What black parents are still telling their children

Troy Daily News ^ | August 19, 2009 | Nat Hentoff

[IbJensen]

After the Obama-Gates-Crowley "beer summit" at the White House ended, Ronald Walter, a black longtime professor of politics at the University of Maryland, said: "Black parents are using this as a case in point of what they have been saying all along" to their children, "Racism hasn't gone away." Children, and especially black males, "are likely to confront it" from police. (Washington Post, July 30).

And on CNN, Colin Powell chimed in with his advice to black children: "When you're faced with an officer who is trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him. I was taught that as a child."

Moreover, when President Obama insisted that the situation surrounding the arrest of the Harvard professor was a "teachable moment," former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said: "He's actually right. It is teachable." And Giuliani, customarily brusque, told people, including professor Gates, across the land: "Here's the lesson ... shut up when a cop is asking you questions!" (Fox News, July 31).

Clearly, Mr. Giuliani remains unteachable on this subject. As I reported during his dramatic mayoral career, none of his predecessors since 1958 (when I began covering City Hall) had so alienated black New Yorkers by urging his police to engage in large-scale stop-and-frisks of predominately black residents without charging them with a crime. For a time, he also refused to meet with black leaders.

As for blacks' encounters with police nationally, in 1995, Henry Louis Gates Jr. (before he became a household name) wrote in the Oct. 23 New Yorker magazine: "It's a commonplace that white folks trust the police and black folks don't. Whites recognize this in the abstract, but they're continually surprised at the depth of black wariness. They shouldn't be."

Apparently, Cambridge, Mass., police sergeant James Crowley missed that issue of The New Yorker.

In the same article, Gates added that "blacks - in particular black men - swap their experiences of police encounters like war stories." Almost as soon I got to know and hang out with black jazz musicians decades ago, I heard a lot of those war stories.

I hope, but am skeptical, that a lasting result of Gates' manacling will be the gradual decline in the number of these war stories. In all the continued coverage across the nation of the Gates bust, the one story that gave some substance to my hope appeared in the July 26 issue of the Long Island newspaper, Newsday: "Nassau, Suffolk cite training against racial profiling."

Reporters Zachary Dowdy and Rocco Parascandola told of how the "Nassau and Suffolk police departments said they aggressively work to avoid racial profiling through a medley of training programs and updates for officers."

In Nassau, along with 30 hours of training on cultural diversity in the police academy, a much more enduring practice is "data collection program that requires officers to note the race and ethnicity of motorists they stop on the road."

Detective Lt. Kevin Smith adds that this data is periodically studied to determine if the police department engages in racial profiling.

Furthermore - and I hope other police departments will take notice - Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy told Newsday: "Last year, for the first time, we completed a pilot program where we collected statistics to help identify a baseline for traffic stops and to red-flag officers who differed significantly from peers when making these stops."

What then? "We shared," said Levy, "these data with individuals who were above the norm, sought an explanation, and then possibly referred those individuals for additional training."

This postgraduate education for police officers, if extended nationally and to police on the streets as well, could eventually lead to fewer war stories among black males about the humiliation, and worse, of "Driving While Black."

[Cicero]

Nat Hentoff is stepping very gingerly here. Hard to tell what he’s trying to say.

[presently no screen name]

Good point but shhhh! Don’t say that too loud, it interferes w/their propaganda. IIRC, Crowley, the Cambridge cop or his dad voted for BO. What do they do w/the ‘hate whitey’ mindset that they were brought up with?

[Vigilantcitizen]

As for blacks' encounters with police nationally, in 1995, Henry Louis Gates Jr. (before he became a household name) wrote in the Oct. 23 New Yorker magazine: "It's a commonplace that white folks trust the police and black folks don't.

Wrong Mr.Gates, I trust no one.

[trialbyfire]

Not all of us believe that. I don’t believe that and neither do my (black) friends.

[ClearCase_guy]

Talking about race as if skin color mattered is just taking us back to the bad old days of Jim Crow. These Liberals want us back in the 1950's. I say No. I urge these throwback Progressives to step up to at least 1963 and actually listen to Martin Luther King's great speech about a color blind society where people are judged by the content of their character.

We've got to stop saying "Race, race, race, race". The people who do that ARE the problem. Play the race card -- lose the game.

[Just mythoughts]

There are ‘racist’ in this nation, they now run the political and educational ‘scientific methodology’ pillars of our society. And their chickens are coming home to roooooost. They apparently need their ‘religious’ component to finish off their taking over our economic pillars.... Bama said they have a partnership with their ‘god’ to make life and death decisions.

It is more than sickening how so many peoples under these GODless minds that have been squandered.

[presently no screen name]

I wish that guy would shave! Get’s to be governor and he’s still b^tc*ing!

[popdonnelly]

The essence of a non-racial society is that those who violate the law get stopped, whether they are white or black. Being black does not make you immune from charges of violating the law. And loudly accusing a cop of racism isn’t going to make you immune, either.

[mojito]

And on CNN, Colin Powell chimed in with his advice to black children: "When you're faced with an officer who is trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him. I was taught that as a child."

Wow, funny thing. I was taught to be respectful to police officers as a child.

[conservativeharleyguy]

"...In the same article, Gates added that "blacks - in particular black men - swap their experiences of police encounters like war stories." Almost as soon I got to know and hang out with black jazz musicians decades ago, I heard a lot of those war stories..."

Well, there you go. It's all because of those pesky, oppressive cops. I mean hell, everyone knows what fine, upstanding, model citzens those Jazz Musicians are.

[dalebert]

blacks want us teach all created equal while they continue to teach hate. its been that way all the time. racism is a business for profit.

[Sig Sauer P220]

And on CNN, Colin Powell chimed in with his advice to black children: "When you're faced with an officer who is trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him. I was taught that as a child."

Same here, and I'm white. Cops don't like smartasses.

[dirtboy]

Not one of Hentoff's better columns.

Apparently, Cambridge, Mass., police sergeant James Crowley missed that issue of The New Yorker...This postgraduate education for police officers...

Uh, Nat, Crowley TEACHES such 'postgraduate' education on avoiding racial profiling. Sometimes, it is just the fault of the other person, not the cop.

[Dudoight]

Isn’t Nat Hentoff a PBS liberal?

What he says doesn’t cut any ice with me.

[dirtboy]

Clearly, Mr. Giuliani remains unteachable on this subject. As I reported during his dramatic mayoral career, none of his predecessors since 1958 (when I began covering City Hall) had so alienated black New Yorkers by urging his police to engage in large-scale stop-and-frisks of predominately black residents without charging them with a crime.

Hentoff has a point here - it is a violation of basic rights to frisk someone on the street without any probable cause. But, then again, Rudy has always been an authoritarian control freak when it comes to the Bill of Rights.

[wombtotomb]

broad brush I painted with. Here is more clarity. Anyone who refers to the mother of their child as a baby momma, be they white, black, yellow, purple or green, should have their own society and leave us to ours.

I know several black business folks, doctors, and even politicians (Allen West for one, who will have my vote for whatever office he runs for) who do not look at skin color, nor blame everyone for their lot in life. It is just it seem the majority of black folks do blame and hate and race bait and work very hard to fit into the stereotypes that exist (stereotypes would not exist if no one fell into them).

I am not perfect, but I am NO racist, and I don’t care what color you are, you need to get off your butt, off the govt teat, and make a life for yourself and your family. Anyone who does that is ok in my book.

[presently no screen name]

Good idea but they would still would be b*tc^ing. They need a scapegoat even though they make it to the top because they grew up w/the 'hate whitey' mindset.

And the 'hate whitey' churches continue the teaching. When they meet their Maker, their lying lifestyle will be exposed.

[SeattleBruce]

Clearly, Mr. Giuliani remains unteachable on this subject. As I reported during his dramatic mayoral career...
+++++++++++++

Blah, blah, blah...who was it that cleaned up NYC, you maroon! Reality doesn’t matters to these loons.

[r9etb]

And on CNN, Colin Powell chimed in with his advice to black children: "When you're faced with an officer who is trying to do his job and get to the bottom of something, this is not the time to get in an argument with him. I was taught that as a child."

I'm not sure why Mr. Henthoff is calling this "black parents'" advice ... it sounds like good, common sense to me. Is he perhaps unable to get past the fact that Colin Powell is a black guy?

[Sig Sauer P220]

Why don’t we just re segregate?

I think we're already there. Blacks have their own organizations for everything, (ex: the Black Congressional Caucus).