Should every congressperson be able to recognize capitol police officers?

[johnnie]

This question is for the people who say that maybe Cynthia McKinney didn't know that a cop was grabbing her and she reacted by turning around and hitting the cop in the chest.
Here are a few of my thoughts:

From her statement yesterday:

""Let me be clear. This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman," McKinney said, surrounded by supporters at predominantly black Howard University"

After making that accusation, I am hoping she can prove that she was stopped because of that reason and not because she disobeyed the cop when he asked her to stop.

From the same article:

"Several Capitol Police officials have said the officer involved asked McKinney three times to stop. When she did not, he placed a hand on her and she hit him, they said."

http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/20542.php


Now her lawyer said they will look into the background of the cop and see if there is a case they will be able to file against the officer.

"James Myart, the congresswoman's attorney, said he may seek to press assault charges against the officer, or file a civil suit, and said McKinney was the victim of racial profiling, "like thousands of young black men and women.""

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/31/AR2006033101889.html?nav=rss_metro



I think this whole thing is blown out of proportion, but I also think that automatically playing the race card every time an incident occurs is not the correct way to deal with this sort of thing.

Here is how I see it, she didn't wear her identification pin, she was asked to stop and she didn't and when the cop tried to stop her she hit him. Now they are looking into filing charges against the capitol police force for racism.

Her background seems to also point to a few other episodes that might back up her claim of racism by the cops.

"McKinney is, without doubt, one of the most radical members of the House Democratic Caucus – having appeared with Louis Farrakhan and promoted the reign of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe."

"A list of campaign donors was found to include some with links to terrorism – Abdurahman Alamoudi, the former executive director of the American Muslim Council, and former college professor Sami Al-Arian."

"Also coming to light was her fawning Oct. 12, 2001, letter to Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal, in which she rebuked New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his refusal to accept a post-9/11 gift of $10 million. She urged bin Talal to donate the funds to "charities outside the mayor's control," especially those that dealt with "poor blacks who sleep on the street in the shadows of our nation's Capitol.""

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49528


I am all for Cynthia McKinney's fight for racial equality, but if she is inducing episodes for her political gain, then I think that is wrong.

[BuyingThyme]

1. It's starting to sound like the cop would have been in the right to

tackle her. Even her own words seem to support that.

[Never Forget]

3. Will we ever see the tape?

That would clear things up. I know police brutality exists, but it would be extreme for a cop to manhandle a woman in such a public place.

I'll reserve judgement until I learn more, but so far, it looks like she lost her temper. Hitting a cop is pretty bad.

[johnnie]

7. From what I have heard

The tapes don't show the actual altercation.
I don't really know what happened, but this thing seems to have been blown out of proportion in my opinion.

[WhiteTara]

16. Never Forget Welcome

to DU :hi:

[Never Forget]

18. How sweet

Thank you. I'm bumbling around in the dark here trying to work the features, lol.

[WhiteTara]

25. I know what you mean

but this is such a user friendly site, it will come to you quickly. Or hollar and I'll be glad to let you know the little that I do. Glad you're here.

[bemildred]

20. One would hope so. nt

[bemildred]

2. I would definitely sue the son of a bitch if I was Ms McKinney. nt

[johnnie]

4. It seems like you aren't the only one who feels that way

If it was up to me, I would get rid of every cop and let people do whatever they want. :sarcasm:

[bemildred]

8. What the Hell is "freedom" if not the right to do what we like?

Is being monitored by cops and questioned as to what we are up to every half hour your idea of "freedom"?

[johnnie]

13. No

Are you saying that they shouldn't have security checks at those buildings?

[bemildred]

17. No. You seemed opposed to letting people do "whatever they want".

I asked you to explain what the Hell "freedom" is if it is not letting people do "whatever they want", insofar as that is feasible. I don't believe I said a damn thing about the security checks in any buildings.

[johnnie]

21. And I don't believe I said that people should be monitored....

..."every half hour". To be honest, I have no idea where you are going with this. You said that you would sue, I said sarcastically that we should get rid of all cops and now you want my definition of freedom.

I'm sorry you are angry.

[bemildred]

22. But I wasn't explaining what you said, I was explaining what I said.

Where I am going with that is I think Ms McKinney was assaulted by the officer and should sue his ass.

[johnnie]

23. Ok, that's cool

I apologize if I sounded like a dick. Your opinion is as valid as anyone's and I respect it. I don't know the whole story, but right now my opinion is the opposite of yours.

[bemildred]

24. I trust in due course that it will sort itself out.

I expect the tape may help, although experience suggests that we can argue about that as well as anything else.

In your defense I must admit that the "people will do just anything they want" meme is one that peculiarly annoys me, I think it is a very bogus and intrinsicly authoritarian argument, and you had no way to know that.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. I'm Leaning Towards Believing She Overreacted Inappropriately.

I think the whole thing is being blown out of proportion, and I still need for facts to come out, but from all the facts put forward so far it seems likely that she took offense to the cop stopping her and due to her chip on her shoulder against such acts (a legitimate chip though, due to past persecution), lashed out at the officer and struck him out of frustration with a mindset of "don't you dare touch me, I'm a proud black congresswoman".

I respect all that she's done and love her convictions, and I can't say she isn't justified in certain ways as to her frustration. But she went too far hitting him, period. Now there may be more to the story and she may be completely innocent and justified, but I'm just stating what I believe at this point to be the most likely scenario. I think she took offense, struck the officer, and shouldn't have. All that follows is an outcome of a temporarily impulsive bad judgement call.

God bless her anyway and we'll see what happens I guess.

[johnnie]

15. You said it much better than I did

I feel pretty much the same way you do. Unfortunately I don't write my mind as clearly as I should when I start threads..lol. I try to say things and then it turns out differently than I want and then I get to enjoy being torn to shreds.

[cali]

6. Wingnut Daily???

You posted a link to one of the most vile RW sites out there. Ugh. And I don't see how another inflammatory thread about Cynthia McKinney adds anything to the DU conversation.

[bemildred]

9. We seem to have visitors today.

One might almost suspect something organized is going on.
I suppose it is a tribute to our importance that such efforts are deemed worthwhile.

[johnnie]

Lol

Yeah, I have been "visiting" for three years waiting for this particular event to happen.

[bemildred]

19. Yes, no doubt its all just a coincidence. nt

[johnnie]

10. Sorry

I just Googled and found some stuff. I wasn't going to go into her background as much, but I just kept on going.

I also didn't mean this to be an inflammatory thread, but I guess it can be looked at that way. As for adding to the conversation, I think that this is a discussion board and I thought I was able to post in here. Do we all have to sit around and wait for no one to post a thread?

[Saturday]

11. Shouldn't EVERY single security person

know what EVERY single person they are to allow through without security checks looks like? As they were discussing last night on one of the talk shows....as interns years ago that was something you did in your training....you sat down and looked at pictures so even you (interns) could recognize EVERY single person in the Senate and House. How hard is that? I think this has been blown way out of proportion but I think it was the security guards duty to know who the heck he was allowed to let pass.

[Rex]

12. Wanna see the video!

If she turned around and punched the guy square in the chest, knowing it was a cop, then yeah it is assault. I believe the tape would give the answers by watching their body motion and facial ques.

[johnnie]

14. I agree n/t