Obama copycats Canadian Left on branding Cambridge police as racists

American patriots could get a leg up on what makes President Barack Obama tick by following the trail of left-wing activism already forged on trumped up police racial profiling accusations in Canadian cities. In fact the blueprint to demonize police by accusing them of racial profiling can be found right in the City of Toronto. Accusing police of racial profiling is part of the left's long march through traditional institutions, such as school boards, city councils, the news media, non-profit organizations and churches to name only a few.

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That march has been ongoing in Canada for decades and it looks like the new president of the United States is now carrying the torch south of the border. Obama, who would have scored rousing leftist cheers, was only repeating history last night when he said that police acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and that despite racial progress blacks and Hispanics are still singled out unfairly for arrest. Morale plunged to cellar floor level when Toronto's left leaning mainstream media, led by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and the Toronto Star accused the Toronto Police Department of supposed systemic racial profiling. Experienced police officers left the force in droves courtesy of early retirement. When the the media carping was in its height, police were pelted with rocks and bottles when out attending to crime scenes in no-go zones of the city. Activists demanded town hall meetings with then Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino and brought the alleged racially profiled victims to the highly charged meetings. Canada Free Press then Toronto Free Press (TFP) remembers and was part of the actual investigation. In a 2004 Toronto Free Press study of more than 7,000 Toronto Star clippings over a 10-yea span, TFP reported back to the Toronto Police Association that "the only good cops were dead cops". While Obama has Professor Gates, whom he confirms is a personal friend, Toronto lefties had University of Toronto criminologist Scot Wortley. In 2004, Wortley wrote that "being stopped and searched by the police seems to be experienced by black people as evidence that race still matters in Canadian society. That no matter how well you behave, how hard you try, being black means that you will always be considered one of the usual suspects.'" Wortley, who argued for more research and more data collection by police forces, predicted the refusal to deal with it will "ensure that the issue of racial discrimination continues to haunt law enforcement agencies for decades to come." Analysis of figures by Star reporters suggested that blacks in Toronto were over-represented in certain offence categories like drug possession and in what were called "out-of-sight" traffic violations, such as driving without a licence. The analysis also suggested that black suspects were more likely to be held in custody for a bail hearing, while white suspects facing similar charges – were more likely to be released at the scene. The Toronto Police Service commissioned its own report that called the Star's methodology and interpretations "junk science," although that report, too, attracted methodological criticisms. Meanwhile, Obama makes a better community activist than he does a president. WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Wednesday that police acted "stupidly" in the arrest of prominent black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and that despite racial progress blacks and Hispanics are still singled out unfairly for arrest. Watch the full comment on the left, and give us your thoughts here "This still haunts us," Obama said. Obama called Gates a friend, and said he doesn't know all the facts of the case. Nonetheless, Obama said, anyone would have been angry if treated the way Gates claims police in Cambridge, Mass., treated him. Gates claims he was arrested in his own home after showing ID to police who responded to a report of a possible burglary. Police say Gates yelled at the officers and initially refused to show his ID. Gates allegedly yelled “this is what happens to a black man in America” and “you don’t know who you’re messing with” before he was arrested, and police said he was uncooperative. ( read the arrest report ) "Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof he was in own home," Obama said during a prime-time news conference that otherwise focused on the health care debate. "What I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately," Obama said. "That's just a fact." The nation's first black president held himself up as testament to what he called the "incredible progress" minorities have achieved. Gates' arrest followed a report of a possible burglary. A neighbor apparently saw Gates force the front door and called in a police report. Police came, and demanded that Gates showed identification. Gates was arrested shortly afterward for disorderly conduct, a charge that was dropped Tuesday.

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