You know I was thinking of starting a blog that picked out a few of the most egregious moments of stupidity and sharing my thoughts . . . and then considered that it would be a full time job with no reasonable source of revenue. So, I’ll just keep on with www.loudloft.blogs.com. That my blog entries get posted on Facebook as notes is just a plus.
Several years ago on his show, Chris Rock showed a clip that became known as the NYPD Training video. For the actual title . . . well, you’re on your own to find it but it’s out there floating around some of the more popular online video site <you-cough-tube-cough>. It definitely falls into the NSFW category (hey, it was a cable show, what do you expect) and it is as profane as it is profound.
I think of this video every time I hear of an instance of DWB (Driving While Black) or see an example of DWB.
Before you continue reading the rest of this post, find the video and watch it all the way through. The content and wise advice offered by Mr. Rock will play an important role in the rest of the post.
NOTE: I'm not responsible if you're ears are offended by the coarse and foul language of Mr Chris Rock. You've been warned. Of course now, if it was me, I would HAVE to watch it. I'm tricky that way, aren't I?
(Insert Jeopardy music here while waiting for you dear readers to find the video, watch it and make your way back)
Welcome back.
Let’s be clear on one thing. The arrest of the black guy in Cambridge was stupid. You can call it what ever you want. It might not have seemed stupid at the time, but hindsight is 20/20 and his arrest was stupid. In my previous employ, I edited hundreds of hours of training videos for the Law Enforcement community that was used to train LEO how to do everything from staying safe on a traffic stop to investigating meth labs. I’ve sat with training officers as they debated the finer points of crowd control, dealing with domestic disturbances and defusing hostile/volatile situations.
The right thing to do for the officer was to set aside whatever slurs and insults that was hurled his way (and I’m guessing a Harvard Professor should be able to conjugate the phrase “#$%& @#*” in various and creative ways) and once established that it was his house, wish him a good day and make himself available for other calls.
If you’ve read the arrest report, which is easy to find online, you will read that the officer and Gates (a not happy guy who clearly doesn’t know when to shut it) were inside the house and after providing his name to Gates said to him “that if he had any other questions regarding the matter, I would speak with him outside of the residence”.
Did you know “disorderly conduct” is a misdemeanor charge that typically is only applicable for actions, words, etc that occur in a public place? No? I didn’t think so. I would wager that Gates didn’t know this either. Would Officer Crowley? If he didn’t know, he’s got no business on the police force.
So Gates, follows the officer outside and the officer writes in his report “As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gate’s outburst. For a second time I warned Gates to calm down while I withdrew my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell at me. It was at this time that I informed Gates that he was under arrest”.
You can read the entire report online if you want . . .
So, Gates was arrested for yelling at an officer from his porch and not shutting up when told to . . . seriously. There is no criminal action described by Crowley in his report. He was yelled at. That’s it.
Let’s recap. Officer responds to a possible break in, in progress. Finds an angry black man inside who clearly has never seen the Chris Rock NYPD training video. He goes inside, gets yelled at, is told that a complaint will be filed. Officer tells him that if he wants to continue his tirade to do so outside and then arrests him for continuing his tirade outside.
It’s no wonder the charges were dropped like a hot potato. It was an uncalled for arrest that wouldn’t hold water in court much less under the white hot scrutiny of adversarial parties.
So on to Obama. I was watching the press conference and was surprised at his comment that the department handled it “stupidly”. Even though that is what happened, that’s not a wise choice of words nor is it even an event that really warrants much commentary at all from a sitting President.
He made his “mea culpa” the next day and took his bully pulpit in the other direction and seems to have brokered a meeting between Crowley, Gates and himself.
Here’s the bottom line, this week there was enough stupidity to go around. Gates should have kept his mouth shut. Crowley should have done his job, then walked away. Obama should have dodged this hot potato question with a “don’t have all the facts and don’t care to comment” response.
The silver lining to this dark cloud is that some people are actually discussing what happened and it seems that Gates and Crowley might actually discuss it. I would hope that Gates leaves with a greater understanding of the pressures that LEO’s face every day going in to situations where they have to be on “high alert” and that Crowley leaves with a real world experience that people of color in this country start the game with a handicap. You, dear reader, should do the same . . .
For anyone to deny that either one of those situations exist tells me that there is yet one more hole in the sand plugged with someone’s head.
As for Rush. He stated that “the press has met it’s Waterloo and it’s Obama”. He’s referring to the media tossing their journalistic integrity out the window by not holding him to a critical standard . . . more or less.
Rush missed the mark by a couple of decades and it happened way before the current crop of most of the folks in the media were even interns. Many media outlets (hard to even call them news outlets these days) threw their integrity under the bus when their corporate fathers decided that revenue trumped the traditional role of the free press. The Waterloo was when it became apparent to the corporation that more soap could be sold by speaking to the political leanings of the viewers as opposed to presenting an unbiased account.
I learned very early in my brief time in “the media” that when there are two sides to a story (and there almost always are) the true test that you’ve meet your journalistic obligation is that after the story has aired or been printed - you get an equal number of complaints from both sides. In other words, if you’ve pissed off everybody - you’ve done your job.
I submit that MSNBC and Fox (the poster children for taking a political side) would flip positions in a heart beat if they thought they could attract a bigger audience.
It seems that the folks who watch MSNBC agree with the stance taken by that network. It appears that the folks who watch Fox concur with the positions taken by that organization. I’m dumbfounded by this. I read a variety of newspapers that I often wholeheartedly disagree with. I read blogs that make me hang my head in wonder as to how the writer to came to their conclusion.
I do draw the line at watching either of the TV news outlets that I mentioned above. I would rather have a colonoscopy than sit through an hour of Paula Maddow, Glen Beck, Keith Olberman, Bill O’Reilly, Chris Mathews or Sean Hannity. At least with a colonoscopy you get great drugs and you can play “pull my finger” with the nurses for about an hour after you wake up.
A single voice as your “source” of news is, ummm, what’s the word? Oh yeah, stupid.
Great, now I will have to post an entry tomorrow apologizing for using the word “stupid”.
Hey everybody, hold your breath :)
"The Waterloo was when it became apparent to the corporation that more soap could be sold by speaking to the political leanings of the viewers as opposed to presenting an unbiased account."
This has been my thinking for quite a long time. It has become much more apparent to me since I've been back in "TV news" for a couple of years now. I've just never been able to formulate the thought or translate that thinking into such a coherent sentence. Thanks.
Posted by: Mike Peacock | August 26, 2009 at 10:41 AM