Black In America: Media Displays Racial Bias In Coverage of Henry Louis Gates Arrest
The coverage of the recent arrest of a prominent Harvard Professor in his own home has sparked national debate.
The media coverage of news agencies such as CNN and Fox News have become clearly biased as they parade the record of the arresting officer.
It is always the assumption in this nation that the African American is wrong and the other party deserves the benefit of the doubt.
This is the textbook example of African Americans being second class citizens in regard to the law.
The continued injustices are always downplayed by the media and government to be a simple misunderstanding; it is not.
The President of the country should never have to retract his opinion when asked a question and further more should not be subject to scrutiny by the media and the Cambridge Police Department.
This also shows the class divides in America still exist in an unspoken matter as President Obama called the officer to speak with him before attempting to contact the victim. President Obama has yet to call his “friend” Prof. Henry Gates; however the officer has been contacted.
Fox News and CNN have taken liberty to portray this as an apology to the officer. The officer has blatantly refused to apologize to Prof. Henry Gates. Prof. Gates’ side of the story is incomplete at best, receiving little to no attention at all.
Whether the President of the United States or a professor of Harvard University; a black man does not retain equal rights in this nation.
Henry Gates was arrested in his home for disorderly conduct. The media’s assumption was that he was deserving of the arrest. I assume he was not.
If the officer is telling the truth and Gates was belligerent as he attempted to leave, he should have given Gates his name and badge number and left.
Under Massachusetts law an officer is required to provide name and badge number to a civilian who asks; the officer refused to do so.
But what do I know, white is right…
The coverage of the recent arrest of a prominent Harvard Professor in his own home has sparked national debate.
The media coverage of news agencies such as CNN and Fox News have become clearly biased as they parade the record of the arresting officer.
It is always the assumption in this nation that the African American is wrong and the other party deserves the benefit of the doubt.
This is the textbook example of African Americans being second class citizens in regard to the law.
The continued injustices are always downplayed by the media and government to be a simple misunderstanding; it is not.
The President of the country should never have to retract his opinion when asked a question and further more should not be subject to scrutiny by the media and the Cambridge Police Department.
This also shows the class divides in America still exist in an unspoken matter as President Obama called the officer to speak with him before attempting to contact the victim. President Obama has yet to call his “friend” Prof. Henry Gates; however the officer has been contacted.
Fox News and CNN have taken liberty to portray this as an apology to the officer. The officer has blatantly refused to apologize to Prof. Henry Gates. Prof. Gates’ side of the story is incomplete at best, receiving little to no attention at all.
Whether the President of the United States or a professor of Harvard University; a black man does not retain equal rights in this nation.
Henry Gates was arrested in his home for disorderly conduct. The media’s assumption was that he was deserving of the arrest. I assume he was not.
If the officer is telling the truth and Gates was belligerent as he attempted to leave, he should have given Gates his name and badge number and left.
Under Massachusetts law an officer is required to provide name and badge number to a civilian who asks; the officer refused to do so.
But what do I know, white is right…
~ by artofficial26 on July 24, 2009.
Posted in Black In America
Tags: activism, Africa, african american, african american history, America, Barack Obama, black, black america, black pride, civil rights, cnn, color confrontation, fox news, harvard, henry gates, Henry Louis Gates, Humanitarian, interview, politics, professor, racial, Racism, White Supremacy
First Gates was wrong to use the racial card. It might be true that black people face racism more than any other group. But it does not give Gates the right to have a fit with a cop who is responding to a call. He should have been in jail for a night. To use his own words, Obama was also stupid to get in this issue. One, it is local. I thought traditionally Presidents don’t get tangled with local issues. Two, he was not properly informed and then he called the force stupid. He should be under this fire. His mouth got him in trouble. Maybe Biden is rubbing off on him.
There is no clear cut story which states that Professor Gates ever used the race card. The officer claims that Gates had a fit, displaying “tumultuous” behavior; the textbook definition of a disturbing the peace charge(coincidence?). The bigger issue is why a Harvard Professor is less credible than a police officer. An officer should only arrest a civilian on this charge when they pose a danger to themselves or the community. “To protect and serve”. If an officier is allowed to make an arrest anytime he is offended by statements one makes then we have a country that exalts nation and often race above the individual; the beginning of textbook fascism. It’s ironic that Gates’ right to freedom of speech is not an issue. Is it not his right to hold the belief that he was being unjustly questioned? Instead, he was arrested for being “unruly” on his own property. Am I to believe that a 58 year old man with a cane, posed a formidable threat to the peace of the community? I am no fool. If the officer had not have been acting “stupidly”, then he would have returned to his car, left Professor Gates to his home and protected the community from real criminals that night like most officers do.
Please do not take the President’s words out of context. Obama stated that after it was affirmed that Professor Gates was the owner of the home; the police acted stupidly in arresting and detaining a 58 year old man. He did not “call the force stupid”. Obama fails to realize he is speaking to a largely “stupid” nation who ranks 18th in education internationally. What he was trying to say was quite clear; he does not believe there was any reason why Professor Gates should have been arrested on his own property. A better judgement may have led to the officer walking away. However “stupid” people let their emotions and personal feelings get in the way of their duties. Someone was probably really robbing a home while the “force” attempted to display it by parading a 58 year old, hadicapped Harvard Professor to jail.
Have a read of the police report.You mentioned that Gates never used the race card. By now, everyone knows he did. So get real. The officer acted correctly, this is exactly what they are trained to do. Gates had a hissy fit. I wish there was a tape for him to see how embarrassing he was. I am tired of black people crying foul. Reduce the percentage of your own people committing crime then people won’t think so much of being black.
“Gates had a hissy fit. I wish there was a tape for him to see how embarrassing he was.” Ignorance is bliss. The arresting officer wrote the report you fool, it is not the Holy Grail. “Reduce the percentage of your own people committing crime then people won’t think so much of being black.” Learn the syntax of language. To think much of people is to admire them. To think little of someone is…self explanitory fool. So you mean’t to say, “…people wouldn’t think so LITTLE of being black.” And by people you mean you and only you in all your inadequacies. But what you fail to realize it that your short comings are your own. You think little of black people and think little of being black, because of your man in the mirror. A small person makes judgement, while a man of dignity makes change. Ignorance is bliss and this will fall on your deaf ears, if not going over your head. I expect no more from you than you display. Most people are average…that’s why it’s called the average. Lol. Your time is ending, this is the 21st century. If you can not articulate an innovative mind, you won’t survive. Professor Gates and African Americans are not just “my people” but “everyone’s people”. A man did not deserve to be arrested. The crime rates of African Americans is irrelevant if your innocent until proven guilty. You display the same biased, prejudice train of thought which probably led to the baseless arrest of an academic scholar. The charges were dropped you fool; he is not guilty of the crime. Welcome to America. That’s how my government works, “innocent until proven guilty”. So please do not immigrate (Corve DaCosta), to my country with your minute hopes of making an American Dream and an American Dollar which was built on my ancestors backs. Africans lived the nightmare so a wretched self hating loathe like yourself could have a place to make money and dream to be a star, fool. Your mindstate is infinitesimal, you would never survive in Corporate America because your not rational or calculating. Your still naive and ignorant. People who make money and make changes understand the life we live because we are leaders. You my brother are a follower.
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