Stupid is . . . as stupid Does

This whole fiasco with Obama, Dr. Henry Lewis Gates, Sgt. Crowley, and the Cambridge Police Force has drawn attention from both sides of a tired argument about the state of our nation’s health . . . our racial health.

In the movie Forrest Gump he states: “Stupid is . . . as stupid does.”

Maybe its stupidity that is running rampart in America today.

Before I comment here is a copy of the police report.

Police Report

Short version (If there is one):

Respected Harvard professor Dr. Henry Lewis Gates (a black man) returns from an overseas trip from China to his home, (probably exhausted) has trouble getting into the front door, enlists help from another man (also black) who is seen by a neighbor attempting to “break in” or force the door open (not the first time at this residence). Neighbor calls police where Sgt. Crowley who is close by responds being the first to arrive. (Crowley is a admin type officer, not a “beat cop”)

Crowley is prepared to possibly confront an intruder, burglar or some other kind of criminal . . . possibly a dangerous criminal. Undoubtedly, Crowley was assertive when he confronted Gates. He asked who Gates was, what was he doing there and similar questions.

Was Crowley overly confrontational? Was he initially adversarial? Possibly. When questioning a possible suspect, is it natural to be assertive and confrontational? In some cases, probably and I say this from a perspective of a former officer from a lifetime ago who has responded to similar situations in Atlanta in the early 70’s.

Gates is already tired and annoyed about his front door. Now, a peace officer is being confrontational. Could Gates' fatigue from a long flight and frustration about his door have played a part in his response? Maybe.

Due to the long flight and fatigue, could his inhibitions have been altered, causing him to be more irritable? Possible, and understandable. Then the stupidity shows itself as the “race card” is played.

“Why, because I’m a black man in America?” Gates allegedly said to the Cambridge, Mass. cop, Sgt. James Crowley, who responded to the call, when Crowley asked to see Gates’ identification.

Thing escalated, people stopped on the street to observe and you never know how things will turn out in any given situation. Some might say that Sgt. Crowley might have ‘thin skin’ for arresting Dr. Gates over “words” but one must remember in most cities racial tirades are considered hate crimes in most jurisdictions. Gates provided Harvard identification only (which has no address to confirm residence) but who out there would “POTP” (piss off the Police) being confrontational in a potentially harmful situation responding to a possible burglary in progress?

Sgt. Crowley – racist or profiler? Let’s see . . .

It turns out that Sgt. Crowley has been teaching a class on racial profiling at the Lowell Police Academy for the past five years and he was handpicked to do by Ron Watson, the former Chief of Police for the City of Cambridge. It is worth noting that Watson is African-American. Would Watson have tabbed Crowley for that position if he thought Crowley was a "racist officer" much less a "rogue cop"? Doubtful.

I don't know all the facts of the Dr. Gates case- indeed, one side says one thing and the other side says something different.

But, if you follow the rule that usually the truth is somewhere "in-between", you could probably come to this conclusion: The good Professor might have acted in a way most of us know NOT to act and the police might have been a little touchy when they arrested him. My first instinct when dealing with the police is cooperation.

Then our guiding force, Obama spouts how the cops “acted stupidly” without having all the facts . . . yep . . . insert foot into mouth.

"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry," Obama said. "Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And number three — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

In this time of instant information we forget the voice of reason and the man who gave that to most of our country in the turbulent 1960s, Walter Cronkite, the legendary CBS anchorman, “seemed to help Americans on both sides of the political fence understand each other,” his son said at a funeral service at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday afternoon.

Thanks Mr. Cronkite for your compassion and insightfulness into the world around us . . . you have been missed.

“And that’s the way it was.”

Ice