Now that the 911 tapes have been released, we find that the neighbor’s call was not racially motivated. So what lessons can we learn from Gates-gate thus far.
Lesson 1: Even in big and sometimes impersonal cities like Cambridge, neighbors still watch your back. The neighbor called the police as a concerned citizen. She had no interest other than looking out for someone’s property she did not know.
Lesson 2: Tripping out on a police officer is never a good idea. Makes no difference if you are black, white, purple, green or yellow, tripping out on a police officer can get in landed in pokey, laws be damned. Police officers are human, they can get angry too, the thing to remember is that they carry pepper spray, handcuffs, firearms and most importantly the ability to cart you away. If a police officer crosses the line and pisses you off, bite your tongue and bide your time. You will have the upper hand AFTER he or she is out of your face.
Lesson 3: While some racism can still be found in America today, America has come a very long way in terms of racism. Just because a black man has an encounter with a white police officer, doesn’t automatically mean there is a racial issue. It is time we stop reacting to racial angst from our past and start seeing race in America as it exist today. Remember Obama would never be president if only black people voted for him.
Lesson 4: It is not necessary or wise for the President of the United States to speak out on every little issue of the day. Do we really need to know a president’s opinion is on sports events, celebrities, local issues and so forth? This business of presidents commenting on everything has been going on for a while. It intensified under Clinton and continued at that level with Bush and Obama. I think it is time we stop asking presidents about these types of things and use the time to ask more probing questions like what the hell is in that healthcare bill?
Lesson 5: This one is for Obama, choose your friends more wisely!
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