Black Caucus Chair: Obama ‘Right on Target’ About Gates
EmailABC News' Dean Norland reports: Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a news conference Thursday to voice their support for passing health care reform legislation now, before the August recess. But, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., was also asked about the president’s comments that the Cambridge police acted “stupidly’’ when they arrested Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
“I think the president was right on target," said Lee. "Racial profiling we all know, and we come from communities where some of us actually understand and know and have been racially profiled, and so that is just an example of what we have witnessed.
The chairwoman went on to say that it is part of Congress' duty to address the issue of racial profiling.
"The example of the unfinished business of America and inequalities and the racism that continues to exist, and part of our job, as members of Congress, is to work on legislation, and on policies, and on issues that address racial profiling and the criminal justice system in a real way in terms of criminal justice reform,” Lee said.
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Oh, my goodness. Yes, it’s time to rally around the troops. Let’s not even consider for one minute that Gates may have caused the problem by following the officer out of his house and yelling at the officer and at the same time insult the officer’s mother.
Let’s blind ourselves to the possibility that Gates was wrong in his behavior because he is highly connected and everyone in town was/is sucking up to him.
And while we’re at it, thank you president (lowercase p intentional) Obama for humiliating the police officer, his department and law enforcement in general with your inane comments. Even Obama admitted he didn’t know the full story but nonetheless, felt like he should comment about it.
Bunch of idiots!
Posted by: TiredOfThis | July 23, 2009, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm
Why is there no mention of the fact that one of the arresting officers was black? You can plainly see it in Bill Carter’s photo of the arrest.
Posted by: Libertarian Girl | July 23, 2009, 1:35 pm 1:35 pm
“Why is there no mention of the fact that one of the arresting officers was black?”
Yes he was on the scene, who knows when, but there is only one arresting officer.
Obama said it was a “stupid arrest” not that the officer was stupid.
I support our president 100% but also believe (though true)he did not have to go that deep into this event because the MSM & others are blowing this way out of proportion.
Posted by: overblown | July 23, 2009, 1:50 pm 1:50 pm
President Obama’s comments?
…more power to this remarkably candid man who, unlike this predecessor, speaks to Americans like adults. Any man so insulted at the door to his home, particularly a man of considerable accomplishment, would be outraged, angry, and entitled to protest in less than polite language.
Posted by: gus amaral | July 23, 2009, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm
Officers were called to Prof Gates’s house after a woman reported seeing two black males – the professor and his driver – trying to force entry.
Although the exact facts of the incident are disputed, Prof Gates was asked to provide the officer with identification. He was then asked to step outside his house and was arrested.
Mr Obama said: “I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry.
“Number two… the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”
An initial disorderly conduct charge was dropped and Cambridge police called the arrest “regrettable and unfortunate”.
Mr Obama said federal officials should work with local police to “improve policing techniques so that we’re eliminating potential bias”.
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President Obama’s comments seem reasonable enough. Continuing to take a comment out of context & overblow this story is pure HYPE.
Posted by: clara23kv | July 23, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
President Barack Hussein Obama proves once again that he is the world’s most ignorant political leader. Henry Gates, PhD, arrest has nothing whatsoever to do with white racism, as it has to do with a Black Man who believes that he is “Above the Law.” Too many innocent Black American men have been slain, and beaten and incarcerated by racist police because they made a white policeman angry, or the white cop just had a bad day, and flet like beating somebody to a bloody pulp. When a police ask for your identification, you have no choice but to provide the officer with some form of identification, or be arrested, beaten, and maybe even shot if you life in the black ghetto. President Obama’s horrible economic policies has destroyed thousands of poor Blacks schools and jobs, and he was just sticking up for another half white, African American man, since he is also a proud mulatto, USA President.
Posted by: MoneyGods | July 23, 2009, 9:24 pm 9:24 pm
It is understandable when people react even more stupidly to a logical conclusion on a question asked.
Wait until u’re arrested in your own home for so-called ‘break-in’. This is another “American Wonder: Only in America”
That’s the ‘fairest’ comment I hv heard in about 8+ years!
Posted by: Austin Chuks | July 24, 2009, 2:22 am 2:22 am
If a great president like Obama ever says that u acted stupidly, then it means that u nd to take a self-check in your career and go do something else.
The Cambridgepolice dept/arresting police officer MUST apologise to Mr Gates and also to others who have been so racially profiled. That’s the wisest thing to do right now!
Posted by: Austin Chuks | July 24, 2009, 2:32 am 2:32 am
Yes, it is always the black man’s fault. The police can do no wrong, unless they do something wrong to a white man. This just didn’t make sense for the police to elevate this to an arrest. It was a stupid mistake. But this Crowley had his pride up and is blaming the black guy. NO, a black man should never raise his voice to a policeman. The “crime” was that a black man dared defend himself to white authority and then threaten to file a complaint. If this officer is so good, and taught racial profiling classes, he should have known better. Why did the policeman go into the house after Gates and then not realize he probably had a very scared, older black man on his hands who would need calming down. This cop’s training failed him. He made a stupid, stupid mistake.
Posted by: Kinney | July 24, 2009, 3:29 am 3:29 am
The point is (and Henry Louis Gates is my mother’s cousin-I am telling the truth!) is that a neighbor called the police because they thought someone was breaking into a house. (This just proves that this person doesn’t even know their neighbor!)He showed the police officers indentification that he resided at the location. Why arrest him? This is more evident that nothing has changed in this country-We just hide it well.
Posted by: Jeannie | July 24, 2009, 9:47 am 9:47 am