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News & ArtsThursday, July 23, 2009
Life To Catch a (Black) Burglar
Posted by Christopher Frizzelle on Thu, Jul 23, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Watching Obama on TV last night to calling out the Boston cop for acting "stupidly" was so satisfying, and the cop's response to Obama—STFU, essentially (he realizes the president's sorta his boss,* right?)—is galling. And typical. And of a piece with this American moment. My family's full of soft racists like that. The city of Seattle is full of soft racists like that. The other day, a friend with a very well-paying job in a corporate office building downtown got this note from building management:
Dear Tenants,Yesterday, an Afro-American couple was entering different tenant suites saying that they were looking for a lawyer or other services that our tenants provide. During that time period a wallet was stolen from the reception area in one of our tenant’s suite.
After one of our tenants reported the odd behavior of the couple, our security tracked them down and talked to them. Nothing looked suspicious at that time. The couple said they were lost while looking for a tenant in the building.
Please, do not leave any valuable items unattended or where they can be seen. Unfortunately we can’t control who is coming into the building. During these economic times people with bad intentions can get very creative.
Please inform us immediately if anything looks suspicious to you. Security or one of our engineers can assist within minutes.
You can contact our office at 206.448.5655 or by email at laurentia.barbu@cbre.com
Your property management team!
Unbelievable. Try as you might, you just never know what "Afro-Americans" are up to! They said they were "lost"—we all know what that probably means! Man, those "Afro-Americans" sure are crafty! Everyone keep an eye out! For, you know, any "Afro-Americans"! Note that there's literally no other information about these people—was it two men? Two women? A man and woman? Teenagers? Old folks? The sole identifying detail is that they were "Afro-Americans."
And how about that upbeat last sentence? "Your property management team!" That kind of corporate exuberance, matched with the human ugliness of what comes before it, kills me.
UPDATE: I called the property management company that sent this memo to get their side of this story. The woman acknowledged the existence of the memo but said, "There's no comment, sorry."
* People in comments are pointing out that Obama's not his boss. Agreed, horrible way to express what I was trying to suggest, which is that they're both comrades in the business of executing laws—in the executive branch—though of course one's local and one's federal.
1
the real comments the CAMBRIDGE (not boston, seperate city, seperate entity) cop made: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breakin…
He was classy about it. The radio show host even tried to bait him and it didn't work.
He was classy about it. The radio show host even tried to bait him and it didn't work.
4
Yeah... you never know when an Afro-American might wander into your South Park home, just lost and looking for a lawyer, and stab you to death...
5
No, you stupid fuckstick. YOU could have resolved the issue by walking away after he identified himself. Cambridge clearly needs to institute minimum IQ requirements for their cops.
"the professor at any point in time could have resolved the issue by quieting down and/or going back in his house."
No, you stupid fuckstick. YOU could have resolved the issue by walking away after he identified himself. Cambridge clearly needs to institute minimum IQ requirements for their cops.
6
Watch it now Mr Frizzelle, or you might find yourself being labeled as the deafult militant black lover or you know, the more obscene term some like to use.
8
"Soft" racists? They're not even trying to code their racism - that's pretty hard-line racism to me.
9
I used to work in commercial property management, and this kind of racial profiling goes on all the time. Usually they're a little more subtle, especially if there are any minority tenants in the building, but I can recall the careful drafting of many a similar memo.
10
So...was it determined that these mystery "Afro-Americans" stole the wallet? I'm guessing not, although it's implied in the first paragraph that they did.
There's absolutely no point in making any mention of race, especially since all other identifying factors (gender, age, clothing) are omitted.
Stay classy, CBRE.
There's absolutely no point in making any mention of race, especially since all other identifying factors (gender, age, clothing) are omitted.
Stay classy, CBRE.
11
@1, thanks for the link. Yet I'm not sure signing up to appear on a wingnut's radio show, and using the time to publicly air the details he wishes to portray, counts as keeping it classy.
To me, it seems of a piece with arresting a teed-off citizen on his own property because you haven't the training to deescalate, or you do have the training but choose not to employ it because your handcuffs are so shiny in your hand.
To me, it seems of a piece with arresting a teed-off citizen on his own property because you haven't the training to deescalate, or you do have the training but choose not to employ it because your handcuffs are so shiny in your hand.
12
Chris,
I believe you missed the point. Pres. Obama is Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces not the civilian Cambridge Police Dept. He's not Officer Crowley's boss.
And, Pres. Obama qualified what he said (He's a friend of Dr. Gates and his comments could be prejudiced.) last night. I don't agree with what he said. He (Obama) could have stayed out of the fray.
I believe you missed the point. Pres. Obama is Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces not the civilian Cambridge Police Dept. He's not Officer Crowley's boss.
And, Pres. Obama qualified what he said (He's a friend of Dr. Gates and his comments could be prejudiced.) last night. I don't agree with what he said. He (Obama) could have stayed out of the fray.
13
@3: The Market Place Tower in Belltown.
2058 1st Ave S
"Afro-American"? Jesus. I work in property management and can't imagine putting that in an e-mail or the shit I'd get from my bosses if I did.
2058 1st Ave S
"Afro-American"? Jesus. I work in property management and can't imagine putting that in an e-mail or the shit I'd get from my bosses if I did.
14
@10: There have been robberies in buildings downtown this summer. The security camera pictures that have made their way around are of two youngish African American men. Not sure if it's the same people that they're referring to in the e-mail. You're right that mentioning race but no other details is counterproductive.
16
The neighbor who called the cops on Henry Louis Gates was the racist.
The cop was just doing his job, which is to respond when someone reports a burglary in progress.
Read the police report. Gates was justifiably angry about the situation, but his anger with the cop was misplaced.
That said, the cop should have just let Gates rant and not arrested him.
The cop was just doing his job, which is to respond when someone reports a burglary in progress.
Read the police report. Gates was justifiably angry about the situation, but his anger with the cop was misplaced.
That said, the cop should have just let Gates rant and not arrested him.
17
while she was in a meeting, my wife's wallet got stolen from under her desk at her work in Pioneer Square by an "afro-american" posing as an IT temp. and all her "soft racist" co-workers who "fill seattle" were too polite to ask someone they didn't recognize what the fuck he was doing under everybody's desks - probably BECAUSE he was black.
so, maybe the couple WERE thieves. one thing this city IS full of is grifters and vagrants.
so, maybe the couple WERE thieves. one thing this city IS full of is grifters and vagrants.
18
No, they don't KNOW for a fact that the black people stole the wallet, but it stands to reason.
There were black people around. A wallet was stolen. Come ON. You can connect the dots. If a crime was committed somewhere (or something was misplaced) it HAD TO BE black people who did it.
There were black people around. A wallet was stolen. Come ON. You can connect the dots. If a crime was committed somewhere (or something was misplaced) it HAD TO BE black people who did it.
20
@7 exactly right.
Frizzelle, Barack Obama is not that policeman's "boss" any more than he is your "boss" or my "boss" or Vladimir Putin's "boss". Stop saying that.
Frizzelle, Barack Obama is not that policeman's "boss" any more than he is your "boss" or my "boss" or Vladimir Putin's "boss". Stop saying that.
21
@9, @13 - It's not the stupidity of putting "Afro-American" in a memo that's appalling. It's the attitude behind it.
Crafting a memo to be "subtle", yet still racist, is really not any better than issuing a "Negro Alert".
Crafting a memo to be "subtle", yet still racist, is really not any better than issuing a "Negro Alert".
22
Obama's "stupid" comment was wrong and made me cringe during the press conference. He didn't know enough about the situation to make that comment - he said that Gates "forgot his keys" when it has been reported many, many times that Gates' door was jammed.
Obama is a friend of "Skip" Gates, so he must know that Gates is just the sort of person who is likely to over-react to this situation just to prove a point. As noted above (@16), it is the caller who was racist, not the police. I don't know the full facts, either, but I can easily see Gates' arrest being legitimate due to his overreaction (belligerence) to the situation - as the cop indicated. He was willing to "let him go" once he saw the ID. This is not the first time Gates has been belligerent.
The cop's error was not knowing that the person he was dealing with was Henry Gates, and thus not knowing that A Big Deal would be made.
Racism remains a problem in this country. But this incident isn't the poster child.
Obama is a friend of "Skip" Gates, so he must know that Gates is just the sort of person who is likely to over-react to this situation just to prove a point. As noted above (@16), it is the caller who was racist, not the police. I don't know the full facts, either, but I can easily see Gates' arrest being legitimate due to his overreaction (belligerence) to the situation - as the cop indicated. He was willing to "let him go" once he saw the ID. This is not the first time Gates has been belligerent.
The cop's error was not knowing that the person he was dealing with was Henry Gates, and thus not knowing that A Big Deal would be made.
Racism remains a problem in this country. But this incident isn't the poster child.
24
I've had to break into my own house a bunch of times and, every time I've done it, I've been a little amazed at the number of witnesses that didn't call it in. And I'm certain that if I were black, someone would have called in every one of those break-ins. So that's messed up.
But.
Once the call has been made, the police should come. And once they come, they should ask for ID. And once they get ID, they should leave. UNLESS the person they ask for ID from starts flipping out on them, in which case it may be appropriate to arrest them. And I'm not a fan of the "contempt of cop" charge, but the reality is that anyone, black or white, would be arrested for the behavior that Gates is accused of. So, as far as that goes, the officer is exactly right not to apologize.
I guess this is one of those situations where my knee just isn't sufficiently jerky.
But.
Once the call has been made, the police should come. And once they come, they should ask for ID. And once they get ID, they should leave. UNLESS the person they ask for ID from starts flipping out on them, in which case it may be appropriate to arrest them. And I'm not a fan of the "contempt of cop" charge, but the reality is that anyone, black or white, would be arrested for the behavior that Gates is accused of. So, as far as that goes, the officer is exactly right not to apologize.
I guess this is one of those situations where my knee just isn't sufficiently jerky.
25
Also? There is a positive correlation between poverty and the tendency to commit property crimes, and between race and poverty. One doesn't have to be racist to believe that black people are more likely to steal -- one only has to believe that poor people are more likely to steal, and then to accept the simple fact that black people are more likely to be poor.
Put it another way -- you've got a room full of people, and one of them stole a wallet. Everyone in the room stands up and says, "I swear I didn't steal the wallet." One of them a thick southern Appalachian accent.
Quick -- who stole the wallet?
Prejudgments based on race don't have to be racist, per se.
Put it another way -- you've got a room full of people, and one of them stole a wallet. Everyone in the room stands up and says, "I swear I didn't steal the wallet." One of them a thick southern Appalachian accent.
Quick -- who stole the wallet?
Prejudgments based on race don't have to be racist, per se.
26
@17 Which is why I enjoy being a man. I can't simply leave my wallet out in the open as it is on my person.
27
I could cite incident after incident where I experienced, a member of my family experienced or my place of work experienced being the victim of theft by an African American(s)- not Asian, not Hispanic, not white but AFRICAN AMERICANS... A few examples: I worked retail in downtown Seattle and Capitol Hill- 75 of the shoplifters caught were AA. I worked at TWO office buildings where AA's posing as legitimate workers stole purses, wallets and computer equipment (all caught on surveillance mind you) and my sister was robbed at gunpoint at a cash machine on Cap Hill by two AA thugs. Again, the perpetrators were not Asian, not Hispanic, and not white but AFRICAN AMERICANS... So Miss Chrissy- Wake the F**K up! not all AA’s are from the f’rickin Cosby Show!
The Boston policeman was doing his job- how many times do you think police have responded to a home robbery where the thief told them they lived there. Promptly providing the police officers with ID, one way or the other, would have settled the matter immediatetly...
The Boston policeman was doing his job- how many times do you think police have responded to a home robbery where the thief told them they lived there. Promptly providing the police officers with ID, one way or the other, would have settled the matter immediatetly...
28
This could be a case of two sets of predispositions coming to a head. The cop may have been predisposed that Gates, the black guy, was were he shouldn't be and Gates was predisposed to feel he was being profiled and abused by an overly aggressive, racist cop.
I understand cops have the difficult job of determining where to draw the line, when their lives are on the line, as they do their job. A good place to start is to remind all police forces that we do not live in a police state.
I understand cops have the difficult job of determining where to draw the line, when their lives are on the line, as they do their job. A good place to start is to remind all police forces that we do not live in a police state.
29
@17 Did it ever occur to you that maybe they didn't think to ask what he was doing because he was "posing as an IT temp"...?
There are two ways to tell a racist: either they're ignorant of racial issues, or they're hyper-sensitive to them. I do believe you fall into the second camp.
There are two ways to tell a racist: either they're ignorant of racial issues, or they're hyper-sensitive to them. I do believe you fall into the second camp.
32
Oh really. Do you know him? Seems like you're making some huge assumptions here.
All the claims that Gates was being over-the-top belligerent is coming from the cop who is desperate to cover his ass.
so he must know that Gates is just the sort of person who is likely to over-react to this situation just to prove a point.
Oh really. Do you know him? Seems like you're making some huge assumptions here.
All the claims that Gates was being over-the-top belligerent is coming from the cop who is desperate to cover his ass.
33
I don't see how the neighbor is automatically a racist. When you see anyone of any race breaking into your neighbor's house you should call the police. If my neighbors saw me breaking into my own house and called the police, I would thank them and the police for protecting my property. Gates sounds like a huge asshole.
34
At #30
It was provided after Gates’ “you’re racist” tirade and tantrum... in short, Gates responded in a messy uncooperative way.
From the 2nd officer’s police report: Crowley had asked Gates for some identification and Gates shouted that he would not give any information and called the sergeant a racist. According to the report, Gates then yelled, "This is what happens to black men in America." When Crowley tried to calm him down, Gates shouted, "You don't know who you're messing with."
It wasn’t till after this that ID was provided.
#30 you’re the one that needs to learn to read. I never said he didn’t provide it- I said ID should have PROMPTLY been provided to the officers…
Sheesh!
It was provided after Gates’ “you’re racist” tirade and tantrum... in short, Gates responded in a messy uncooperative way.
From the 2nd officer’s police report: Crowley had asked Gates for some identification and Gates shouted that he would not give any information and called the sergeant a racist. According to the report, Gates then yelled, "This is what happens to black men in America." When Crowley tried to calm him down, Gates shouted, "You don't know who you're messing with."
It wasn’t till after this that ID was provided.
#30 you’re the one that needs to learn to read. I never said he didn’t provide it- I said ID should have PROMPTLY been provided to the officers…
Sheesh!
35
So... because he has a motive for lying, he must be lying?
How does that same analysis not apply to Gates himself?
All the claims that Gates was being over-the-top belligerent is coming from the cop who is desperate to cover his ass.
So... because he has a motive for lying, he must be lying?
How does that same analysis not apply to Gates himself?
36
Some analysis from someone who knows what he's talking about:
Sgt. Crowley's report almost certainly contains intentional falsehoods, but even accepting his account at face value, the report tells us all we need to conclude that Crowley was in the wrong here, and by a large factor.
The lesson most cops understand (apart from the importance of using the word "tumultuous," which features prominently in Crowley's report) is that a person cannot violate 272/53 by yelling in his own home.
Read Crowley's report and stop on page two when he admits seeing Gates's Harvard photo ID. I don't care what Gates had said to him up until then, Crowley was obligated to leave.
He's staying put in Gates' home, having been asked to leave, and Gates is demanding his identification. What does Crowley do? He suggests that if Gates wants his name and badge number, he'll have to come outside to get it... Spoiling for a fight, Crowley refuses to repeat his name and badge number... By telling Gates to come outside, Crowley establishes that he has lost all semblance of professionalism. It has now become personal and he wants to create a violation of 272/53.
37
@35,
Gates doesn't stand to lose his job.
@34,
Who gives a shit? There's no law against getting angry at a cop.
Gates doesn't stand to lose his job.
@34,
Who gives a shit? There's no law against getting angry at a cop.
38
@34,
And shouldn't the cop have provided his name and badge number? He is legally required to do that. Why are you willing to give the cop a pass for willfully breaking the law?
And shouldn't the cop have provided his name and badge number? He is legally required to do that. Why are you willing to give the cop a pass for willfully breaking the law?
39
@37
And you think the cop does stand to lose his job? I can pretty much guarantee you that the contract the city has with the local police union doesn't allow for termination in a case like this and that, in any case, no review board would fire him for this.
You remember when there was video of that KC sheriff kicking that protester in the back of the head during the WTO riots? Court judgment came down against the sheriff, he was fired, and the guild got him rehired against the department's wishes? This is nowhere near that egregious.
So no, the cop isn't fighting for his job. Pick another motive.
And you think the cop does stand to lose his job? I can pretty much guarantee you that the contract the city has with the local police union doesn't allow for termination in a case like this and that, in any case, no review board would fire him for this.
You remember when there was video of that KC sheriff kicking that protester in the back of the head during the WTO riots? Court judgment came down against the sheriff, he was fired, and the guild got him rehired against the department's wishes? This is nowhere near that egregious.
So no, the cop isn't fighting for his job. Pick another motive.
40
At #37
No, no law against that, however if police respond to a potential home break in, it is the job of the police to verify whether there is indeed a break in or if it is a mistake- hence the request for ID which wasn't provided till AFTER a lot of hemming and hawing on the part of Gates.
Damn, you so suck at arguing...
No, no law against that, however if police respond to a potential home break in, it is the job of the police to verify whether there is indeed a break in or if it is a mistake- hence the request for ID which wasn't provided till AFTER a lot of hemming and hawing on the part of Gates.
Damn, you so suck at arguing...
41
Great link, @36. It has a link to a PDF of the officer's report as filed. It sure seems like the cop lured shouty Gates outside his home onto the front porch just to make him arrestable. The narrative made it easy to put myself in Gates' place and see how easily I too would have been led into the cop's trap.
42
Heussler's analysis (@36's link) is a must-read. It shows Crowley's thinking process in how he chose to deal with an uppity little negro.
Pam'sHouseblend.com inserts an interesting point about how class may have played a role in this debacle:
"Professor Gates, during his angry tête-à-tête with Crowley, tossed down the "don't you know who I am" card (to be precise, in the report it says Gates told him he had "no idea who he was messing with"). I know that I can't stand it when people in Gates's position and station drop that sh*t as a trump card (trust me, I see it first-hand all the time in academia to name one field), so imagine this officer, who clearly is in a different socioeconomic universe than Gates. It's one thing to be a famous black b-baller dying on the floor, it's another matter altogether when the other person might be perceived as a spoiled academic who's looking down at you and verbally abusing you."
Pam'sHouseblend.com inserts an interesting point about how class may have played a role in this debacle:
"Professor Gates, during his angry tête-à-tête with Crowley, tossed down the "don't you know who I am" card (to be precise, in the report it says Gates told him he had "no idea who he was messing with"). I know that I can't stand it when people in Gates's position and station drop that sh*t as a trump card (trust me, I see it first-hand all the time in academia to name one field), so imagine this officer, who clearly is in a different socioeconomic universe than Gates. It's one thing to be a famous black b-baller dying on the floor, it's another matter altogether when the other person might be perceived as a spoiled academic who's looking down at you and verbally abusing you."
43
@36: Wow, how can anyone see that report as anything but damning of the officer's actions? He used terrible judgement, and his tone throughout is defensive and painfully disingenuous.
My favourite parts: After Gates, obviously not a burglar, has made it perfectly clear why he's angry by asking "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" the officer writes, "While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me". He's either lying or he's impossibly naive.
Then the officer gets on him for his "tumultuous" behavior "in view of the public". Clearly, the officer is embarrassed about being called racist in front of a crowd, but he makes it out like Gates is actually becoming a threat: Gates' yelling "drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates's outburst". This seems to be his justification for cuffing Gates.
I wasn't completely sure at first, but this clinches it. My sympathies are with Gates.
My favourite parts: After Gates, obviously not a burglar, has made it perfectly clear why he's angry by asking "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" the officer writes, "While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me". He's either lying or he's impossibly naive.
Then the officer gets on him for his "tumultuous" behavior "in view of the public". Clearly, the officer is embarrassed about being called racist in front of a crowd, but he makes it out like Gates is actually becoming a threat: Gates' yelling "drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates's outburst". This seems to be his justification for cuffing Gates.
I wasn't completely sure at first, but this clinches it. My sympathies are with Gates.
44
@30: firstly, i said they DIDN'T RECOGNIZE HIM.
i'll own up to bigoted. not racist. i'm not asserting the superiority of one race over another based on a doctrine.
everyone's a bigot about some group or another -"afro"-americans, whites, koreans, native americans, mexicans, southerners, texans, floridians, republicans, journey fans. you included.
let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
i'll own up to bigoted. not racist. i'm not asserting the superiority of one race over another based on a doctrine.
everyone's a bigot about some group or another -"afro"-americans, whites, koreans, native americans, mexicans, southerners, texans, floridians, republicans, journey fans. you included.
let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
45
I worked at a dollar store out in the suburbs 25 years ago and the owner was training me and told me point blank that African Americans always steal something when they are in the store. I was distrubed by this comment and wanted to prove them wrong but I was later stunned when the few African Americans that came in actually did try to steal stuff.
This was before blacks started living out into the suburbs of large numbers so things are different now but I was quite horrified by this and the fact that anyone would steal something from a dollar store.
This was before blacks started living out into the suburbs of large numbers so things are different now but I was quite horrified by this and the fact that anyone would steal something from a dollar store.
46
@36 - What a load of shit.
BTW the report says he began to leave after the ID was shown.
Jackass.
BTW the report says he began to leave after the ID was shown.
Jackass.
48
Gates is a belligent attention whore who happens to be black. Instead of providing his ID when asked, he starts yelling about "this is how black men in america are treated".
When the officer ascertained Gates' identity, and went outside to call in his report, Gates followed the officer outside, yelling and screaming all the while because he saw that he had an audience.
Gates was arrested for causing a disturbance, which was exactly what he was doing. It's easy to yell "racism" when a black man is involved, but in this case, Gates was acting the part of an abusive, defensive, uncooperative, confrontational asswipe.
Cops have at their discretion the power to resolve these situations with a disturbance arrest, which is what happened.
Stop defending this attention whore and save your black-on-white outrage for people who merit sympathy.
When the officer ascertained Gates' identity, and went outside to call in his report, Gates followed the officer outside, yelling and screaming all the while because he saw that he had an audience.
Gates was arrested for causing a disturbance, which was exactly what he was doing. It's easy to yell "racism" when a black man is involved, but in this case, Gates was acting the part of an abusive, defensive, uncooperative, confrontational asswipe.
Cops have at their discretion the power to resolve these situations with a disturbance arrest, which is what happened.
Stop defending this attention whore and save your black-on-white outrage for people who merit sympathy.
49
yeah it's not like blacks make up only about 12% of the USA but commit over 52% of all murders and 34% of all rapes or anything... oh wait
50
@47:
will, an incomplete list of groups people commonly have predjudical beliefs about OFFENDED you?
heaven forfend i mention HILLBILLIES.
will, an incomplete list of groups people commonly have predjudical beliefs about OFFENDED you?
heaven forfend i mention HILLBILLIES.
51
"When the officer ascertained Gates' identity, and went outside to call in his report, Gates followed the officer outside, yelling and screaming all the while because he saw that he had an audience."
He was ordered to leave the house by the arresting officer.
He was ordered to leave the house by the arresting officer.
52
"yeah it's not like blacks make up only about 12% of the USA but commit over 52% of all murders and 34% of all rapes or anything... oh wait"
Firstly, quote the statistics from some place that's not Stormfront.
Secondly, break that down by socioeconomic levels. Race becomes FAR less of a factor at that point.
Firstly, quote the statistics from some place that's not Stormfront.
Secondly, break that down by socioeconomic levels. Race becomes FAR less of a factor at that point.
53
Just call them black.
And this post is dripping with hand-wringing guilt over the author's (lack of) IRL relations with people who aren't caucasian.
And this post is dripping with hand-wringing guilt over the author's (lack of) IRL relations with people who aren't caucasian.
54
Christopher,
I had heard that you were a phony "journalist", but I never really paid any attention to you or your "newspaper". I read this with dismay after a friend told me about it. Your quote:
"(he realizes the president's sorta his boss,* right?)—is galling. And typical. And of a piece with this American moment. My family's full of soft racists like that. The city of Seattle is full of soft racists like that."
Do you have an education? I am not sure how a "journalist" much less an editor of a newspaper could write something like that. How did it get by Ms. Savage?
The president is his boss? What school did you learn that in? What gives you the right (other than the fact that you write for this "newspaper" that I would not wipe my ass with) to say that this city is filled with "soft racists". What exactly does that mean anyway? You are obviously immature and inexperienced and you should seriously consider another career.
I had heard that you were a phony "journalist", but I never really paid any attention to you or your "newspaper". I read this with dismay after a friend told me about it. Your quote:
"(he realizes the president's sorta his boss,* right?)—is galling. And typical. And of a piece with this American moment. My family's full of soft racists like that. The city of Seattle is full of soft racists like that."
Do you have an education? I am not sure how a "journalist" much less an editor of a newspaper could write something like that. How did it get by Ms. Savage?
The president is his boss? What school did you learn that in? What gives you the right (other than the fact that you write for this "newspaper" that I would not wipe my ass with) to say that this city is filled with "soft racists". What exactly does that mean anyway? You are obviously immature and inexperienced and you should seriously consider another career.
55
@48 that's really funny. I kind of love how folks, not you in particular 48, are quick to quote the constitution and rights related to search and seizure and further talk about security in one's home and then suddenly a dude, noted academic or not, is supposed to be all calm and cool when the police question him at his home, after a) coming from some trip from who knows where, b) having trouble getting into his own house, c) having a cane or some injury? I'm not saying its right that he got pissed off, but I don't know many people, black or white, who wouldn't be pissed off at the whole incident happening at their own house after all the above letters and not go off on the cop. Particularly since the cop didn't explain the particulars of why he was there in the first, which granted they don't have to. So, did he make a lot of noise @48, yes,not because he had an "audience' but because he was damn mad. And when people are mad they do stupid shit. And while the police do have leeway in terms of arresting people for being angry with them or even slightly disrespectful, it depends on the cop. Arresting someone at their home, who's not drunk or otherwise a danger to the cop or anyone else is a bit much. He should've told him to fuck off, given him his badge number, and then told him sure file a complaint and driven away. Then the story would've been different. But maybe the cop had a bad day too and was like fuck this, I'm going to arrest you. The yelling between them, etc. is not atypical for a 'misunderstanding', between a cop and a citizen. The arrest itself is and that's what makes you wonder, particularly since the charges were dropped. I'm like arrest him and charge his ass or it's just bullshit trying to make a point and run him through the ringer for humiliation's sake.
Oh, and where I worked at a small store in the burbs kids used to steal shit all the time (some of them my classmates!), highschoolers lifting shit. I didn't get a memo saying watch out for the white kids, just watch out for the highschoolers and sure enough half of em that came in stole shit.
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Oh, and where I worked at a small store in the burbs kids used to steal shit all the time (some of them my classmates!), highschoolers lifting shit. I didn't get a memo saying watch out for the white kids, just watch out for the highschoolers and sure enough half of em that came in stole shit.
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