Did President Obama Handle The Cambridge Police Issue Properly?

Dear Enlightened Brother a/k/a The Black Man –

After witnessing the hubris of the Cambridge Mass Police department press conference, I’m conflicted. Not about the issue regarding the arrest and how ridiculous the arrest was in the first place, but on how to respond to it, as Dr. Dyson said- “A collision between ignorance and amnesia.”

Unfortunately, anger is the first to demand my attention, yet giving into that emotion is counter productive. In the Obama Era that we live in-what would you do TBM – as President of the United States?

Would you ignore it in public but stick it to them behind the scenes, or really just let it go?  I’m curious, because President Obama stands at the threshold of either bringing focus to the long overlooked and ignored issues in this country or taking the road most traveled – ambivalence.

The Symbol

TBM:

Hi Symbol,

There is a time and place to handle situations.  I feel that by President Obama giving his opinion on the matter on a nationwide primetime speech, when there are a bunch of issues that could have been addressed, it was his way of letting the public know that even though he is Black and the President of the United States there are still instances that occur in our society that are racially inflicted. I believe he wanted to make sure the masses knew what happened so it would not get swept under the rug by the media.

I believe he handled it in a good manner. I am sure it will be dealt with more behind the scenes.

It is important to address this issue.  If I were the president, I would have addressed it as well especially since it was relevant in current events. For an issue like this to really get addressed you want people to pay attention and be aware of this. Timing is key.  This can be handled both overtly and covertly.  I would also point out that one person can not fix this problem. It also has to be supported by the communities in the U.S. When these issues occur, we can’t just let them slide. We must do something about it.  Report it and let it be known. Bring awareness to the masses.  These types of situations anger most people but we don’t want to do anything negative to bring ourselves or anyone else around us down. We can choose to use the energy of anger to motivate us into creating a better situation.

“Anger is only one letter short of danger.”

That’s my 99 Cents worth.

TBM