Playing the race card

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/04/mckinney.scuffle/index.html


Chime away

Why do you assume she's "playing" the race card? Is it so hard to imagine that a law enforcement officer let race play a role here? Here's a little tidbit for you from my life. I'm a UPS driver. I'm white. For over 10 years I've worked with a black UPS driver. We've both been "cover" drivers, driving whichever route was available. He's been pulled over for vehicle inspections 3 or 4 times a year. I've never once been pulled over. Makes yah go hmmmm? Doesn't it? He's been pulled over almost 40 times and I haven't once.

So, I won't jump to the conclusion that the officer's actions were racially motivated and wait for the investigation into the event to reach its conclusion. How about you refrain from slandering the Congresswoman until then too?

Sorry wasn't trying to slander the congresswomen, I probably should've placed a question mark in the title. I'm not jumping to any conclusion, which you have assumed that I am doing. I was just trying to get peoples opinion. Also, I'm not saying that discrimination doesn't exist either. I know it does. I just put the article out there for people to look at and comment on...Geesh

If your thread title appeared originally without the question mark, the comments you received were entirely valid. There was no reason for the 'Geesh!'

I apologize, I wasn't trying to offend anyone

I think this story is very interesting. If she wasn't touched inappropriately as she says, maybe her actions are just a result of "I'm above the law" type of thinking. If she was touched inappropriately, then good for her.

I realize that this is a sensitive subject, but I really wish it's one that we could discuss without calling each other racist. I would love to hear everyone's opinion on this.

Hmm.. interesting. A Capitol police officer physically stops someone from proceeding on her way after avoiding the metal detector -- as is appropriate according to the law -- and the question raised is whether or not she was "touched inappropriately"? She admits striking the officer -- and has yet to admit that THAT was, or even might have been, inappropriate.

What makes this interesting is twofold. 1) This "defense" was not raised until nearly the "second round" of media coverage and was not raised in her statements until AFTER "other civil rights activists" (I'm being generous here) brought up the issue. Her initial statement made no mention of inappropriate touching. 2) Is it realistic to assume that a police officer would deliberately touch someone inappropriately in as public a venue as the Capitol, especially an elected member of Congress. Where's the benefit of the doubt here? With the "alleged perpetrator"/possible terrorist or with the "alleged perpetrator"/police officer performing his thankless duty? Do you happen to remember that a couple of years ago two Capitol police WERE shot by someone who did exactly what she did - fail to stop when directed to do so by the police?

I think there's a flawed perspective in evidence here when the police are automatically assumed to be in the wrong from the get go --- especially in the face of a charge that is laden with racial, sexual and social-more baggage like this combination of racial profiling and inappropriate sexual touching.

And let's remember, the media was used to raise the race card ---- not the OP here.

Isn't this like her 4th or 5th run-in with the cops?

This incident raises a few questions for me:

1.) Why was McKinney not wearing her pin?
2.) Do others routinely not wear theirs?
3.) Why did she not stop when asked?
4.) Why did she strike the officer? What made her believe this was an appropriate action?
5.) What exactly IS the "inappropriate touching" that she's claiming?
6.) On what exact basis is she claiming racism? Simply because she was stopped? Because she may not have been readily recognized? Was a comment made, an impression given to warrant this claim? If so, what was it?

If McKinney wishes to have her claims examined thoughtfully, then she needs to come forward and answer these questions directly. Obviously, she and her people seem very reluctant to do so.

I'd be amazed if McKinney or any other legislator could pick out 535 members of their constituency out of a police line-up.

I've been following this.. and I think the answers to your questions are:
1. No answer.
2) Yes and no (according to the Capitol police). The wearing of the pins allows Congresspersons to bypass metal detectors. It's not mandatory but a privilege.
3) No direct answer though directly asked by both the cops and media who have interviewed her. She hasn't ever stated she did not hear the officer telling her to stop.
4) Because she felt attacked. Because she felt attacked.
5) Not described to either police or to media though members of the media have repeatedly asked.
6) THAT is the question.. though as has been pointed out, she's "played this card" before. Her "defense" is they probably didn't recognize her because she had just had her hairstyle changed.... uh huh. 535 members of Congress and everyone of the Capitol police force is supposed to have facial recognition of each Congressional member and staffer AND it's her hairdo change that causes a cop to not recognize her!

Seriously, those are her answers, such as they have been reported in the media and her own released statements so far.

Somewhat interestingly, her initial drafted public statement which was leaked to the press never mentioned the race card.

Didn't offend me.

Right, so wearing the pin (which I assume is some kind of ID) allows you to bypass the security measures.

Random person not wearing any ID bypasses the security measures and is apprehended.

I really don't see the problem here. If it had been a white male who was trying to get past the security measures I'm sure they would have been stopped too.


Yes there are plenty of racist cops out there but I don't think this is one of them. The story to me smacks of someone using any excuse to make things worse for the copper now that they've gotten away with it initialy.

Lawyer: McKinney Case Hits Grand Jury

Here's The Thing: It's Not Race
On his way to being sworn in on his first day in Congress, Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., was stopped on the East side of the Capitol.

"Where'd you get that pin, son?" he was asked by a Capitol police officer. With his red hair, fair skin and the youthful looks of a college freshman, Putnam, now 33, told the officer, "I worked very hard to get this pin, sir."

Putnam says that encounter was the first of many, both adorned and unadorned with his Congressional pin, when he would be asked to identify himself to police officers on the Hill.