Posted by
prudence russell on Friday, July 31, 2009 12:00:00 AM
Mr. Robert C. Haas
Commissioner, Cambridge Police Department
Dear Mr. Commissioner,
My premise on the Gates/Crowley incident
is not a BLACK/WHITE ISSUE. It is an issue whereas, if an officer can
arrest me in my own home, what safe place would I place myself? As my
daughter look at the situation, she live in boston, she is a lawyer,
she also went along with the President's comment about it was a stupid
reaction on the part of the officer. The officer should have kept a
COOL HEAD, no matter how the professor rant and rave and done all the
disorderly behavior, in his own house, the officer has no rights
whatsoever to force the professor out of his house, handcuffed him,
took him downtown, fingerprinted the professor and treated him like a
common criminal. I would be very upset too if this was done to me or to
any of my daughters and husband.
What the officer should have done
is, calm the professor down, made sure that the person that is ranting
and raving and insulting him, is truly the property owner of the house,
and then once that was established, the officer should have explained
to the professor that they are there only protecting his interest and
nothing else. And if the officer was trained real well at his job, he
could have told the professor since they are already at his doorstep
that maybe they can take a look around his house just to make sure that
none other is in the house but him. (since his driver already left the
scene). The officer (Crowley) should have been train to keep a LEVEL
HEAD at all times....not enforce the status of his uniform, at which we
believe the professor was just intimidated by it. That is why I say,
that James Crowley is the kind that will hang us atop a tree because
first of all he knows he has the upperhand being an officer of the law,
and FEELING SUPERIOR ABOVE ANY OTHER RACE, BEING THAT HE IS WHITE. The
officer being white feels he was insulted by a black man, and no matter
who the hell this black man is, it does not matter to him, because he
feels the black man has no business talking to him like how the
professor reacted towards him because he already has this certain
built-in condecending attitude towards any other race. Now, if others
feel this was a racially motivated situation, it might just be. Your
comment about the President remarks did not help to discipline the
Officer. It has encouraged him instead to do more of the same in the
future. It is still a matter of white over black. The professor is
black and the president is black, none of this matter to you because
you (the caucasians need to stick together) to prove a point right or
wrong. The President said it was a stupid arrest on the part of the
Police... IT IS.
Had
James Crowley kept his COOL, he came out much better looking at this
situation and the professor looking stupid. Stupid act from one does
not make it right from another stupid action (the professor as the
former and the officer as the later). I truly believe that James
Crowley over reacted to a black man's ranting and raving. CAMBRIDGE
POLICE DEPARTMENT MISSION: NEIGHBORHOOD POLICING.
I just
wish this was true. If it was, then James Crowley should have known who
he was policing in the neighborhood and who lives in that house where
he arrested the professor. Cambridge is like exclusive neighborhood,
the police should know by now, who are the neighborhood they are
policing. When the professor called to ask for the Captain in-charge of
Crowley, it should have registered in your phone where the call was
coming from. In our neighborhood, as soon as the phone call comes to
the Police Department, the police need not ask where we are calling
from, they will be at your front door in five (5) minutes.
Commissioner,
we lived at Cambridge when my daughter was attending Boston U and
Harvard U. I am sad to learn of this incident because I always thought
that the Police does take care of the citizens of Cambridge and not
harass them. And I also believe that the Police is highly aware who are
the outsiders versus the insiders of the community. I guess I was wrong.
WERE
YOU INVITED TOO FOR THE BEER DATE WITH THE PRESIDENT? MAYBE NOT BECAUSE
YOU HAVE A NEGATIVE REACTION AGAINST THE PRESIDENT'S REMARK. LUCKY FOR
CROWLEY YOUR SUBORDINATE, IN SPITE OF HIS STUPIDITY, HE GETS TO MEET
THE PRESIDENT, HAVE A BEER WITH HIM AND SEE THE WHITE HOUSE. YOU NEED
TO DO MORE STUPID THINGS TO GET INVITED TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND MEET THE
PRESIDENT.