The story I got on the news was that Mr. Gates got all huffy and belligerent after providing ID. Disorderly conduct was the charge, not breaking and entering.
One lesson I learned early in life (have a bit of a temper, I do) is, a soft answer turns away wrath. The cop is on edge, Mr. Gates is on edge. Things can escalate to the point where stuff happens. Mr. Gates gets hurt. The cop gets hurt. Mr. Gates gets killed. The cop gets killed. None of these are acceptable outcomes, and it's the cop's job to see that they do not come about. Remember, neither of us were there
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You make some cogent points about the responsibility of police officers in keeping their own emotions out of these situations, and de-escalating those of the civilians involved. I don't think you go far enough, however--the officer and his colleagues entirely failed to live up to this part of their job. Gates was upset, by his own admission; however, the officer failed to give him any space to cool down, and according to Gates's account there were about half a dozen officers on hand by the time the actual arrest occurred. There can't have been any reason to believe that any of the officers were in danger. Sure, I wasn't there, but I can read between the lines; they had decided that this guy didn't belong there, so they removed him
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What I find most disheartening is that SO MANY people fail to give the racial aspect any credence.
It's an unfortunate reality. And the more people say, "Oh, it wasn't because he was Black," the longer this reality will continue, fostered in an environment of denial.
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It's an unfortunate reality. And the more people say, "Oh, it wasn't because he was Black," the longer this reality will continue, fostered in an environment of denial.
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