Am I missing something?

I don’t care about the “color” or the “Ph.D.’s” why didn’t the professor just show his identification?

All the other stuff is garbage. Without ID I wouldn’t let Almighty God enter the premises.

Robert, SUNY, at 10:46 am EST on November 2, 2005

Mountain from a molehill

“Without ID I wouldn’t let Almighty God enter the premises.”

Ditto on that. In $20 million computer rooms, I’ve had student assistants POUND on a door to let them in, without a security ID.

Hello? This mainframe stuff is expensive and important — y’know? Then, of course, they scream “you’re doing this because I’m (female/gay/Latino/TG/whatever).” No — I’m doing it, because you don’t have your security ID — go back to your desk and get it.

Moreover — given the crime rate in SF — why didn’t the professor wait until AM? There’s less crime then. PM is a scary time, to get into an argument, especially with people armed with guns.

R.A., Retired geek at Mid-sized U, at 11:04 am EST on November 2, 2005

Conspiracy

This reeks of conspiracy theorists.

A person who failed to identify himself and resisted the police gets arrested. If he is black, its now the evidence of “racial profiling” and a lack of “social justice?”

Crazy talk. Sheer crazy talk.

Run into (almost) any urban university and don’t show ID. Jump the turnstiles. See if you get arrested. Be any skin color — see if it gets you out of it.

Kevin, Undergraduate, at 11:42 am EST on November 2, 2005

Intellectual debate

Is this a case where the ability to effectively communicate with others was somehow compromised by the time of day?

J. Williams, Instructor, at 12:44 pm EST on November 2, 2005

Nobody asserted in the article that this gentleman was resisting arrest. Merely being a jerk to police is generally not grounds for arrest, either. It seems that we don’t know all the facts, but sooner or later, in the course of depositions and discovery, it will come out.

In the mean time, it will do us little good to replay the civil war.

Larry, at 4:03 pm EST on November 2, 2005

Discrimination

No one has to play a race card here. It is evident in this society that it exists. Unfortunatley, many of us do not want to address it. It is what it is and that won’t change. Stick to the issue. Did the police officers ask for his I.D.? Because the officers have the law on their side, there is a tendency to stretch it in their favor. Many people speak of minorities always playing the race card, but it wouldn’t be necessary if police officers would treat them properly. Let’s look at the big picture here, all of this will come out in the wash.

Nedra Washington, at 7:57 pm EST on November 2, 2005

Stop Racial Profiling!!!

For anyone who would like to support the Professor, I have placed a link below.Please feel free to cut, paste, and send to anyone you know who cares about such treatment by “Rouge Cops.”

http://new.petitiononline.com/akom2005/petition.html

Akom Supporter, This could be you!, at 9:32 pm EST on November 2, 2005

if only he knew his place

wow. look at how the internal racism bubbles up at the first sight of disruption to our INSTITUTIONALLY RACIST social order. look how quickly u so-called realists cry wolf! <"bad parent!” “hostile negro!” “reverse racism” “just show yer damn ID like the rest of us, you might be a terrorist!">

as if we needed anymore proof that each of you are afraid of black people, far deeper than “not having a sense how to live with them". no, your fear has made you pathologically retarded! so much, that you jump to defend a cop who has no right barging into faculty offices trying to play hero (of what?! machines?!). oh ya, that crime rate in SF is outta control, how did u know? another fox news exclusive? ya, perhaps when u take yer kids to see ‘chicken little’ u should actually pay attention yourself bucketheads! ^ =ya, all black people and others not afraid of them and not clinging to your pathetic white privilege are conspiring against you! conspiring to bring you out of your delusional disorder before you drive humanity further to the garbage pit :(

Sane, at 1:03 pm EST on November 3, 2005

truth?

Jeannine, I am unsure as to what source you are using to define “truth.” A police report ? Then, I don’t understand how you define “truth” as what someone “would have” done. Things like this happen every day – or are alleged to have happened. Sometimes they are the result of racist cops. Sometimes they are they result of “victims” that are not telling the truth. Sometimes they are misunderstandings. Whatever the case, we live in a country where our system of justice will allow for criminal and/or civil actions that will at the very least, require people to assert what they think happened, and allow a neutral decision-maker to decide who to believe. Writing in all capital letters with multiple exclamation marks won’t help this process.

Larry, at 6:22 pm EST on November 7, 2005

ID — Red herring

Abner Louima [Black], was shot over 40 times by the police [White] – because he had a wallet in his hand – maybe to produce an ID

In the setting described above – it is clear the building where Africana studies is housed – Is not a high security building – that it has to be defended at all costs from the intruders – like fort knox because of the gold bullion. The police are familiar with the employees of the Africana building and they see them day in day out, however if the police wanted to show or teach that African American, who is the head honcho – they have failed terribly.

Police – use CPR [courtesy, professionalism, respect] – if Professor Akom could have been escorted to his office [where name decals are on the doors * for the argument sake let say he did not have his college ID — which I find hard to swallow, definitely he had his driving license and credit cards – that can verify who he is] – where he would have used the keys to get in retrieve the book and then escorted out of the building [that would have been a proper CPR].

But no they have to rough this African American in the Africana studies building and then throw him to jail – and definitely he was strip searched when he was thrown in jail and his identity was verified that enabled them to file charges against him. They found his ID when they threw him in jail – I smell a rat.

David Robertson, Professor at SUNY, at 12:23 pm EST on January 23, 2006