> On Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:36:19 -0400
> Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> > On Jul 24, 2009, at 7:09 PM, Michael Smith wrote:
> >
> > > In my town, cops have become so staggeringly arrogant that
> > > they won't even acknowledge that you exist unless they want
> > > to cuff you.
>
> > I think we live in the same town and I don't know what you're talking
> > about. I've had many entirely civil interactions with the cops in my
> > precinct
>
> You're probably a much nicer guy than I am, Doug. No doubt
> they sense that. And for all I know the cop culture in one
> precinct may be different from another.
>
> But I second your comments about the NYS troopers. Every
> encounter I've had with one of those douchebags has certainly
> brought the phrase "Fascist prick" to mind.
>
Just to make sure the obvious is acknowledged. Cops, despite generally having authoritarian personalities, are individuals who behave and will react to different people in different situations. Often times cops are perfectly nice people, depending on the situation.
Where this cop went wrong in arresting Gates is that he let his authoritarian ego get the best of him when the "uppity negro" professor yelled at him a little bit (assuming the reports of the incident are true).
On the other hand this cop was more than happy to give another black man mouth to mouth resuscitation in an effort to save his life (again assuming various reports are true). So in one situation, the cop demands deferential behavior, probably more so from a black man, and in another situation he is a good guy doing his job, even saving the life of a black man.
What we should demand from police officers is that they behave professionally in all situations, even if it means taking a little disrespect from a black man, and contain their white supremacist authoritarian egos.
Sheldon -- http://left-wingwacko.blogspot.com/