I'm sure everyone reading this has been following the arrest of the Harvard professor in Cambridge, MA, for Disorderly Conduct. If you haven't heard about it, here's a summary from a local new cast which includes the recently released 911 tape.
What I like best about the story is Obama getting involved at all. (Clearly, in reading this blog you've realized my political tendencies are left leaning) We've all seen cases where the police over-react. We've also all seen cases where the police should act and don't. But this case could have been any one of us in any part of the country, and has been. Cops show up at a house to "investigate" a crime. Someone who is clearly educated about their rights says "No, you don't have the right to enter my house." or "No, I won't talk to you." or "No, you have the wrong guy." And the cops get mad. Whether it's job frustration or frustration that the person is smarter than them, when police get mad, they often make up some bogus charge and arrest the person. Everyone has either seen or heard of this happening. I LOVE that the President says the "police acted stupidly." In this case, the man who was arrested became a national media sensation. Unfortunately for most, when the police "act stupidly", they end up pleading guilty to the charge just to get out of jail. Maybe this will change things.
In a follow up article, the President himself called the Cambridge police sergant on his cell phone and invited him to the White House for a meeting. Maybe the prospect of being invited to the White House will make some cops think twice. Maybe not.
