A Funny Thing Happened When I Posted in a Forum…
July 25th, 2009 by Larry Bellinger Posted in Current Events, News, Politics, RaceI am still puzzled, and a bit saddened by the fallout from President Obama’s answer to a question concerning the arrest of Prof. Henry Gates. The blogosphere is ablaze with virulent anti-Obama invective.
Yesterday I wrote an essay detailing my perspective on the situation and posted the opening paragraphs and a link to my website… what can I say? I’m an attention hound, it’s what I do and it’s why I am earning a Master degree in Public Communication. This website is a place where I can practice my craft and it is where I solicit feedback.
So I put links on Facebook, Twitter and other places.
I also posted on the following site, PoliticsDaily. I’ll share the least offensive response… notice, I have become an Insecure Dolt!
larrybellinger
11:10PM Jul 24th 2009
If you have ever been dealt with in a condescending way by an “authority figure” you can probably understand how Prof. Henry Louis “Skip” Gates felt when he was arrested at his home in Cambridge, Mass., last week.
President Obama, in response to a question from Chicago reporter Lynn Sweet, gave an honest answer as a black man born and raised in America. Once the cop knew Gates was in his own home, I don’t care if Gates was a total asshole about the situation; for the cop to arrest him for basically having an “attitude” in his own house sends a message to every black man in this country, and it isn’t a good one…
Charles Savilla
1:29PM Jul 25th 2009
For the one-millionth time! He was NOT in his house when he got arrested, you dolt! The officer was leaving the scene when Gates followed him outside while continuing his rant and protest!! After being warned by the officer to discontinue his loud and boisterous behavior out in public, OUTSIDE HIS HOUSE, Gates ignored the officers lawful order and was subsequently arrested for disorderly conduct. The question as to whether Gates was the legal resident or not was resolved before the disorderly conduct incident. That’s why the officer was leaving. I suppose you already knew the whole story before you wrote your post but you took the parts that complimented your agenda and ignored the rest. How typical of an insecure person who doesn’t want to hear the truth. It’s pathetic.
Well, Yeah! The cop was leaving and Gates said that “One last thing” that pushed the cop’s sense of righteousness to the Tipping Point. The cop could have easily tossed, “Have a nice day! (asshole!)” over his shoulder and left. But he didn’t and that is why it was a problem.
Too often I have encountered Cops who espouse the “Judge Dredd“ theory of law enforcement, i.e. “I AM THE LAW!”
That’s why in the last 39 years I have NEVER stood up for my rights in ANY situation with a police officer, no matter how much I may have felt I was in the right.
One afternoon, when I was in college, a friend and I were taken into custody for “suspicion.” We were, separated, processed and interrogated. They kept asking me questions about the “Black Liberation Army.” WTF?
The problem was I got pulled over and when the officer asked to search my car for drugs I was damned if I was gonna say no. I did tell him that when he opened the trunk he would find twelve ’03 Springfield rifles. The fact they were wrapped with blue and white tape, had no bolts, had lead-plugged barrels and were obviously Drill Team rifles, meant nothing.
I was transporting my fraternity’s (Pershing Rifles – Company U-4) drill weapons from a performance that afternoon over in Norfolk. Too bad for my buddy, Russell, because he wasn’t in the frat and just happened to be in my car before I had logged the weapons in at ROTC. After several hours of serious questioning I was allowed the phone call that I consistently requested.
I didn’t call home. I called an Art professor and asked her to contact her boyfriend who was history professor and a lawyer. We were released before midnight.
After we were released I smacked my friend upside his head for getting us in that mess! We were going to Phillips Seafood Kitchen but I stopped for gas at a 76 station. Even though we were heading out to buy food, (after dropping off the weapons at ROTC), Russ had to get snacks! After purchasing $1.80 worth of soda and chips with $2.00; he cracked a joke at the girl behind the counter, “Keep the change, baby!”
When he came out I could hear the girl loudly exclaim, “HE CALLED ME BABY!”
Five minutes later we were face down in the street behind my car. Was there a connection? Who knows? Who cares?
But I wonder what would have happened if I had called my parents who were 8 hours away, instead of a lawyer on campus.
I really envy the person who has no “Cop Tales” to relate!
Crazy, possibly irrelevant observance: There are at least four police officers in my family; as a kid, my next door neighbor was one of the first black officers in Suffolk County; my wife was a former prosecutor in Brooklyn, NY and many of our friends where NYPD. I have no predetermined bias against police, but I do have my experiences.
One Response to “A Funny Thing Happened When I Posted in a Forum…”
By Bill on Jul 30, 2009
Well bro, this is envy time. This is one area that I have had the good fortune not to experience. By the way, thanks for the nostolgia trip down memory lane of trick drillin wit da FRAT! Scooney!
The one near incident with the cops that involved me was told to me second had because I was in bed and slept through the entire incident.
Do you remember Fast Eddie reportedly shot a cop (killed? Don’t remember) down on County Line Road near the bowling alley? There was a literal “dragnet” going on throughout North Amityville (man were going to give our hometown a bad name- we already have the Amityville Horror to live down) to find him.
So they were trying to round up anybody who fit the description of Black male of medium complexion, 5’10 to 6ft in height, 15 to 20 yrs of age, 145 to 170lbs, wearing an afro. Didn’t that describe just about everybody you knew including me?
Well they knocked on our and another neighbors door and was trying to entice our parents to hav us come down and they would pay us ten bucks to stand in a line up.
Our neighbor, I won’t mention names, was going to have his oldest son go stand in the line up and was trying to convince our parents to get me out of bed to go with. (This mans youngest son would end up becoming a cop.)
Our parents weren’t having any of it and refused to let them get me. They were going to try to pull something under the guise of some legality that would allow them to take me in.
Our next door neighbor, of whom you spoke of as “one of the first black officers in Suffolk County” and was in fact a Sargeant Detective at the time, was awakened by all the commotion and told the officers that we were good young men and that he would not allow them to take us down to the station for a line up.
These guys were on a witch hunt for a cop shooter and it wasn’t as innocent a routine thing as they tried to make it seem. And just how did they know exactly where me and my boy lived who fit the description and we were the ONLY ones on that end of the Avenue who did?
I slept in blissfully ignorant slumber through the entire incident and knew nothing about it until the next morning.
I’ve had only three tickets from moving violations, the last being nearly ten years ago just outside of Richmond to be Best Man at our freind KJ’s wedding, you missed that one, for speeding. I was pulled over and ticketed by a “Brutha” although others were passing me at the time. I make no excuse, I was running late and I was exceeding the limit. I questioned the officer how he singled me out to ticket although I was being passed by several other cars. He simply replied that I was speeding and I realized that it would be a fruitless conversation. I took the citation and was on my way only to realize I was pulled over less than a quarter mile short of my exit.
Do you remember what you said to me that made total sense why he got me?
“Dude, you were speeding in VA in a rental car with MD plates. Of course he’s going to pull you over while the “natives” speed on their merry way! Duh!”
Bill