Nieters: Police deserve more respect from president

By Gerald Nieters
Published: August 12, 2009

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Morganton, NC --

President Obama recently waded into race relations between Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard University African-American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Mr. Gates had returned from a seminar to his home in Cambridge, Mass. A neighbor observed someone pushing against Gates' door and called police, suspecting someone was trying to break into Mr. Gates' home. When Sgt. Crowley arrived he observed two men at or in the house. Mr. Gates is black. According to the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Gates responded to Sgt. Crowley's inquiries by first refusing to show any I.D. and then verbally attacking the sergeant with a tirade of recriminations against him, his mother and the police. When Sgt. Crowley warned Mr. Gates his vituperations constituted disorderly conduct and he would arrest him if he continued. Mr. Gates chose to continue and Sgt. Crowley arrested him.
This account by the Wall Street Journal seems pretty straightforward to me. The police responded to a possible illegal entry and found two men on the premises. For their own safety and well-being they would have to consider these men as suspects until proven otherwise. Asking for I.D. would be the obvious first question. When refused, what would they suspect? The article did not reveal further questions. It did state Mr. Gates lambasted Sgt. Crowley with verbal assaults.
Basically, one has the choice to cooperate with the police or resist in one form or another. In each case, one has to accept the responsibility for their actions. The sergeant saw Mr. Gates' actions as interfering with his investigation. Mr. Gates saw this as an obvious infringement on his rights in general and typical prejudicial police activity in particular.
So, who's right? Sgt. Crowley was trying to investigate a possible illegal entry. He has to determine if a crime has been committed or not. For that he needs answers to questions and some proof of ownership. Mr. Gates needs to furnish that. That done, no problem. Common sense would say to cooperate and be respectful to a policeman who was trying to determine if a crime had been committed and Mr. Gates' property violated. Common sense would say not to yell and castigate the investigating officer. Common sense would say to comply when told to tone it down. And common sense would say to comply when threatened with arrest.
What happened happens all too often. The police "acted stupidly" when it comes to dealing with a minority as per President Obama. Police take an oath to protect and serve. They represent the thin blue line between civil behavior and anarchy. They should have our respect.
It seems to me Mr. Gates' actions were "stupid" and not Sgt. Crowley's. And for President Obama to enter the fray, calling the police actions as "acting stupidly," is in itself stupid.
Why should the citizens respect the executive office when the president is so blatantly disrespectful to law-enforcement? To back Mr. Gates is first unbelievable micromanagement. Second, it does not promote racial equality; it promotes prejudice and class hatred.
If further change is necessary in our society, then let it happen. If the president wants "change," he shouldn't use Jesse Jackson's TelePrompter.
Thank you to all law-enforcement officers for keeping us safe and society orderly. Instead of President Obama having a beer at the White House with Sgt. Crowley and Mr. Gates, I would suggest he and Mr. Gates ride in a police patrol car for a few nights in order to experience a truly "educational experience:" learning firsthand the difference between academia and the real world.