On March 29, 2006, a confrontation took place in the nation's capitol between an African-American Congresswoman and a white officer of the Captiol Police Department which brought into question the behavior of the Congresswoman and the motive of the police officer.
WHAT HAPPENED? Members of Congress are permitted to bypass metal detectors upon entering Congress or any of the congressional office buildings. To help the Capitol Police identify them, they are given a lapel pin to wear. On the day in question, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., an African-American, was not wearing her pin, and she had just recently changed her hairdo from cornrows to a curly brown afro. A white Capitol Hill police officer, who was working the security checkpoint at a congressional office building entrance, failed to recognize her. (Is it realistic to expect an officer to recognize each and everyone of the 435 House members and 100 Senators whenever they pass by a checkpoint?) When McKinney bypassed the checkpoint, the officer ordered her three times to stop. Each time she ignored his lawful orders. In order to stop Rep. Mckinney, the officer grabbed her by the shoulder. She spun around and - KAPOW! - slugged him in the chest with her cell phone.
McKINNEY'S PUBLIC STANCE(S). The assault on the officer quickly gained a lot of media attention. In her first press conference, flanked by Hollywood limouzine liberals Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte, McKinney claimed she was a victim of racial profiling by a white police officer. She also claimed that he touched her "inappropriately." When it was suggested during a subsequent press conference that an apology might be in order, she stated that she would not apologize and that instead, she and her lawyers were considering filing a civil action against the officer. By April 5th, when word leaked out that the assault would be taken up by a grand jury, she downplayed the incident by stating that, "This has become much ado about hairdo." On April 6th, under pressure from her fellow Democrats, she changed her tune by claiming that the whole affair was just a MISUNDERSTANDING and stating, "I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all, and I regret its escalation. And I apologize."
PLAYING THE RACE CARD. On a number of occasions, since she was elected to Congress in 1992, McKinney has complained about having to deal with WHITE Capitol Police officers. She claimed there was a pattern of making it difficult for black members of Congress to pass through security checkpoints. Once, she claimed that former Vice President Al Gore had a low "Negro tolerance level." In 2002, she blamed jews for the loss of her Congressional seat, claiming that they poured money into her black opponent's campaign because she had sided with the Palestinians against Israel. Her father, Billy McKinney, blamed the defeat on a jewish plot and stated that, "Jews bought everybody, that's (spelling out) J-E-W-S." (She regained her seat in 2004.) She has also associated herself with a group of WACKOS who claim that President Bush and the Defense Department are developing a RACIALLY SELECTIVE weapon of mass destruction, and with those who allege that ETHNIC CLEANSING was behind the government's slow response to Hurricane Katrina.
INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING. What inappropriate touching was committed by the officer? Did he grab McKinney's ass? No. Did he grab her tits? No. Did he snatch her by the crotch? No. He did the only thing he could have done when she continued to ignore his orders to stop, and that was to grab her either by the arm or, in this case, by the shoulder. In fact, the only inappropriate touching committed in this case was when McKinney struck the officer with her cell phone.
McKINNEY'S MISUNDERSTANDINGS. McKinney does not seem to understand that one has to obey the lawful order of a police officer. She does not seem to understand that when you ignore the lawful orders of an officer, he has the right to restrain you physically, and it does not matter whether the officer is white and the person is black, or if the officer is black and the person is white. She does not seem to understand that you do not have the right to attack a police officer and that when you do it, you are committing a serious criminal offense. She probably does not understand that even the President of the United States does not have a right to strike a police officer.
MISUNDERSTANDINGS BY THE POLICE. The police officer in this case does not seem to understand that the instant a person strikes an officer in the performance of his duty, that person must be arrested and taken to jail forthwith! In a bygone police era, the person who assaulted an officer, instantly became a candidate for reconstructive facial surgery. If it is the policy of the Capitol Police not to arrest a member of Congress until an investigation has been completed, they do not seem to understand that the high and mighty are not exempt from any action that would be taken against an ordinary citizen when an officer is assaulted in the performance of his duty.
THE APPROPRIATE RESOLUTION. In order to send a crystal clear message that even a member of Congress cannot "kapow" a cop, the grand jury must indict Congresswoman McKinney for assaulting a police officer in the performance of his duty. Then, a petit jury can convict her and a judge can sentnce her to serve a minimum of 30 days in jail, followed by at least three years of SUPERVISED probation. While in jail, she can commiserate with her fellow jail birds, all of them having been inappropriately touched by the arresting officers, as she understands it. Will McKinney serve any time in jail? Don't hold your breath.
EPILOG: On June 16, 2006, the Justice Department announced that a grand jury had refused to indict McKinney. Once again justice has been denied. Grand juries in the District of Columbia tend to be predominantly black and McKinney had alleged she was a victim of bias and racial profiling.
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