7 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- A prominent law enforcement group is expressing anger at President Obama for his remarks about the arrest of a friend last week in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
"It's not good. It's unseemly, and we really, really don't like it," said Ted Deeds, the Chief Operating Officer of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America.
"Law enforcement should be afforded every opportunity to be given the benefit of the doubt. There should never be a rush to judgment, and the President should never use his bully pulpit to attack a police officer," Deeds told 9NEWS NOW.
The president was asked at his Wednesday press conference about the arrest of his friend, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr,, an African-American scholar who was charged with disorderly conduct after a confrontation with a white police officer in Gates' home last week. The Obama response was transcribed by the White House.
"Well, I should say at the outset that "Skip" Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts. What's been reported, though, is that the guy forgot his keys, jimmied his way to get into the house, there was a report called into the police station that there might be a burglary taking place -- so far, so good, right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger into -- well, I guess this is my house now so -- (laughter) -- it probably wouldn't happen. But let's say my old house in Chicago -- (laughter) -- here I'd get shot. (Laughter.)
"But so far, so good. They're reporting -- the police are doing what they should. There's a call, they go investigate what happens. My understanding is at that point Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in, I'm sure there's some exchange of words, but my understanding is, is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house. And at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct -- charges which are later dropped.
"Now, I don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge Police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there is a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That's just a fact.
"As you know, Lynn, when I was in the state legislature in Illinois, we worked on a racial profiling bill because there was indisputable evidence that blacks and Hispanics were being stopped disproportionately. And that is a sign, an example of how, you know, race remains a factor in this society. That doesn't lessen the incredible progress that has been made. I am standing here as testimony to the progress that's been made.
"And yet the fact of the matter is, is that this still haunts us. And even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently and oftentime for no cause casts suspicion even when there is good cause. And that's why I think the more that we're working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody is going to be. "
Deeds says he was offended by the racial references in the President's answer.
"We've been defending and advocating for police officers for 20 years, and this is probably the second most egregious case that we've seen of its type. Where a politician, who should know better - in this case, the President of the United States, comes out and says something that just flat out wrong, and by his own admission. Based on no information, no knowledge, and no investigation. And yet basically, it would appear that there's a white police officer, and a black subject, and now we have a racial component, and that comes from the bully pulpit of the White House, and that's wrong," Deeds said.
"And that is the part of the President's statement that you find wrong - the racial part of it," asked a 9NEWS NOW Digital Correspondent.
"The racial component is absolutely offensive, and I think it's offensive to everybody who wears a badge whether they're black or white, because they're all blue at the end of the day, but also the fact that the President would come out and say this kind of commentary and take this position - because he's talking to America's youth, he's talking to people out there in the community, instead of taking an opportunity for healing, judging people by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin, we're actually moving the debate the wrong direction," Deeds said.
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