crowley let Gates’ anger get under his skin, and then that whole police power trip kicked in. I can hear it play out in my head, “If you don’t shut up, I”m taking you in.”
Crowley – apologize and explain yourself. It’s OK to say that Gates’ reaction to your investigation caused you to panic and act like a power mad control freak in fear of his own safety. Go for it. I promise to respect you in the morning. Just don’t say you did it because Gates is black, because then I’m afraid I won’t respect you at all.
