So, Only Whites Can Be Racist?
In Austin, Texas, somebody sent a message through a 4-year-old's bedroom window. Juana Summers writes for the Statesman:
Police are investigating a brick with an offensive message thrown into the window of an East Austin home.The brick, thrown through a 4-year-old boy's bedroom window, read "Keep Eastside Black. Keep Eastside Strong."
The homeowner, Barbara Frische, who is white, said she has lived in the home for 10 years.
"It's the first time anything like this has ever happened to me," she said.
Frische was featured in a Statesman Watch article published in May in which she lobbied for action to be taken on a charred house that posed a safety hazard.
She has not received negative feedback from area residents about the article, she said, and does not believe this morning's incident is connected to it.
Police have not classified this incident as a hate crime, said Austin Police Sgt. Richard Stresing, because hate crimes target an individual specifically because of an identifying characteristic, like race. Police say the incident has been classified as criminal mischief and deadly conduct.
Incidents found to be based on race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability or gender are flagged as hate crimes, Stresing said, so they can be referred to the Department of Justice.
I'm not a fan of the notion of "hate crimes," but...doesn't this seem to fit the categorization?
And, as for who's the racist in the whole Henry Louis Gates controversy, Mickey Kaus makes a great point:
(Gates) says he wanted to file a complaint "because of the way he treated me at the front door." How had he mistreated him at the front door? He asked him 'Would you step outside onto the porch?' (where, as Gates notes, the cop would have more rights). When Gates refuses and instead gives the cop an ID, the cop looks at the ID. And at that point Gates has already determined he's been treated unfairly. He's already refusing to answer questions and planning to file a complaint. Again, from his own words it looks like he rushes a bit to the conclusion that a white man in a similar situation would have been treated differently. Is that really true? I'm not saying that Gates wasn't stereotyped in a deeply annoying and disturbing way. Just saying the stereotypes can run both ways.
Austin link via Insty
oh c'mon, what stereotype? Gates acted like an a-hole and got his ass arrested. He obviously had a pre-disposed view of what the white officer had in mind(IE gonna get him that uppity n-word). This whole argument is old. The cop showed no racial overtones at all, and all gates had to do was cooperate. Brilliant, sit there and argue with an officer of the law. If I did that, I would be either hauled away, or beat upside the head with a nightstick, either of which would have been earned. Then that mron with the big ears jumps in and plays his race card. I am so sick of it
ron at July 25, 2009 8:39 AM
Eh, arguing does not necessarily mean you deserve a beating from the local town's finest in blue. His mistake was copping too much of an attitude and I agree it would likely happen to anyone who acted like an ass. Most cops er LEOs these days have a mindset that says they are all knowing gods and the civilian scum shouldn't dare to stand up for their rights.
I might have given him my ID but I would not have gone outside the house and probably told him my name, the address I was standing in and thats it. They want in, they can get a warrant. I wonder, has anyone talked to the person who called in the "burglary"?
I agree with ya on Obama getting involved, but hey, it took away from the healthcare nonsense for a couple of days.
Sio at July 25, 2009 10:08 AM
because hate crimes target an individual specifically because of an identifying characteristic, like race.
So a brick that stated ..
ATTN: White Lady
Keep Eastside Black. Keep Eastside Strong.
is an entirely different matter?
But I can appreciate that the Police don't want to escalate this incident. Charges of Hate Crimes can terrorize a community, causing people to assume that there's a much greater threat than is actually present. And they also attract professional bigots, like the ADL rep whos evidence for the pervasiveness of Hate Crimes is that fact that they aren't reported.
Jack at July 25, 2009 10:21 AM
Yeah, there's a huge anti-gentrification movement in east austin right now. It's as much hispanic as blacks living there, but I don't hear the hispanics howling about it. Frankly, I'd think they'd be happy. They can sell their little shacks for several hundred thousand now, and move out a bit to a nicer house.
We just moved out of east east austin. Very few whites. Very people spoke to me. Heck, very few spoke english (at least, a recognizable form of it) at all.
momof4 at July 25, 2009 10:32 AM
"oh c'mon, what stereotype? Gates acted like an a-hole and got his ass arrested. He obviously had a pre-disposed view of what the white officer had in mind(IE gonna get him that uppity n-word). This whole argument is old. The cop showed no racial overtones at all, and all gates had to do was cooperate. Brilliant, sit there and argue with an officer of the law. If I did that, I would be either hauled away, or beat upside the head with a nightstick, either of which would have been earned. Then that mron with the big ears jumps in and plays his race card. I am so sick of it"
Agreed!!!!! The time to argue it is in court, not with the guy with the gun who has no idea whether you are going to try to shoot him.
momof4 at July 25, 2009 10:34 AM
I say it and I will say it again; White people can't be victims of Hate crimes, period. It seems (but not actually scientifically proven) that the low-level of melanin in the Caucasian subspecies of the human race give them the superhuman power of not being hurt by thoughts and/or words.
An example? A rapper calls for the murder of "Crackers" or "Whiteys" and no-one notice, not even the white kids who are buying the albums. On the other side, get a second-grade radio host use the term "Nappy-Headed Hoes" and the floodgates of black righteousness will open with the chorus of race hustlers, lily-white liberals and any self-apointed members of the PC patrol all asking (and getting) the radio channel to fire him.
What can we learn about the "Gates-Gate"? The fact that President Obama will gladly support a black guy against a police officer in an heartbeat.
Toubrouk at July 25, 2009 10:55 AM
what's wrong with this picture?
An uber-sophisticate (self-proclaimed) rapidly devolves into sterotypical black-thuggish behavior i.e. hollering 'yo momma' & 'gettin' in the cop's face'.
I believe this a-hole Gates was deliberately trying to incite a racial-incident, or even a race-riot (depending on how many blacks were on hand to participate) because it fits his narrative.
Yes, I know I sound hateful, because we've all been taught it's hateful to point out the obvious, but what honest person will deny that it's very easy to whip up black citizens into a melee?
What honest person will claim to find stereo-typical black thuggish behavior charming?
Do those who find it 'charming' also find the stereotypical fat, red-faced, sweaty, cigar-chomping, small-town white, southern bigoted sheriff 'charming'?
ShyAsrai at July 25, 2009 1:12 PM
Once again, I dunno. I'm not sure this was about race at all. Has anyone been to Cambridge? Those Harvard folks feel privileged. I think this was about class, which is often mistaken for race in this country. Top Harvard professor, used to having people fall over him for his intellect, is confronted by a WORKING person. I think it was more about: How dare you question me, the great Harvard thinker, than it was about How dare you question me a black man in my own home.
JulieA at July 25, 2009 1:47 PM
What cracks me up is that Gates is accepting the President's invite to have a beer with the officer to use as a "teaching moment." How about someone teaching him to respect the fact that the officer was just doing his job. Thankfully the officer stood up for himself and the union backed him otherwise he would have been issuing the politically correct apology for trying to protect this man's home from a reported break in. Even sadder is there are supposedly tapes where Gates is heard verbally abusing this officer. Were the situations reversed, we'd all be listening to those tapes ad nauseum. Gates should apologize and Obama should apologize rather than "regret" his wordingl.
Kristen at July 25, 2009 2:28 PM
Back in 1996, PBS broadcast a series called "Great Railway Journeys", in which various literary & scholarly types narrated their trips on famous railroads around the world. One episode, about a train from Zimbabwe to Tanzania, was narrated by Professor Gates. At one point, the train broke down in the middle of nowhere. Thousands of Africans came pouring out. Some of them set up camp & started cooking right there on the savannah. Others grabbed their baggage & started walking. All of them were either stoic or cheerful. Nobody was upset that the train broke down: in a poor African country, it was a miracle that it ever started in the first place.
Then Gates came off the train, shouting, shrieking, & getting hysterical, demanding to speak to the conductor, demanding that the train get back on the tracks right now this instant. The Henry Gates who got off that train 13 years ago is the same man who threw a tantrum at Sargeant Crowley - a monumental asshole who thinks the whole universe revolves around him & his grievances, and that everyone around him is fit to be his servant.
Martin at July 25, 2009 2:28 PM
I think th eproffeser was right, if he were white he wouldnt have been question so much, not becuase of race though
If a report comes in about black guys breking into a house and the cops show up to see a white guy answer the door they'd assume the white guy wasnt the the 'black guys' seen breaking in.
But responding to a burglary call abot black people breaking and entering to see a black guy they are going to asume it might be one of the burgalers.
Dumbass should have invited the cop in, shown his ID and that would have been the end of it.
No sign of theft inside the house, guys got an ID showing he lives there, but no lets instead get pissed off that the cop doesnt leave on his word alone.
Imagine for a momnet that this had gone dowm the way the proffeser wanted, while he was out of town.
Can you imagine if everytime the cops resonded to a break in if they had to leave simply because whomever answered the door claimed to live there?
lujlp at July 25, 2009 2:47 PM
The whole Gates Gate is non-news-- just like the President's mom-jeans. That anyone wants to bother wasting airtime on it is a pathetic commentary. This, after all the Michael Jackson tedium.
A brick through a window with a specific racist noteis of interest, thank you. Although, like many previous politicians, I actually have no comment at this time.
Mariannell at July 25, 2009 7:57 PM
Has anyone seen mention of who else was in Gates' house with him?
If you read Crowley's report, this is the question that really set Gates off. From his account, he was on the porch and speaking to Gates through the door. He'd explained that there was a report of a break-in in progress and asked if there was anyone else in the residence.
Purportedly Gates told him that it was 'none of his business'. Gates then got on the phone and told whomever he was speaking to that he was being harassed by a racist cop.
This is before Crowley asked Gates for ID or entered the premises.
Now maybe Crowley is just making all of this up, but to my knowledge, Gates hasn't contradicted this aspect of Crowley's account and the woman who'd called the police was on the sidewalk in front of the house. She was apparently close enough to the front door that Crowley could speak to her from the porch. So she'd have witnessed this initial interaction between Crowley and Gates.
And there's no further mention of a driver or evidence of a driver.
Here's the other weird aspect of this - Gate's comes home, and there's already evidence that someone has tried to break into the house. The door is so damaged that the driver is able to push it open with his shoulder.
But when a cop arrives and inquires about a break-in, Gates goes ballistic. Yet it's a perfectly reasonable inquiry given Gate's prior knowledge of a break-in attempt - or what would appear to be a break-in attempt. So why would he react so dramatically?
I have to wonder whether Gates is/was trying to conceal something from Crowley and put on a show of being offended to distract him.
*pls excuse the long post.
Jack at July 25, 2009 9:16 PM
Of course only whites can be racists. If a white man attends weekly meetings of a haranguing anti-black demagogue for twenty years, we call him a racist. But if a biracial man attends the services of a haranguing, anti-white demagogue for twenty years, we call him...Mr. President.
Patrick at July 26, 2009 2:35 PM
I'm not interested in this Gates character, except to state that I would never hire anyone who came looking for a job with a xxxxxx studies degree, no matter how qualified they might otherwise appear. Who needs a trained grievance monger? It's a red flag.
Yes, it's unfair. Too bad.
MarkD at July 26, 2009 7:54 PM
I always let myself in with a brick. If it's good enough for the Ivy League, it's good enough for me.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at July 27, 2009 8:40 PM
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