I’m ambivalent about it. I don’t know all my neighbors by name but I certainly know them by sight. I don’t think many burglars are (somewhat) elderly & using canes whatever color they are. I wonder about a high-profile Harvard Fund-Raiser’s not recognizing Gates. There are conflicting stories about the cop/Gates dialogue so, while I think he was probably as civil as anyone older (not old, by any means) & lagged & frustrated at not being able to open his front door would be. The only good thing to’ve come out of it was the police dept. recognized what a can of worms it was & dropped it.
At base, though, I think it was bias on the part of both the neighbor & the cops.
On the other hand, ditto, if you were a minority, those things would happen at a greater rate- which is the issue. No one gets everything their way all the time, and who knows why you didn’t get that job? But I can safely say there isn’t a note in your HR file that says “candidate is a white man” as there was in my friend’s brother’s HR file when he applied for a job he was supremely qualified for and highly recommended for. So a less qualified white guy got the job. My friend’s brother found out because the friend who recommended him to the company took a look at his file to see why he was passed over.
And truly- there are times when the race card is used and wrong. But in this case I think Gates had a legitmate reason to ask.
Does someone want to tell me how they would respond to someone who is in a home that has been reported to have been broken into? The person initially refuses to step outside, produce ID and is saying you’re just there because he’s black and you’re white? Do you know if he has a weapon, are there others inside, is he just trying to delay you so someone can exit through the back or get a bead on you?
yup, cops are always the guilty party regardless of the circumstance. I get it.
OK bxgrl – gotcha. But we can’t judge someone based on what we think they won’t do.
She saw somebody engaging in suspicious behavior (trying to pry open his front door) who happened to be black. She called the police. Sounds like a good neighbor to me. I’d expect you all to do the same for me, unless it was a fine honey wearing a bikini.
Now this is what I had been asking for in my recent rant (was that last week? who knows!). A good conversation that brings out all opinions on an issue, volatile though it may be, without folks resorting to calling each other names and foaming at the mouth. You all make a PLUSA proud 🙂 **sniff, sniff** Carry on!
According to the report I saw, his driver (skin color not mentioned) assisted him in forcing the door.
I feel very sorry for this poor lady to have to go through all this when she was almost certainly trying to do the right thing.
CG ups – I think the neighbor has the suspect motives here. But if you escalate a situation with a cop, who is used to people doing what he says, you’re gonna end up in trouble. I’ve seen it happen with friends. They’ll take you in cos they’re all pissed off with yout attitude. Having said that, we all know racial profiling happens.
As to your cited experiences, I can’t say that they weren’t due to racism. But let me tell you this – I have been ignored by the waiter in favor of others, didn’t get a job I was supremely qualified for and have been in many other situations were I felt I was treated differently, but without any obvious explanantion. If I were a minority, I doubtlessly would have considered it was due to the fact I was such.
Quite frankly, to a white police officer ” ‘Why, because I’m a black man in America?'” probably sounds like an attempt to pull the race card than a legitimate challenge. Do you think he’s never heard such a statement before?
“a fine honey wearing a bikini”
I might have to make a citizen’s arrest.
I’m ambivalent about it. I don’t know all my neighbors by name but I certainly know them by sight. I don’t think many burglars are (somewhat) elderly & using canes whatever color they are. I wonder about a high-profile Harvard Fund-Raiser’s not recognizing Gates. There are conflicting stories about the cop/Gates dialogue so, while I think he was probably as civil as anyone older (not old, by any means) & lagged & frustrated at not being able to open his front door would be. The only good thing to’ve come out of it was the police dept. recognized what a can of worms it was & dropped it.
At base, though, I think it was bias on the part of both the neighbor & the cops.
“I’d expect you all to do the same for me, unless it was a fine honey wearing a bikini.”
ROFL DH!!! I’ll ditto that 🙂
On the other hand, ditto, if you were a minority, those things would happen at a greater rate- which is the issue. No one gets everything their way all the time, and who knows why you didn’t get that job? But I can safely say there isn’t a note in your HR file that says “candidate is a white man” as there was in my friend’s brother’s HR file when he applied for a job he was supremely qualified for and highly recommended for. So a less qualified white guy got the job. My friend’s brother found out because the friend who recommended him to the company took a look at his file to see why he was passed over.
And truly- there are times when the race card is used and wrong. But in this case I think Gates had a legitmate reason to ask.
Does someone want to tell me how they would respond to someone who is in a home that has been reported to have been broken into? The person initially refuses to step outside, produce ID and is saying you’re just there because he’s black and you’re white? Do you know if he has a weapon, are there others inside, is he just trying to delay you so someone can exit through the back or get a bead on you?
yup, cops are always the guilty party regardless of the circumstance. I get it.
OK bxgrl – gotcha. But we can’t judge someone based on what we think they won’t do.
She saw somebody engaging in suspicious behavior (trying to pry open his front door) who happened to be black. She called the police. Sounds like a good neighbor to me. I’d expect you all to do the same for me, unless it was a fine honey wearing a bikini.
Now this is what I had been asking for in my recent rant (was that last week? who knows!). A good conversation that brings out all opinions on an issue, volatile though it may be, without folks resorting to calling each other names and foaming at the mouth. You all make a PLUSA proud 🙂 **sniff, sniff** Carry on!
According to the report I saw, his driver (skin color not mentioned) assisted him in forcing the door.
I feel very sorry for this poor lady to have to go through all this when she was almost certainly trying to do the right thing.
CG ups – I think the neighbor has the suspect motives here. But if you escalate a situation with a cop, who is used to people doing what he says, you’re gonna end up in trouble. I’ve seen it happen with friends. They’ll take you in cos they’re all pissed off with yout attitude. Having said that, we all know racial profiling happens.
As to your cited experiences, I can’t say that they weren’t due to racism. But let me tell you this – I have been ignored by the waiter in favor of others, didn’t get a job I was supremely qualified for and have been in many other situations were I felt I was treated differently, but without any obvious explanantion. If I were a minority, I doubtlessly would have considered it was due to the fact I was such.
Quite frankly, to a white police officer ” ‘Why, because I’m a black man in America?'” probably sounds like an attempt to pull the race card than a legitimate challenge. Do you think he’s never heard such a statement before?