Police Officers work hard and have a thankless job. They often see people at their worst. They are often in physical danger.
However, there are too many that abuse their power. Many people across the country believe that Sgt. Crowley's arrest of Professor Gates was based on race. It seems a consensus among blacks, and I am not black so I cannot dispute their thinking. I have never been racially profiled.
My perspective is a little different. Perhaps in addition to racial profiling there was another issue at hand. From the time the police report became available it seemed clear to me that this was another 'disorderly conduct' catch-all arrest that many cops make when they want to show power. Crowley should have walked away, no matter what Gates said to him. Gates was not a threat to him or anyone else.
Along comes Pepin Tuma. A white guy. Arrested recently by the D. C. Police for disorderly conduct.
According to a Huffington Post article (link below) he was arrested for shouting "I hate the Police" last Saturday night. Now I understand that no one likes to be hated. And that showing respect for authority is a good thing.
Mr. Tuma is also a lawyer, so I believe that he clearly knew what he was doing. His provocation seemed rather deliberate. In the article he says that he and his friends had been talking about the Gates arrest.
"It seems like police have a tendency to act overly aggressively when they're being pushed around," Tuma recalled saying.
Tuma was walking with friends when they saw "five or six" police cruisers nearby. It appeared the police were responding to a traffic stop. Tuma said:
...in a loud sing-song voice, he then chanted, "I hate the police, I hate the police."
It got the attention of one of the officers...
"Who do you think you are to think you can talk to a police officer like that?"
I understand that Tuma was being a bit of a jerk, but he had a point when he said:
"It is not illegal to say I hate the police. It's not illegal to express my opinion walking down the street."
The police officer disagreed. He handcuffed Tuma and arrested him for that broad catch-all crime "disorderly conduct". Tuma spent a few hours in jail. He claims that the cop insulted him, and plans to file a claim with the police department.
Why am I bringing this to your attention? I don't mean to distract those who are concerned about racial aspects when dealing with police. But I do think there is a secondary problem that also needs addressing. The broad definition of 'disorderly conduct' may allow too much abuse of power. I have a poll, what do you think?
Article at Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...