Henry Louis Gates Arrested

[Dora]

Source: New York Times

Filed at 3:58 p.m. ET

BOSTON (AP) -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar, is accusing Cambridge police of racism after he was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University.

Cambridge police were called to the home Thursday afternoon after a woman reported seeing a man ''wedging his shoulder into the front door as to pry the door open,'' according to a police report.

An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the report. Gates began calling the officer a racist and said repeatedly, ''This is what happens to black men in America.''

- snip -

Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification.

''They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,'' Counter said. ''He was totally mistreated in this incident.''

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/20/us/AP-US-Harvard-Scholar-Disorderly.html?hp

[hedgehog]

1. New York Times folks, not the Onion! What year is this, again?

[RufusTFirefly]

4. I guess the cops got bored with just making arrests for "Driving While Black" and decided to expand

[WriteDown]

5. Uh...

If you're spotted trying to break into a home and then refuse to identify yourself, what do you think "should" happen? :shrug:

I wish my neighbors had called the police when my house was broken into.

[timeforpeace]

7. Wondered about the refusing to identify himself part also.

[Captain Hilts]

120. I don't 'get' that part at all. nt

[ecstatic]

392. Of course you don't get it. It's another cop lie

They always lie to cover their asses.

[emilyg]

348. So did I.

[Dora]

8. He did identify himself.

He showed the police his driver's license and his Harvard ID. They continued to question him, at which point he became angry.

I would become angry too.




from the article:



Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification.

''They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,'' Counter said. ''He was totally mistreated in this incident.''

[WriteDown]

10. From the article

"An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the report. Gates began calling the officer a racist and said repeatedly, ''This is what happens to black men in America.''"

[Dora]

11. please re-read my post, i edited it to include information from the article.

at the same time as you

[EFerrari]

12. It's right in the OP. He did show identification. n/t

[murdoch]

152. He *DID* identify himself

First of all, he is in his own home, I thought it was only in Nazi Germany that you had to answer your own door in the middle of the night and show the police your "papers".

Nevertheless, he did show the ID and even the arresting officer admits he did. Gates told him he thought it was racist that his door gets knocked on by a cop and this gets asked just because he is black and living in a nice neighborhood.

When was the last time the cops banged on your door and asked for ID?

The cop admits in the police report Gates showed him his ID. You are spinning the story.

[bjobotts]

314. But he's black. If a white man had been prying the door open would police have come or been called?

[bjobotts]

315. These are not police anymore but paramilitary groups and if you don't

[bjobotts]

316. if U don't bow to their authority they will make you regret it."Don't taze me man"

[bjobotts]

317. They use to be part of the citizenry but no longer.Now members of paramilitary ops.

[bjobotts]

318. And U better respect their "authority" or else.They are only ones allowed to be uppity

[Tzimisce]

424. The last time the cops...

...banged on my door and asked for my ID was, oh, about early May? See, they were chasing some guy, and he jumped onto my apartment patio in an attempt to hide. They found him, and quite reasonably decided that maybe, just maybe, he was heading to this particular apartment cuz it was his, or he knew the person who lived there. So they banged on my door, and when I opened it, they asked me to step out.

Now, my natural stance is slouched, hands in pockets. They immediately told me to take my hands out of my pockets. Not that surprising. They asked for ID. I told them it was inside my apartment. At this point, another officer stepped over and asked me if I own a gun. I replied that I do not. He asked to take a look in my apartment. I said sure, go right ahead. He went in and took a look around. Didn't touch a thing, far as I know. I was still outside.

Once he was done, I went inside and got my ID for the first officer. She ran my name through dispatch to check for warrants, and when it came back negative, she explained that they'd had a call reference a guy waving a gun around and threatening to kill someone from a street or three over. When they arrived, everyone booked. They caught the one guy just outside my place. Turns out, the guy with the gun was described as white male, shaved head, goatee, about 6'1, wearing a red shirt and jeans. That matches my description, right down to the clothes I was wearing that day.

The kicker? I work for the local police department. They had probable cause to talk to me, to check my ID, and to search my apartment. I work in radio. One of my fellow dispatchers was like, "Why the hell are they running him?" Did I have a hissy fit? No. They had probable cause, based on the info they had up to that point.

Same deal here. They get a call about two black males forcing the door on a house. They show up, find one of the guys still there. Burglaries in progress can go sour real fast. I'm frankly surprised the one officer went into the home alone. Either way, Professor Gates decided not to cooperate from the get-go, ignoring the fact that the officer was there to protect Gates' own home. When the cops show up, do yourself a favor and cooperate. You don't know all the facts of what they're working, and cops, at least the ones I work with, don't go around asking people for their ID for shits and giggles. They have more important things to do. If you start shouting and acting like an idiot, that sets off alarm bells for them, because a lot of criminals will lie and bluff when faced with questions from an officer.

Long story short? Don't be a dick, and cops won't respond in kind.

EDIT: I just realized that by revealing myself as a white male, I just completely shot my entire post in the foot. I should've claimed to be black. That would add some weight to my post. As it stands, everyone'll just say, "Oh, well of course, you're a white male, you wouldn't understand!" :eyes:

[chasitynola]

430. Professor Gates interview

Here's his side.

http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?page=0,0&auto=true

Finally...read up, buttercup.

[WriteDown]

15. Once you start screaming at police and initially refuse to

cooperate, I think it only makes sense that they may want to question you a bit. :shrug:

[noiretextatique]

21. are you a black man?

if not, you may not understand his frustration. i certainly do. i am a black woman, but i have been harassed by police many times.
he showed his driver's license and his harvard id, and they didn't believe him. i would have gone ballistic on their asses too.

[EFerrari]

26. My girlfriend used to live in daily fear of being late to work and being fired

because she got stopped so often and ATT didn't allow you a single infraction in the first six months. She had to factor cop time into her commute. It was unbelievable.

[noiretextatique]

32. my cousins have had cops pull guns on them in texas

my female cousins who had their kids in the car. when i was younger and wore my hair short, cops would stop me because they thought i was a black man.
the last time i got stopped for driving while black, i let the cops have it and got a huge attitude ticket (beat it in court).
i support good police officers, but i have no obligation to pretend i a criminal because some asshole with a badge decides to racially profile me :nuke:

[Bette Noir]

49. My ex-husband, white as can be, got stopped by police

and had guns pulled on him more times than I can count. I think that stopped when he shaved his beard and got his hair cut short.

I'm mixed race, and get harassed by police all the time. I think that's because I live in LA, which runs the government on ticket revenues instead of taxes.

[noiretextatique]

64. i grew up in LA

worse, most corrupt police department ever...at least it was in the 70s - 90s.

[Nay]

218. My son, also white as can be and with no 'odd' hair, etc., gets stopped

ALL THE TIME -- for him, it's driving while young. Cops stopped him one time for having BALLOONS in his car -- it was his one-year-old's birthday. The cop hassled him because the balloons 'obstructed his vision.' My son said, "I saw you and stopped, didn't I??"

I should add that he was leaving a PARTY STORE -- dozens of people per day leave with large orders of balloons. They managed to stop HIM over it. Needless to say, he has no love for the police.

[Patiod]

390. My SO, white, used to get stopped all the time for DWP

His offense was driving an old car in a Main Line Philadelphia neighborhood. And it wasn't his driving - he was NEVER stopped while driving my brand new car. Only when driving the his old car.

There is DWB and DWP, and some folks have to deal with both.

I don't fault the cops in this story for responding to a burglary report and asking the guy inside for ID. They would have done the same thing no matter what the color of the homeowner.

BUT why they didn't just STFU and leave when they got Prof. Gates' ID - whether he was giving them attitude or not? "I'm sorry to have disturbed you sir, but we have to respond to all reports of a burglary."

They absolutely would have gone away with a respectful apology had it been a white or Asian homeowner,.

[proud2BlibKansan]

52. I taught with a black woman who had the same experience

She was pulled over every day on her way to school until our principal called the police chief. Then she bought a new car and they pulled her over again.

[EFerrari]

56. There's a lot of motherf#ckers in this country.

And I can't believe they have as much support on this thread as they do. Gates is disabled. He uses a cane. He's not exactly Rambo. And it must have been frightening to see these guys with weapons all over them converging on him.

Man. :grr:

[WriteDown]

29. Native American...

Get stopped all the time. Mistaken for Hispanic though. I've heard Mexican, Honduran, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino and probably a few others.

[noiretextatique]

34. the you should have some understanding

of his frustration.

[No Elephants]

87. Ever get "stopped" as you were entering your own home?

[WriteDown]

97. I've only broken into my own house once....

so I'm not sure I'm a good example.

[No Elephants]

110. It was probably his first time as well. Price of tea in China?

[WriteDown]

115. My neighbors didn't report me or didn't see me...

Is that better?

[No Elephants]

126. Nope. Not at all. Again, after he showed ID with his photo and address....

[WriteDown]

130. So if you have an address on your license then you

couldn't be up to foul play? Wonder what would have happened if this guy was stopped? http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2009469768_prosecutors_to_seek_exceptiona.html

edited for wrong link

[No Elephants]

138. You're being very selective, as always. An older man, with a disability and a cane and TWO forms

of photo ID, both with his address, one of which he shows he is a Harvard professor. And, he's at the front door. And he doesn't crumple when police approach. Not bloody likely that he is breaking into anyone else's home.

[WriteDown]

140. So professors can't commit crimes either....

Didn't know we had such an elite class of people.

http://www.9news.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=119046&catid=346

[Deadric Damodred]

142. To sum up what they are suggesting...

...they seem to think that if you are a well-educated, well-dressed, old, disabled, black man who is breaking into your own home, that you have the right to ignore the orders of the police and resist them.

[No Elephants]

147. Again, selective. Stop the bs. But, since you like that tactic so much, So, cops

never were excessive with anyone? Even from a racial minority? Who knew we had such perfect cops?

Brilliant form of discourse, isn't it?

[WriteDown]

149. You've proven the need to wait for the dash cam

before making further judgements.

[No Elephants]

159. Yet, that's not what you did. You just made up justifications that were not even in the police's

own version of the story. And plucked out one fact at a time about Gates. Because when you put them all together, the greater likelihood is that Gates did not get upset unless they manhandled him or were jerks to him. And that they did not back off when they should have.

Edited to add:


PS. Asking questions proves nothing.

[WriteDown]

160. I think post 162 sums it up best. Enjoy. nt

[No Elephants]

180. I prefer the replies of Ferrari and no elephants to 162. To each his or her own.

[nolabels]

421. The cops once requested i break into my own house for them

There obviously must be reason a lot of cops are kind of slow with some things. After all with the amount of abuse they get pointed at them for the amount of pay they receive one would have to assume something was amiss.
It's only a simple equation :sarcasm:



Actually it seems to me that it's just learned helplessness, they perceive themselves of having some kind of power (and are afraid of losing that power), but really, just like the rest of us, they are just another cog in the wheel

[Deadric Damodred]

30. "I would have gone ballistic...

...on their asses too". And you would have made it worse on yourself as well. When comes to confrontations with the police, even if you know they are in the wrong, you go with the flow and obey them no matter how wrong they are. You will get your revenge on them in court and a nice fat pay check from a civil suit if they really were wrong. But when people resist and throw tantrums, even when they are in the right, they just make it worse on themselves; espeically in this day and age where the cops seem to be "tazer happy" on anything they even slightly deem as a "resist". If they are wrong and you know, you shut up, you let them arrest you, and you wait for your day in court to make you a millionaire for violating your rights.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

319. Deleted message

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[superconnected]

47. Sounds like he went ballistic on the police before he showed them his id.

I think at that point the police should start questioning him. Originally he refused to show his id. That's suspicious to me.

I'm a white woman and I expect the cops to want to know what's happening and question me even if I'm breaking into my own home. For all they would know, I could be going through a divorce and not be allowed in there.

[EFerrari]

60. The man is an older, well dressed black man WITH A CANE.

He doesn't even fit the profile for a burglar.

This was out and out racial profiling. Plain as day.

I can't believe the lengths that people are going to in justifying it.

[noiretextatique]

66. some people will always makse excuses

especially if they CAN'T experience racial profiling themselves. i know i was racially profiled, but how can i explain that knowing to people who don't know what it's like? of course...i am not talking about you. i am talking about all those arguing in favor of the police's actions.

[EFerrari]

72. I am mortified right now.

Dr. Gates is a national treasure.

I don't think it's possible to explain this to people. They don't get it. They don't know him, it's never happened to them and in the back of their mind, they hope the police they deal with will be fair.

[WriteDown]

86. So you can't commit crimes if you're well dressed?

Who knew? :eyes:

[EFerrari]

92. That these goons were too ignorant to recognize him was bad enough.

That they were too stupid to look at him before they went into their goon song and dance is pathetic.

But please go right on defending them.

[WriteDown]

106. I wonder if you'd recognize someone like Roger Clemons

if he was being arrested. Probably 8 out of 10 people would not. The dance was started by a man trying to pry a door open and then screaming at police when asked for ID.

[No Elephants]

108. And you know that how? Gates' side of the story is not represented in that report.

[WriteDown]

109. All we can go by is the OP and the police report...

We'll have to wait for the dash cam.

[No Elephants]

143. Not really. We can go by all the facts given in the article, instead of going outside the article

to make up reasons to attempt to justify for the cops conduct. And we can go by common sense and our knowledge of Dr. Gates and how older, mild mannered Harvard professors generally behave. And the fact that police do stop minorities more than they do white people.

[WriteDown]

No...

all we can go by is empirical evidence. How many serial killers are described as "quiet, and unassuming" by their neihbors? The dash cam will show all.

[No Elephants]

163. There is no empirical evidence, yet you've decided from jump that Gates is guilty.

Fifty posts later, it's wait for the camera. Hilarious.

And, those "unassuming" people are usually loners. Gates is not a loner,.

Gates is not unassuming, btw. He has great presence. He is simply mild mannered.

[WriteDown]

167. From the evidence we have, it appears that way...

If you choose not to believe it, then its wait for the dash cam. It would have been interesting if it was another Black man breaking into Gates house and then he murdered him after his White neighbor witnessed the break-in and did not report it. I'm sure their would have been howls that the White neighbor was racist for not caring about a Black man's property or life.

[No Elephants]

172. You have no evidence whatever and this is not about the neighbor, but about the police.

Honestly, building all those straw men must be exhausting.

[WriteDown]

173. Yep...

All I have is the police report. And all you have is...is.... Oh that's right. :)

[No Elephants]

202. All I hae is the same info you do. All I lack is RW assumptions.

:-)

[WriteDown]

308. So assuming a man breaking into a home is a burglar...

is RW. Learn something everyday. Odd that Gates hasn't issued a statement refuting the police report point by point. It will be VERY interesting to see how this unfolds.

[CBGLuthier]

420. interesting?

You got one fucked up idea of "interesting" there fella.

[No Elephants]

144. Double. Sorry.

[ProudDad]

378. Or you could, like, read the article. It's pretty plain (n/t)

[pnwmom]

384. Or witness interviews. Apparently, there was more than one non-police witness.

I wonder if we'll here from them.

[No Elephants]

419. The witnesses observed only the end of the incident, But, we heard from the police,

who acknowledged that the incident was unfortunate and regrettable and also that the cop had not behaved well. Of course, the police spokeperson said both parties were at fault. Fact remains, though, even per the police report, you have a man who did nothing at all wrong. He arrived at his own home and entered it, period. Then the police arrived and there was an incident. One side is a cop whose superiors say did wrong. The other side is a gentle college professor, disabled, almost sixty and well known and respected world wide who has dealt with thousands and thousands of people in his career and no one had a bad word to say. I'm going with Gates was the one who started acting like an ass first.

[EFerrari]

112. You don't know who he is either, do you? There may be work for you

in Cambridge.

[WriteDown]

117. I wouldn't recognize Michael Jackson's kids either...

I read a lot. Not much TV.

[EFerrari]

122. You can't be comparing MJ's kids to this pre-eminent scholar

who is well known in academia and in the media.

[WriteDown]

125. Since I don't work in academia or the media....

why would I recognize him? I just finished the 1st Harry Potter book (at the behest of my girlfriend)and wouldn't recognize the author either.

[EFerrari]

135. I promise you, those officers are not happy right now. nt

[WriteDown]

141. Maybe their having a few beers right now, who knows?

I will wait for the dash cam vid.

[EFerrari]

148. You can wait all you want. Their asses are being kicked all over the state right now.

I can hear them bouncing.

[WriteDown]

151. If you say so...

What are the lotto #'s for tomorrow's drawing Zoltar?

[EFerrari]

165. A police department already under scrutiny for racial profiling,

an academic with no, none, nada history of any kind of disruptive behavior?

Let's see. I choose Gates. That must make me clairvoyant.

[WriteDown]

169. I believe Ted Bundy did not have a history

of any criminal behavior either.

[EFerrari]

171. That's just ridiculous. Ted Bundy wasn't well known all over the world

and in the media. I'd put that shovel down.

[WriteDown]

174. I have never seen this man on the media...

I also met Shannon Doherty once and had no idea who she was. I met John Travolta as well and didn't recognize him for about 5 minutes. Its amazing that you think that everyone is instantly recognized

[EFerrari]

178. Arresting Gates in Cambridge must be like arresting Brad Pitt in Hollywood.

It's not about recognizing everyone. It's about recognizing him.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates,_Jr.

[WriteDown]

181. I suggest you consult the police report...

Sounds like he was pretty beligerant. I am not sure I'm in favor of the police showing deference to the privileged class.

[EFerrari]

183. And the police report was written by the same nitwits that arrested him.

I suggest you resort to your brain instead. And this isn't about a privileged class. It's about being able to determine who is and who isn't a threat. When the world has information telling you someone isn't a threat, that should make police work a lot easier. Unless they're racist freaks.

[WriteDown]

185. Okay...

I'll go by the eye witnesses then.

[EFerrari]

192. How did you get their reports? Did they call you?

[No Elephants]

239. You have no idea if the cop described the incident to the last detail. This is not a

belligerent man. And, he was in his own home. He did not even have to open the door. It not credible that he got asked one question or two in a civil manner and immediately called he cop racist.

[pnwmom]

209. Come on, that's silly. Brad Pitt has his picture plastered all over the media.

My daughter lived in Cambridge and she wouldn't have recognized Gates if she ran into him. His image isn't plastered all over the city. He hasn't appeared in movies and TV where average people view him for hours.

I came from a university town and all of the faculty were able to keep a very low profile -- no matter how well known they might be in their particular fields.

[No Elephants]

226. Actually, he has appeared on TV many times. And he did a series for PBS on

African American blood lines. I don't know how many episodes it was, but each episode was at least an hour. And, he did another series on PBS about looking for the real Abraham Lincoln. He may have done others as well. And he gets interviewed on TV all the time because he is such a well-known expert in the field.

But, it does not even matter whether the cop knew him or not. This man is about as likely to accuse someone of being racist after a civil question or two as I am to watch a Bruce Lee movie.

[EFerrari]

257. Maybe you should introduce your daughter to all of his video work.

It has been plastered all over the media. African American Lives, History of American Civilization, Remembers Eldridge, America Beyond the Color Line, Finding Lincoln, Africana.

No, it's not silly in the least.

[pnwmom]

383. Henry Louis Gates is not exactly plastered all over the newstands

and along the counters at the check-out line.

You can't seriously be arguing that his face is as well known as Brad Pitt's. Or that any faculty member in any department at any university has as familiar a face as Brad Pitt. (Or any number of other actors or rock stars.)

What's more, I can't think why any faculty member would want that kind of public image.

And I don't need to introduce my daughter to his works; she's read some of them at school. But that doesn't mean she knows (or cares) exactly what he looks like.

[No Elephants]

232. He had a long history of criminal behavior. He was a serial killer. But, if you mean that

he had no criminal record, you may be correct. However, the police had been called to his home went, but left without investigating. Yet, everyone says there was a horrendous stench in his apartment.

[Name removed]

323. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

355. Deleted message

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[No Elephants]

129. If I were a cop covering his neighborhood? Bet I would.

[peacetalksforall]

268. There are always two sides to a story, but your attack on Gates is

pathetic. None of us can know the whole story, the point is that something must have happened in the verbal exchange to tick him off. I doubt that he burst out in anger before something else happened along the way. You are so ready to say that Gates started it. And your sentence by sentence responses were pathetically week and distorted. It was unpleasant to learn that something happened to him, it was worse to hear the way you made him out to be guilty.

I stopped and wrote the above before finishing all the reading. If you end up apologizing later on in this thread, I'll take back what I said.

[No Elephants]

95. Again, the cops did not stop after he showed his ID. AND, he was an older, well dressed

man WITH a CANE. At the front door. No, that is not the profile for a burglar.

[WriteDown]

99. So now you're in favor of profiling?

So no well-dressed people ever broke into their ex-wive's or girlfriends house right?

[No Elephants]

113. A profile for a burgular is very different from racial profiling. And very few older, disabled

Harvard professors break into anyone's home. And, for the third time, his Harvard ID and his driver's license would have shown him at HIS own home. Not his ex wife's and not his ex-girlfriend's.

[WriteDown]

119. So once again...

No ex-husbands have their old address on their license?

[EFerrari]

124. What utter crap.

[WriteDown]

127. Considering I was ticketed this year for having an old address.

on my license, seems like a logical question.

[ProudDad]

356. Writedown is famous for pedling crap (n/t) ignore it...

[No Elephants]

131. Once again, how do you know they were thinking he had an old address on TWO forms of photo ID?

Sorry, your imagination is still not causing that spaghetti to stick to the wall.

[WriteDown]

132. Bet this guy had ID too....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/theblotter/2009469768_prosecutors_to_seek_exceptiona.html

edited for wrong link.

[No Elephants]

155. More spaghetti. Still not sticking. And your bet is based on squat.

[WriteDown]

158. I like how many don't want to wait for more evidence...

guess its easy to "shoot from the hip."

[No Elephants]

166. You should know. You've done that since your first post on this thread.

[WriteDown]

170. I went by the evidence provided..

If you want to contradict it, then we'll need further evidence.

[EFerrari]

200. Evidence, my granny.

[WriteDown]

309. True

If you're granny had been a witness, she could provide evidence.

[No Elephants]

250. Again, there was no evidence provided, only the report of an officer who probably knew

by the time the report was written that this is a famous man.

And such evidence as there was, if viewed in its totality, indicates that it is more likely than not that, if Gates responded that way, he was provoked.

You might take a look at his wiki. This is a scholarly man. And you might take the word of a couple of people here who have actually seen the man in action that this is very contrary to his typical behavior.

And, it speaks for itself that your first reaction was that Gates was guilty of everything charged in the police report. Only after numerous posts did it occur to you to suggest we wait for more facts.

BTW, the dash cam is not going to show the start of the incident since Gates was inside his home when the officer arrived and therefore the start of the incicdent occurred inside his home.

[WriteDown]

310. Still waiting for Gates refutation....

:shrug:

[Deadric Damodred]

104. Again....

...let me try and explain this one more time.

Let's pretend that he didn't at first ignore their orders. Let's pretend that when they asked for is id the first time, that he complied and remained civil and did not get angry. Let's say the cops decided to arrest him anyway after complying completely and being shown they were wrong and he was right. In that situation he should still remain calm and comply. I'm not saying that because I agree with the police and their actions, I'm saying that because when you resist the police, you get fucked up. In this situation, pretending he complied with the police the first time, but still got arrested, he'd make a shit load of money off their screw up in court LATER AFTER THE CONFRONTATION. Trying to stand up to the police during a confrontation (standing up to them meaning becoming uncivil and losing your temper), even when they are wrong and you are right is a battle a person is going to lose no matter how morally and politically right they are.

[No Elephants]

116. "try to explain one more time," my ass. Get over yourself.

[chasitynola]

293. It is easy to tell someone

keep your cool with the cops if you haven't experienced racial profiling yourself. This gentleman has probably had bad experiences in his youth and when he was presumably talked 'down to' he lost his collective shit. I have many friends of color who have been treated very badly by police in the past ten to fifteen years. But this is a black man born in 1950. I am sure he has past experiences that were not pretty.

I have seen too many instances of police being so freakin' full of themselves that they want to be the big shit and they do not/will not listen to reason.

Rawrrrr. This thread is makin' me craaazy!

:argh:

[Name removed]

329. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProudDad]

359. You mean "comply" and "remain civil" like these people did...

There's a history here in USAmerika. And it's not freakin' over yet -- obviously from some of the sick, racist posts on this thread...


Medgar Evers







HISTORY MATTERS.

You can pretend electing a half white/half black Harvard educated pResident changes all that but it doesn't.

Emmit Till before:



Emmit Till after:



He whistled at a white woman... I guess he should have told the Klan, "Yassuh, Nosuh.", eh?

There's HISTORY HERE and HISTORY MATTERS!

[Patiod]

391. I don't understand why the cops didn't apologize & leave after ID

If it had been a white or asian homeowner, they would have explained that it was policy to check ID after the report of a burglery, apologized deferentially, and then left quietly (if police behavior in my fatther's upper-middle-class suburb is any indication).

[joeybee12]

111. All we know is that the police said he wouldn't identify himself and caused a scene...

...he said he did...it's he said/he said at this point, and it's probably somewhere in the middle.

[EFerrari]

128. The moment he presented his ID, this should have been over.

And, frankly, I trust Dr. Gates over the thugs that were too stupid to figure out who he was and what he needed.

[No Elephants]

134. No, it's not even he said, he said. Gates's side of the story is not in the article at all.

[Karenina]

393. ***HERE IS GATES' STATEMENT***

http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr

[jberryhill]

396. "turned off his alarm"

I wonder if he has the kind of alarm that calls the police.

A friend of mine accidentally tripped hers, and they gave her a very hard time when they showed up, since they assume that whomever is in the house when the alarm is tripped is a burglar.

[fishwax]

379. even the police acknowledge that he identified himself

It's in the police report.

[Ka hrnt]

387. Yes, and he continued yelling at the cop

...as he was leaving and after he'd left. Sorry, but what were the police supposed to do--ignore a report that someone was forcing open a door? Dr. Gates comes across as a complete jack*ss in the police report. Time will tell how accurate said report is, but for now, it's the only credible/official story we have.

[fishwax]

403. yes, according to the police report, he continued yelling

I was simply pointing out that even the police report directly contradicts the previous poster's assertion about failing to show identification.

As for the police report, I don't think Dr. Gates comes off like a jackass at all.

[No Elephants]

409. If you think a cop would never have omitted from the report anything

that made Professor Gates's behavior seem reasonable, you're wrong, especially after the cop got to the station and learned how famous Gates was.

[fishwax]

422. it's sad how quick people are to take the police report at face value

as definitive, unbiased, etc.

[dysfunctional press]

238. burglary isn't the only reason people break into houses.

and not all burglars look alike.

the fact was there was a man in the house who had been witnessed possibly breaking in. if it were my house, i would WANT the police to make sure that it was me in my house.

[No Elephants]

263. And after you show two forms of photo ID showing your face and address and

also showing that you were a Harvard Professor pushing 60, inside your own home, would you expect them to continue questioning you AND call the Harvard Police to boot? At what point is it reasonable to assume that an older man who limps visibly is really in his own home. BTW, how many burglars use the front door? AND open it when the police arrive?

[chasitynola]

297. That is the part that makes little sense...

he was inside the home and responded to the police when they arrived. Who does that when they are potentially burglarizing a home?

And the stupid 'neighbor' doesn't know what they man looks like? They obviously live close enough to see his home.

[dysfunctional press]

335. the police report says one form of i.d.- which wouldn't include an address.

the reason the harvard police were called was out of courtesy of the fact that he's a harvard professor- or don't you understand that?

"BTW, how many burglars use the front door? AND open it when the police arrive?"

once again- it's not about whether or not he was a burglar- it's not the only reason people break into houses- and even so, yes, there are probably old burglars too.

[noiretextatique]

62. not according to gates: he said they asked for his id

which he showed them, and they continued to question him. that's when he got pissed off.

[Deadric Damodred]

67. There is a difference...

...between trying to calmly explain to the cops they are wrong, and throwing a tantrum over it. Throwing a tantrum over it is just going to make things worse. Go on youtube and look up all the people getting tazered. Even the ones that were in the right and the cop in the wrong, still brought it on themselves because they threw a tantrum over it. If the police are wrong the courts will show it; standing there screaming in their face is a stupid thing to do.

[noiretextatique]

69. there is a difference between how they treated him

and how they would have treated a white man.

[Deadric Damodred]

75. So what?

If they are wrong, then he'll get really rich over their racism and hopefully after having to pay millions of dollars in a civil suit the department will think twice before acting like a bunch of racist assholes. When the cops are standing there in your face, it doesn't matter who's right or who's wrong. What does matter is whether or not the person of their focus remains calm and obeys them or flies off the handle, throws a temper tantrum, and gives the appearance of resisting arrest.

[EFerrari]

78. Really? Is that what matters to you, obedience?

You know, I hope, that no one can actually PAY YOU to treat you like that?

And you know, I assume, that Dr. Gates is disabled.

Geezus.

[Deadric Damodred]

80. Obedience in a confrontation with the police...

...does matter; very much so. It doesn't matter if he's a black, disabled man. If he had simply complied with their orders from the start, it all might have been avoided. And if he had still been arrested after obeying them and showing them they were wrong, he should still have remained calm and waited to suit the shit out of them in court. Instead he flew off the handle and ignored their orders from the start. There's a quote from the first Rambo movie, it's "when people start fucking around with the law, all hell breaks loose". That's completely true. Even if the police are wrong, disobeying them during a confrontation with them is just going to bring hurt down you.

[EFerrari]

82. Seriously, I don't know what to say to you. n/t

[fascisthunter]

243. that's not Obedience You Speak of... the Doc should his ID

Maybe in Nazi Germany at one time this police behavior was acceptable. The police have the right to serve and protect, and no right to abuse that authority which was given to them by civilians such as the doctor. After he showed the police his ID, they had no right whatsoever to do what they did... they abused their authority to punish the man.

And now they will pay a price for it.

[chasitynola]

300. This is a black man

born in 1950. If the cops acted like assholes, it would be very difficult to play nice and wait to take them to court. Yes, suh. Thank you, suh. Whatever you, your badge and your gun say, SUH.

:puke:

[No Elephants]

And he threw a tantrum according to whose version of events?

[WriteDown]

101. I imagine we'll get our answers from the dash cam. nt

[No Elephants]

267. Not necessarily. A good deal of this went on inside his home.

[No Elephants]

156. Gates's side of the story is not in that article. It's only the police version.

Gates referred questions to his attorney (which his attorney would have instructed him to do) and the reporter never reached his attorney before press time. So, it's one side of the story.

BTW, his attorney is Obama's former law professor. This should be good.

[ProudDad]

354. Sounds like you didn't read the f*ckin' article (n/t)

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

136. Are you a cop?

Then you might not understand what it's like to have 100 or more of your fellow officers die in the line of duty each year. That's in addition to 15,000 who were lucky enough to be merely wounded. Another 45,000 were assaulted by suspects.

So when some guy is asked a simple question and reacts with irrational anger, you'll forgive them for being cautious. They didn't taser him. They didn't use their nightsticks on him. They tried to calm him down so he could respond to their questions. Unless Professor Gates can show that he was physically assaulted by the officers, he's got no case.

[No Elephants]

278. Are you a black man of almost sixty? If not, you may not know what it is like to be

harassed for things like driving while black, no matter how hard you've worked, no matter how respected you are by the rest of the world.

And even the police report does not say he got angry after the first question. I also did not see any claim in the police report that anyone tried to calm him down.

As far as his having no case, this is about him getting arrested for being in his own home, not about any case he brought.

[Raineyb]

333. The cops chose their profession. So I shan't be wasting any time pitying them for their career

choice. If their job is so scary for them they can find another line of work. It would be better for the rest of us anyway, I'm tired of asshole cops coming into my neighborhood acting like they're the occupying army and the people who live in the neighborhood are subhuman.

[MUAD_DIB]

233. I'm not a black man, but I am smart enough not to yell at an officer.

If you don't want the police to bust your chops then don't bust theirs.


That's just common sense. Right?

[NashVegas]

37. If He'd Been a White Man In This Suit

A simple self-introduction would have sufficed.

[pnwmom]

211. He wasn't wearing that suit. He was wearing slacks and a shirt.

Not that it really matters.

[MUAD_DIB]

236. Perhaps... Perhaps not.

[No Elephants]

84. Really? Why? His driver's license would have his photo and his address. What is to be

gained by continuing to question him?

And who ((other than you) said they only questioned him "a bit" after he showed his license? Spin much?

[WriteDown]

88. Because no ex-husbands or anything have ever broken

into their former spouses address, right? :eyes:

[No Elephants]

105. Again, his ID would have shown that he was at his own home. BTW, how would you know what

kinds of questions they asked him after he showed his ID? Or are we just going to make up anything we can think of to justify the cops continuing to question him and hope something sticks to the wall?

Gates does not strike me as a hothead.

[WriteDown]

107. So no ex-husbands or boyfriends have former addresses on

their DIL's? Fascinating. :eyes:

[EFerrari]

146. All they had to do was call the University. This has nothing to do with ex husbands

at all.

One phone call to avoid a shitload of embarrassment. Those cops will not be up for any awards this year, that's for sure.

How humiliating for their department.

[WriteDown]

153. How long was he detained?

Ever try to reach a university after 5?

[EFerrari]

168. On more than one occasion when I was working at Cal.

They have emergency contact numbers.

[PSzymeczek]

251. Mr. Gates is still married to his first wife,

apparently.

[chasitynola]

306. Riddle me this...

if an ex had the home address on their license and the police were called, unless the spouse in residence complained or there was a court order, is that breaking and entering?

[ProudDad]

364. Don't bother with this writedown character -- this is it's M.O. -- provoke (n/t)

[Captain Hilts]

121. BINGO. nt

[EFerrari]

150. Oh, please. He handed them his University ID.

This has nothing to do with broken families. :eyes:

[chasitynola]

305. If an ex-husband/ex-wife

broke into an uninhabited home with that address on their ID, it would not be breaking and entering unless the former spouse was home and pressed charges or had some kind of court order that they stay out.

I am quite sure.

[Ka hrnt]

386. I agree...

Black, white, or purple, if you initially refuse to cooperate and then get belligerent, you have to expect the cops to be suspicious. I'll wait until further evidence (witnesses, and hopefully the police cameras caught something) but after reading the police report, Dr. Gates comes across in very poor light here (and that's being very polite...).

[TayTay]

298. That information was not on the TV news report

and it should be.

Dr. Gates is a very distinguished scholar and a very valuable member of the Harvard faculty. He showed identification that puts him in that house. Ah, I smell a very public apology coming from the Cambridge police.

Seriously, I can sort of see the cops stopping and asking what is going on. But, Dr. Gates complied with the requests for standard IDs.

I will watch tomorrow to see if the news reports are corrected with this information. It's kind of important and the story makes some sense now, which it did not at first.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Your neighbors don't know who you are?

My neighbors know me. So I can't picture them calling the cops on me if I was trying to get I to my own house. But then I am not a black male.

[Lost-in-FL]

302. It was his house. Unless the cop had a warrant for his arrest...

then he could identify. :shrug:

[tomm2thumbs]

345. yup - agree

Can't say 'how' he was asked for his name so don't know the overall circumstance, but they were technically protecting his home from being broken into when they responded - and if the neighbor didn't know who it was, perhaps he needs to be better friends with his neighbors. Just sayin'

I guess now his house would be a sure bet to break into, given the police aren't going to go near it. Hope he has replaced the locks and door.

[CatWoman]

2. I read about this on the Huff Post

i am beyond speechless.

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. W. E. B. DUBOIS PROFESSOR

?x=213&y=164&xc=1&yc=1&wc=409&hc=315&q=85&sig=CYoskaM4olxittdINIrS2A--

[frazzled]

6. Oh, I smell a successful lawsuit

I thought everyone knew Skip in Cambridge. This is not a man you suspect of being a burglar.

Yoy. But I can tell you stories about racism in Cambridge. My husband had sent colleagues to have drinks in a Cambridge hotel with a professor from an American college who had been invited to Harvard to speak. He happened to be from Africa originally. The professor was asked to leave. When asked why, they said he was speaking loudly and had clearly had too much to drink (He'd had one beer like the rest of the group). There was some mention of a "smell."
My husband had to write and call the hotel to extract an apology ... and to avert a lawsuit for them. It was ugly.

Cambridge. So civilized.

[EFerrari]

9. They messed with the wrong black man.

I hope he kicks their racist @sses.

Can you IMAGINE, arresting HENRY LOUIS GATES?

Most people I know would kill to talk to him for five minutes.

Gawd almighty.

[WriteDown]

14. Yeah, this sounds really racist

....while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University.

Cambridge police were called to the home Thursday afternoon after a woman reported seeing a man ''wedging his shoulder into the front door as to pry the door open,'' according to a police report.

An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the report. Gates began calling the officer a racist and said repeatedly, ''This is what happens to black men in America.''

[EFerrari]

16. He did show them ID. They're pigs and you are supporting them.

Nice going there, WriteDown.

[WriteDown]

17. Next time someone is breaking into your place...

hopefully no one will call the pigs. :rofl:

[EFerrari]

18. My local police would never do such a thing. They're professionals,

not racist pigs.

[WriteDown]

19. So they know who should be prying doors open and who

should not. They truly are amazing then :shrug:

[EFerrari]

22. They all can read. And their black CO has whipped the precinct

into the best shape it's been in for the last 35 years. I know, because that's how long my family has lived in this district.

[WriteDown]

27. Considering how few Black people there are in San Fran...

I can see how this type of situation would be unlikely.

[EFerrari]

31. This neighborhood is a rainbow. It wouldn't happen because the guys at Taraval Station

are not racist freaks.

[Flaneur]

81. You're off on that weird trip again?

Yes, San Francisco isn't DC, but it still had 58,000 black residents in the last census, and there are 497,000 black residents of the Bay Area.

It's just ludicrous to keep harping on that non-point.

[WriteDown]

389. Not at all.....

I've just noticed that the people who cry racism the most always live in the places with the least brown(or red) people.

[noiretextatique]

23. he showed them his license and harvard id

i am sure the license had his address on it. and then there's this from the article:

Many of Gates' African-American colleagues believe his arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge, said Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years.

Counter has said he was stopped on campus by two Harvard police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification.

''We do not believe that this arrest would have happened if professor Gates was white,'' Counter said. ''It really has been very unsettling for African-Americans throughout Harvard and throughout Cambridge that this happened.'

[izquierdista]

24. The whole story

Will have to wait for the civil suit, after the cops' self serving statements have been dissected. Dashboard cams have given us new insight (for those who were not already suspect) of the mentality of cops. Could it be too much to ask for some webcam footage of the Gates' front door?

[No Elephants]

258. Again, this is about the respective behavior of the police and Gates, not about the call.

Bad enough to wave that straw man once. Twice is proof of bad faith.

[hedgehog]

25. OK- imagine any of the following men trying to force open

his locked front door and getting arrested:

Paul Krugman

Richard Reich

Cardinal Egan

Stephen King

Gates is at least as well known and recognizable as any of these men.

[NashVegas]

38. This Is the Guy She Called the Police For

If he'd been white, in that outfit, do you think she'd have called.

If he'd been white, in that outfit, do you think police would have started off on friendlier footing?


Then again, if he were wearing a sweat suit, like Lenny Kravitz was when he came out of a Florida gym nearby a just-robbed store, he might have been taken into a police line-up.

[EFerrari]

41. And his CANE was probably near by. n/t

[pnwmom]

212. Why are you pretending he was wearing "that outfit"?

The article at the link says he was wearing slacks and a shirt, not a suit and a tie.

[No Elephants]

216. No reason to believe that slacks and shirt would have been any less elegant and

meticulous than his suit, is there? Not as though he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a balaclava inside his home.

[pnwmom]

224. Sure there is. He's a member of the Harvard faculty. They're not fashion plates.

Academics in general are not. My husband looks sharp when he's wearing a suit. And when he's not wearing a suit, he might be wearing "Friday casual": -- or he might be wearing jeans and an old shirt.

Trust me. Very few professors routinely walk around Cambridge looking dapper. Cambridge is not NYC, and Harvard isn't Wall Street.

[No Elephants]

271. He is a fashion plate, though and this is about him. (I am familiar with

Cambridge, thanks.)

[mrbarber]

175. "according to the report"

And lord knows the cops never ever spin stories to suit their own agenda's, right?

Of course not. just keep up the hero worship.

[ProudDad]

361. You need to check out post #399, bunky...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3977754#3978605

[NashVegas]

33. I Guess They Thought He Belonged In Roxbury

[Fearless]

13. Interesting... I'd love to see a play by play.

I'd love to think it's just misunderstanding. I'd love to.

[caseymoz]

20. Actually, that once happened to me: I was arrested breaking into my own apartment.

So, I know it can happen to anyone.

[Critters2]

133. I once had the same experience...had to break in through a window

on my front porch. I'm white as white can be. A cop car drove by twice...and never stopped to question me. I really thought they would. I mean, it LOOKED like I was breaking into a house. I even hoped they might stop to give me a hand getting the window up. Nope. Drove right on by. I'm pretty sure things would've gone quite differently had I been a black man.

[caseymoz]

376. Hey, I'm white, too.

If a neighbor didn't identify me there, might have ended up in jail for a few hours.

[fascisthunter]

28. wow... that was stupid!

[tj2001]

36. Here's the police report:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/gates_incident_report_redacted.pdf

[DURHAM D]

43. Gates sounds like a total ass.

On the other hand, perhaps he was just very upset because his door was malfunctioning as the result of a prior break-in.

[EFerrari]

45. Or maybe he was alarmed, as a disabled person who needs to use a cane

when goons decided to charge him first and ask questions later.

[DURHAM D]

57. total hyperbole nt

[EFerrari]

58. Do you not know Gates at all? Do you seriously believe

if these stupid assed cops had approached him like a human being that he wouldn't have responded with a joke and his ID?

I can't wait until he nails them to the nearest wall because if anyone can, he can.

[mix]

331. perfect point: "...if they had approached him like a human being..."

[Raineyb]

400. Indeed. Funny how many people are comfortable with the fact that the police

generally don't approach people like human beings.

[ProudDad]

363. You need to check it out

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3977754#3978605

[DarthDem]

53. Heh

Do a search on him. This is not the first time he's encountered a touch of interesting press in his career. I'm sure the police did not act entirely properly here, but . . . I'll leave it there. The usual reflexive DU posts where it's "black man v. cops," with the matching reaction, might lose a little steam if anyone does some research.

[No Elephants]

411. I did search. Not finding what you are trying to imply. How about a link?

Thanks.

[DarthDem]

425. Search Harder

I wasn't implying that he'd had run-ins like this before. But he has burned maaaaaany bridges.

[Karenina]

426. Post a link to your claims.

[DarthDem]

432. Sorry, I Don't Take Orders

And not everything is readily "linkable." Gates has a track record of being an extremely difficult person with whom to work, and he has attracted controversy. None of his actions in this case, as alleged in the police report, surprise me at all.

[Karenina]

434. You remind me of Lindsey Graham quoting anonymous posts

on a website to smear Sotomayor. Historically on DU, it is a given that if one makes a claim, he is able to back that claim up with credible sources. As you are unwilling and/or unable to meet that standard, I call your sleeper cell Dünnschiss und sage Tschüß!!! :hi:

[DarthDem]

435. Cool - - I Couldn't Care Less

You don't know me and your reference to a "sleeper cell" is bizarre. Some people post on here based on personal experiences and/or knowledge. And if you can't turn up about five weblinks that indicate that Gates is a hothead with a simple one-minute search, I don't have the energy needed to educate you. Sorry! :hi:

[jberryhill]

71. Not really....

He was standing in his foyer, and a policeman was on the porch making various demands, and having been given the Harvard ID.

The cop could easily have gone back to his car and had the information checked out, since even if the cop did not know that this was Gates' residence, it was clear that Gates wasn't going anywhere.

The cop had enough reason to believe that Gates was an apparent resident, to de-escalate the confrontation and check it out without further antagonizing Gates or making demands.

No cop has the right to stand on my porch and demand that I come outside to identify myself.

He can wait outside to see if I'm going to be running out with stolen goods or whatever, but even in the report, the cop stated that he was dealing with the "apparent resident". Hence, even though there was a report of a break-in, the cop had no reasonable basis to make any demands of Gates.

[Flaneur]

90. Perhaps, if you treat the police report as a neutral document.

But it's not. It's an after the fact narrative designed to justify the officers' actions.

[DURHAM D]

96. I understand that.

However, there are several witnesses. So the entire story will be out sooner or later.

Apparently some on this thread believe Gates should have been immediately recognized by all police officers and residents of the town.

I don't know anyone who is known by everyone.

[Flaneur]

114. The cop should have left once Gates had presented ID.

There was then no issue. Except for "disrespect of cop." Mouthing off to a cop may not be the smartest or politest thing to do, but it shouldn't be a crime, either. My money is on Gates collecting from the city, and deservedly so.

[dysfunctional press]

234. the harvard i.d. he showed may not have had his address on it.

nt

[EFerrari]

118. Dr. Gates is one of, if not the most, pre-eminent black scholars in this country.

Yeah, they should have recognized him. He wasn't in vacation in Miami. He was in Cambridge, at home.

And at a minimum, if he did panic, they could have done their job and made the situation better.

[No Elephants]

242. I don't know that the witnesses saw the beginning of the incident. And the one who did was the one

who called the cops in the first place. Odd that she was standing right outside the home with her cell phone, isn't it? If I had called the police because I thought I saw a breaking and entry in progress, the last thing I'd be doing is standing outside the door with my phone in my hand.

[No Elephants]

123. Are you familiar with Gates? He is far from a total ass. And not only because he is

smart and well-education. he is mild mannered and old school. I cannot imagine what it took for him to call the cops racist, if indeed he even did that.

If these police were assholes to him, do you think they were going to put that in their report?

[EFerrari]

137. Exactly. Gates is not known for his temper but for his easiness

with all kinds of people. I think that's what is so maddening to me right now. That HE of all people should be treated so badly.

[pnwmom]

229. That's not what I've heard. Interesting the different takes people have of him. n/t

[ecstatic]

394. your credibility has been lost

in this thread. Keep digging :eyes:

[No Elephants]

415. I can't imagine that what you say you've heard was based upon actual contact with Prof. Gates.

But, hey, it's a message board. Anyone can post anything, no matter how lacking in crediblity.

[Robb]

51. That's really interesting.

I have to admit I was cheering the good professor reading that, especially the "Yeah, I'll talk to your MAMA outside!" bit.

I kind of hope the officer wasn't making that part up. :patriot:

[bertman]

39. So, what if a black man had forced his way into Gates' front door in broad daylight

and the woman had not called the police? Then later it was discovered, after the robbery, that the woman had seen the man and not called the police because she said it did not look suspicious to her and she didn't want to stereotype a black man by assuming he was a robber.

All of these self-righteous know-it-alls would have been saying she was a complete idiot and maybe a racist for not calling the police to the home of a wealthy black person whose home was obviously being broken into.

I can see why Mr. Gates might have been upset to be confronted by police while trying to break into his own house, but all he had to do was show them his i.d. WHEN THEY ASKED FOR IT--NOT AFTER CALLING THE OFFICER A RACIST FOR DOING HIS JOB. He brought this on himself by immediately assuming that the officer was a racist.

This sounds like Mr. Gates caused the situation to escalate. Not the police officers who were doing their job.

[EFerrari]

40. He did show them his ID. There is no excuse for this behavior. n/t

[bertman]

63. Can you READ??? He FIRST refused to show any i.d. Then he berated the officer for

being a racist. Then, when the other officer showed up he finally showed his i.d.

That's just being an asshole. White officer, Black officer, Hispanic officer, Asian officer, you do what they ask you to do.

Quit making excuses for the guy. "You don't know who you're messing with." Now that is an asshole for ya.

[EFerrari]

65. Yes, I can read fine. Do you think they cuffed him before they started talking

or after? Before he asked for his CANE or after?

They're supposed to be the trained professionals. And they arrested him out of pure spite. Fuck them.

[DURHAM D]

89. Again, can you read? The questions are answered in the police report?

Give it read.

[EFerrari]

94. And the police report is a neutral document that we can resort to.

Thanks for that very valuable information!

lol

[DURHAM D]

100. I know - information is no fun when you are making up your own story. nt

[EFerrari]

102. A police report is not information that is handed down on stone tablets

from a mountain top. It's written by the same goons that mishandled Dr. Gates. But, you knew that.

[backscatter712]

77. That's according to the police report. You actually believe those lying sack-of-shit pigs?

Breaking news: Pigs lie. They're trained to lie.

They lie to you, they lie to me. They lie when writing traffic tickets. They lie to the press. They violate their oaths and lie on affidavits, to the judge and to the jury.

Every time they arrest someone, they sex it up in the arrest report to make the perp look bad. If you say "Is there a problem, officer?", they'll say you resisted arrest and used racial slurs.

And they fucking lied to the New York Times.

Face it. Pigs are liars.

[WriteDown]

93. I don't believe the article at all...

Gates never tried to break into his house and the cops never showed up. That was easy. :eyes:

[proteus_lives]

228. Wow what bias.

Fair and balanced Democrat right there.

[ecstatic]

395. I don't believe that he refused to show ID. They are lying, much

like many other cops have lied. You can choose to believe the cops version (the same cops who decided to go ahead and arrest him *anyway* after the matter was settled). I will stick with Gates' version.

[Deadric Damodred]

55. Exactly.

Even when you know you are right and the police are wrong, not complying with the cops is only going to make things worse. If they really are wrong, they will be hit in the pocket book from the civil suit.

[pnwmom]

217. At this point, from the little we know, it sounds to me

as if you're right.

Mr. Gates is something of a hothead. The behavior described in the police report isn't all that hard to believe.

[dipsydoodle]

42. Rowan Atkinson drew attention to such appalling issues back in 1979.

in a sketch in Not The Nine O'Clock News : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxMZZK0ol-E&feature=related

Kick and Rec #5

[Froward69]

44. Shit in fan

WOW arrested for trying to "break into" his own home. he will shred them.

[Gator_Matt]

50. He wasn't arrested for that...

He was arrested for disorderly conduct. Technically, the cop could sue Gates for slander.

[choie]

61. that's bullshit

as soon as the cop knew that it was Gates' residence, he should have just left the premises. Regardless whether or not Gates was making a scene..he wasn't endangering anybody...why did the cop have to escalate the situation and have him arrested? It sounds like the cop was trying to flex his muscles.

[DURHAM D]

91. Did you read the police report? nt

[Robb]

139. By now I think we all did.

It's good reading. Perhaps one of my favorites, and I've read more of those than you could imagine in my time on this earth.

Do not treat police reports as gospel. Judges don't, neither should you.

You get to where you can tell which officer wrote which one without looking, there's so much between the lines. :D

[choie]

295. Yes....so?

[Gator_Matt]

48. Gates was slandering a cop doing his job

Gates sounds like a paranoid jackass. If a cop had thought I was breaking in under similar circumstances, I would've laughed it off and shown my ID. I wouldn't explode at the cop and slander him. The cop had every right to confirm his identity AND address without suffering verbal abuse.

[EFerrari]

54. You don't know how they approached him and so you don't know if it was slander.

Not to mention, independent reports of racial profiling.

But good job, supporting these freaks.

[bertman]

70. Police officers who come to someone's house immediately after a break-in call is

made are freaks?

[EFerrari]

73. Treating this man in the way he was treated makes them freaks, you bet.

[Stephanie]

83. This thread is really bringing them out of the woodworks, isn't it?

Maybe they wanted to see Gates' birth certificate? Maybe Gates had a lot of 'splainin to do? Take names for future reference, EF, this thread is a gold mine.

[EFerrari]

85. You ain't kidding, sister.

:wow:

[varelse]

341. Aye

that it is :(

[proud2BlibKansan]

74. You aren't a black man, are you?

[fishwax]

380. slander. that's rich.

yes, the cop should sue Gates for slander. :eyes:

[fascisthunter]

401. didn't realize cops were so.... sensitive (suffering verbal abuse)

give me an effing break.

[No Elephants]

418. You obviously don't know what slander means. "Why? Because I am a black man in America?" is not

slander. And he did show his ID, two in act. And the cop had every obligation to give a name and badge number, but refused.

So, you've got the law wrong on slander and the facts wrong on the incident. And, btw, we don't know that Gates "exploded."

But, sure, let's believe the cop we never heard of and never will over the gentle Professor who had just returned from China because he's famous all over the world. Let's blame the one who has dealt with all kinds of folks all over the world, including thousands of students, many of whom are convinced they're god's gift, wand who has never had an incident anywhere with anyone in almost sixty years.

So, he's sitting in his own house. A cop knocks, nicely explains what he is doing there and nicely asks for ID and Gates goes totally out of character and explodes. Sure, nothing to be questioned in that story.

[BOG PERSON]

59. The biggest downside to Obama's election

is that black people now think American race relations are as good as white people do...

[EFerrari]

68. I seriously doubt HLG is or was under any such delusion. n/t

[BOG PERSON]

204. Yeah, you're right

Now just seemed like a good opportunity to post the link to that CBS poll

[Raineyb]

338. I have no idea who they polled but I'll tell you I hold no such delusion.

In fact I'd argue it's been worse as the racists have just been all open with their rancidness.

[No Elephants]

76. "the nation's pre-eminent black scholar?" They narrowed it down to one person? Really?

Who decides? Who is the nation's pre-eminent white scholar? Asian American scholar?

P.S. And this is perhaps the most liberal city in one of the nation's most liberal states.

[EFerrari]

79. Not today. n/t

[bermudat]

164. 'Most liberal city in one of the nation's most liberal states?'

What have you been smoking?

[Raineyb]

340. Ain't this the same city where Charles Stuart pulled his bullshit?

I think you're right about someone having been smoking something.

[Hissyspit]

98. LOL Source material for his lectures and books.

[EFerrari]

103. Just in case he needed a project.

lol

[bluedigger]

145. After reading the police report I have to side with the police.

Believe me, I'm no knee jerk law and order supporter, but I think the police probably acted responsibly, and that Gates ended up in the wrong. They responded to a legitimate call and Gates provoked them into arresting him. There were witnesses to everything that happened outside of the residence apparently, so calling either side liars is pointless. The facts seem to be that Gates was uncooperative, and unless I missed it, the only ID he provided was his Harvard ID. (The news article and the police report are in discrepancy on this.) Very impressive, I'm sure, but did it have his address on it? If it did, then it would be the first university ID I've ever heard of that does. Heck, my DL doesn't have the correct address on it right now. How many other DU'ers can say the same? Quite a few, I'll bet, for one reason or another. There was nothing to be gained by verbally abusing a PO in public, and the result is predictable.

[EFerrari]

154. So, after reading the police report, you side with the police.

Astonishing.

[bluedigger]

157. What?

That they gave a detailed account of the arrest? Gates will have his day in court to refute the charges. Do you believe Gates' side of the story just because he is black, or because he is a Harvard professor? Astonishing indeed.

[No Elephants]

161. Gates' side of the story is not in the article. Everyone on this thread is going only

by the police version, as repeated in the article by the reporter. So, no one is believing Gates's side of the story because we have not heard it yet.

And you have no idea what details were omitted from the story or from the report itself.

If you've heard only one side of the story, is it at all surprising that that is the side with which you think you agree? However, even from that one side of the story, things are fishy.

[bluedigger]

187. The only versions we have so far are those of the press and the police.

Again, Gates will have his day in court, should he choose to contest the charges. The charge is "Disorderly Conduct".

From the report: "As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates's outburst. For a second time I warned Gates..." My emphasis added.

Look, you get two chances, that's it. If they like you. That is how the game is played. The cop was leaving, and everything related to the charge transpired in the view of multiple witnesses. The dumb-ass Harvard professor could have sat down in his home and let the officer go on about his business, but he chose a different path. Read the report yourself.

[EFerrari]

191. From the report. What is it with you people that don't understand

what police reports are for?

[bluedigger]

206. You people?

WTF kind of argument is that? Anarchist much?

[EFerrari]

219. Anarchist? LOL!

:rofl:

[EFerrari]

162. If my badge were about to be pulled for stupidity, I'd have details, too.

And I believe Gates because he has ZERO history of going off on anyone. :)

[Critters2]

176. Yeah. It's hard to think that that police report is altogether objective.

There are several butts that need covering here...and a police report is how you accomplish that.

[EFerrari]

186. I hate backseat drivers but this was effing needless. n/t

[No Elephants]

195. Especially if you've learned you've just arrested a very famous expert on race

relations and his lawyer is not only equally famous, but one of Obama's former law professors.

[EFerrari]

198. They went into his home without a warrant and arrested him.

OMFG.

[bluedigger]

205. I've never heard of Gates, but I will take your word as to his history.

I just find it difficult to believe that they would take four days to file the report. The incident occurred on the 20th, and the report was filed today, the 20th. The skeptic will say that gave them four days to get their story straight, and fair enough. :shrug:

But that also gave them four days to see if the charges would stick, and if they had credible witnesses. As this case must inevitably center on race, I can't believe they were eager for this kind of publicity, if they didn't have a case to bring.

From the officer's perspective, you can't have citizen's walking out of their home screaming that you are a racist in public. How is this guy supposed to do his job?

It's a tough call, all around.

[PSzymeczek]

285. Some bimbette ran into my car a few years back

on a military post. Her boyfriend happened to be buddies with the MP that responded to the scene. I was accused of failure to yield, although she did not yield and was going the wrong way in a parking lot (obvious because of the way the parking spaces were slanted. When I finally managed to pry a copy of her report to the MPs out of their hands, it was dated 8 days after the accident. Coaching, anyone?

[bluedigger]

291. Yeah, justice is a bitch.

It was in your bimbette's advantage to go with the coaching, wasn't it? In the Gates case, it would have been to the cop's advantage to walk away, but his authority was challenged publicly, and he responded. Nobody else "profits" by this. Should all officer's walk away when their authority is challenged? Where do we draw the line? And again, you got screwed! Sorry!

[Raineyb]

344. What do you mean "You can't have citizens yelling 'you're a racist' in public.

Yes you can have citizens yelling that in public. And this stupid cop bloody well can and should have walked away. The citizen can do whatever the fuck he wants that's legal on his own property. The cops should have kept it moving and got in their cars and drove away.

What are you saying that it's acceptable for the cops to arrest someone for no reason because they don't like what was screamed at them? If that's the case these idiot cops need to find a new line of work. They're a bloody menace.

[Generic Other]

413. Time Magazine called him one of 25 most influential Americans

but that doesn't mean a thing when the cops are standing at your door and you are a black man in America.

[jberryhill]

199. The police report suggests the officer ascertained he was the "apparent resident"

...before things escalated.

With the info on the Harvard ID, the cop, having reason to believe Gates was a resident of the house, could have gone back to his car and checked out the information he had. Nothing bad would have happened to the house or its contents, since the cop was right there.

Instead, he kept insisting that the apparent resident come out of his house to identify himself. However, I think Gates would have initially said something along the lines of "This is my house. I live here."

They both had opportunities to de-escalate. If I were Gates, I would have closed the door and gone about my business.

It's a stretch for me to consider Gates to be the antagonizer in this situation, since he was a man standing in his own house, and was under no obligation to go outside and identify himself.

The cop needed to check his ego, and understand that someone would not take kindly to being called out of their own house for that purpose.

[datasuspect]

260. after understanding the role of a police report in the administration of "justice"

in this country, i have to say that your statements are profoundly naive at best and disingenuously promote an agenda at worst.

[fishwax]

381. lol

[Critters2]

177. I'll bet the City Attorney for Cambridge is a little nervous right about now. nt

[DRoseDARs]

179. And if the officer had been ... black? Do you think, maybe, Gates would have behaved differently?

You bet your black, white, yellow and red asses he would have. He wouldn't have automatically assumed the officer was a racist, that the ONLY possible reason an officer was approaching him was to ask him what type of wood to use for the burning cross being planned for his lawn that evening.

[EFerrari]

182. That's pathetic. Yet someone else who knows zip about Gates.

The man has a public body of work. He's done more around race relations than just about anyone I can think of recently.

Why don't you know anything about Gates?

[DRoseDARs]

184. So, you admit he'd be screaming "Racist!" at a black cop? That doesn't speak highly of his work.

Yes, I know who he is, but I also know you don't mouth off to cops regardless of who you are or what you've done in your life. If you're dealing with a belligerent cop, you'll only make them worse. If you're dealing with an honest cop, you'll only make yourself look worse. This is common sense and Gates is demonstrating a shocking lack of it here.

[EFerrari]

188. You have one side of the story and seem fine with that. Good going.

[mrbarber]

190. Except we haven't heard Gates side of the story.

Only the police officers. But you evidently believe cops never lie, so why even bother hearing what Gates has to say? It's obvious the incident went down EXACTLY as the officers said it did.

[No Elephants]

193. "Admit" that he'd be screaming racist? LOL, twist much?

[DRoseDARs]

194. You saw the ? at the end of the sentence, right? I was being sardonic. n/t

[Name removed]

197. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

196. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fascisthunter]

249. ...a black man accuse another black man of racism?

You better find another angle for your argument

[No Elephants]

189. Where is the race of the police officer indicated? And you are very mistaken. People of any

race can be biased against African Americans, just as women can be sexist.

BTW, you do realize that, by the time the officer "was approching" Gates, Gates was inside his own home, minding his own business?

[DRoseDARs]

201. But you know he wouldn't do that with a black officer. As for already being in his home...

...the officer would be in dereliction of his duty if he had not followed through on the report of a break-in in progress. What if an actual racist was forcing Gates into his own home with intent to cause harm? What if it was just a random act of burglary? The police couldn't have known what the situation was or if Gates was or was not under duress at the time UNLESS THEY QUESTIONED HIM ABOUT THE INCIDENT.

[EFerrari]

203. You must be joking.

[DRoseDARs]

208. No, I most certainly am not. There was no way for the officer to know what awaited him...

...on the other side of that call. No cop ever does, that's why it's such a dangerous profession. The woman saw someone breaking into a home. You assume everyone knows who their neighbors are, everywhere. Not every neighborhood is in Mayberry. This woman probably didn't know Gates, and as such didn't recognize him. And there have been cases of people forced into their own homes, their own cars by robbers ... or worse. Gates is a bit of a public figure, but give it's for his work on race relations and civil rights, that makes him a target. The woman that called this in had no way of knowing what was going on and called out of concern of a break-in. The police would have even less of an idea than her, at least until they had a chance to question the involved parties.

[No Elephants]

214. I have been to Cambridge numerous times. Mayberry is nowhere near as upscale.

And the cop did have a way of knowing what was going on. The man was inside his home (which I would bet was quite a nice one). He is older. He is disabled. He is mild mannered, almost courtly. And, after a bit, he produced two forms of photo ID, both showing he was in his own home and one showing he is a Harvard professor. Her response was to call the Harvard University police and continue questioning him. At what point is enough enough?

[DRoseDARs]

220. Your post doesn't make sense.

"Her response was to call the Harvard University police and continue questioning him. At what point is enough enough?"

So, now the woman that initially called in a possible break-in was actually the male officer that responded to the call and approached Gates, and that call was actually made AFTER this all started? What?

[EFerrari]

221. The man was in his own home and he had ID. You do the math.

[DRoseDARs]

227. You're twisting what happened here. He initially refused to present that ID...

...and instead proceeded to berate the officer before finally showing ID.

[EFerrari]

280. Yeah, right. I'm sure this older black disabled man was SO MUCH OF A THREAT

that he had to be arrested.

And I guess those police officers were so delicate that they couldn't handle whatever he said.

Sounds like an open and shut case to me!

[WriteDown]

312. Nice to know that you think black men in their 50's

are feeble.

[EFerrari]

324. Did I mention that he had a cane?

I guess that made him so much more dangerous.

[WriteDown]

326. So a cane means you're feeble>

Interesting.

[EFerrari]

327. Have far do you have to bend over to justify this?

Unbelievable.

[WriteDown]

343. Far enough to use a cane I suppose. nt

[No Elephants]

207. Who said I know he wouldn't do that with a black officer? You're twisting again. Oh, excuse me,

being "sardonic" again.

By the way to what does "that" refer?


What if a racist was forcing Gates into his own home? Well, gee, once Gates answered the door, that pretty much would have been cleared up, wouldn't it? And, like certain others on this thread, you are selectively overlooking the fact that the questioning continued after Gates produced two forms of photo ID, both showing his address, one showing he is a Harvard professor. So, you have an older, disabled man, in his own home who producing two forms of photo ID and you not only continue questioning him, but call the Harvard police too? And that seems fine to you?

BTW, why are making up stuff to try to justify the cop's behavior? Neither the article nor the police report said anything about an "actual" racist, LOL. As far as an actual burgulary in progress, would a burgular inside answer the door for the police? And yes, once Gates started accusing the cop of being a racist, the cop could safely assume that the only duress Gates was under was coming from the cop himself.

[DRoseDARs]

213. And now you add reading comprehension to your personal list of Fail.

You:
"being "sardonic" again.
By the way to what does "that" refer?

In response to Me:
"You saw the ? at the end of the sentence, right? I was being sardonic. n/t"

In response to You:
"Admit" that he'd be screaming racist? LOL, twist much?"

In response to Me:
"So, you admit he'd be screaming "Racist!" at a black cop? That doesn't speak highly of his work."



Are you really having this much trouble following your OWN posts? Seriously?



As for the rest of your post, you're missing the point of "duress." If in this scenario, someone was hiding out of sight of the officer (who was the lone officer on scene at the time), they may well have putting Gates (elderly, disabled) under enough duress (fear for his own safety) that he would conceal the reality of his situation. Thankfully, that isn't what was going on, but again the officer would have absolutely no idea what was going on until he had a chance to question Gates. Twisting my words and putting other ones in my mouth and accusing ME of justifying racial profiling is not a demonstration of critical thinking.

[babylonsister]

210. Here's the police report and an article from Boston:

(.pdf)
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/gates_incident_report_redacted.pdf

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/07/harvard.html

[Initech]

215. Wait, so he was arrested trying to open his own house? That's fucked up.

[EFerrari]

222. No. he was arreasted in the foyer of his own home.

With ID on him.

[DRoseDARs]

223. No, he was arrested for disorderly conduct. The police were there on a call reporting a possible...

...break-in. They arrested Gates based on his behavior with the police once they arrived according to the report.

[EFerrari]

225. Disorderly conduct. That's hilarious.

lol

[DRoseDARs]

230. Evidently, the cops didn't think so.

;)

[EFerrari]

231. And they won't any time soon.

[proteus_lives]

235. I read the report and Gates is at fault.

He freaked out and was acting like an asshole. Maybe his blood-sugar was low or he was having a bad day and the officer didn't behave in a racist way.

[MUAD_DIB]

240. The last thing that you want to do is act like an asshole to a police officer.

That just gives them the motivation to be even bigger assholes with a badge.

[proteus_lives]

244. Trufax.

Or act like a asshole to someone at the BMV, Doctor's office or any other paper-pusher. They will react.

[DRoseDARs]

241. BUT BUT BUT WE ONLY HAVE THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY...

Soon, you will feel my pain. Enjoy. x_x

[proteus_lives]

245. What pain?

???

[DRoseDARs]

266. Read the subthread above, and some of the responses you've already gotten here.

Some refuse to believe that this could be anything other than naked racism and that you, I and others are defending it.

[proteus_lives]

273. If I thought it was racist I wouldn't be defending it.

But I'm not seeing it in this situation. People are being too emotional because he's famous.

[EFerrari]

253. We know he did because THE POLICE REPORT SAYS SO.

LOL

[proteus_lives]

254. Do you have evidence of them lying?

Show me the proof.

Until then I'll wait for more facts to come out or for Gates to make a statement.

[EFerrari]

261. Do you believe this officer would write up his own fuck up?

It's not going to happen.

[proteus_lives]

274. What exactly did he fuck up?

I still have not seen any evidence, just assumptions.

[EFerrari]

276. Dr. Gates was in his own home and provided these assholes with ID.

Those are facts. But, please, keep defending this shit.

[jberryhill]

397. Gates' statement is here by the way.....

http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr

"Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door."

...

"The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his kitchen, where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address."

[No Elephants]

255. And you know all that because the very officer in question said so.

Because of course, if the officer had been a jerk first, that would definitely have been in the report. the officer would have put it there. Of course.

By the time that report was written, the officer probably knew that the professor was famous and that his lawyer was not only equally famous, but also Obama's former law professor and current friend and advisor.

Yeah I'm sure anything negative about the police would have been spelled out in that report in detail.

[proteus_lives]

256. Why the automatic assumption that the officer is lying?

?

[datasuspect]

264. because they are a legal organized crime outfit?

[proteus_lives]

272. That's just your standard anti-police bigotry

Got any real reasons?

[EFerrari]

275. That's your standard defense -- to accuse others of bigotry?

These idiots just dragged the nation's pre-eminent black scholar out of his own home for no reason and you're defending them.

That must be what they call holding the blue line. Disgusting.

[proteus_lives]

281. You're the one distorting the facts.

Read the police report. There were multiple witnesses police and passerby. He wasn't "dragged" anywhere. The officers treated him with kid gloves. Gates brought this on himself. He was being disorderly. Which probably why he didn't automatically release a statement condemning the police.

Reign in the emotions and think about it.

[EFerrari]

283. Rein in the emotions? Oh, please, stuff it.

And, btw, did those witnesses call you up and fill you in? Or did you read about them in the same police report?

[proteus_lives]

286. Did Gates call you and tell you about the racist cop?

I'd be willing to admit error if I saw evidence that supports the racist claim that everyone but Gates and his lawyer have made. Has Gates made a statement yet? Does his lawyer have any evidence that proves the police behaved in a racist matter?

Or is everyone just swept up in the media storm?

[EFerrari]

289. What part of a man was taken out of his own home for no reason

and without a warrant are you not understanding?

It really doesn't matter. Those cops are going to be hurting, as well they should be.

But, if you want to promote a culture where goons can drag you out of your own home for no reason but their hurt delicate feelings, be my guest.

[proteus_lives]

294. Once again, you're playing with the facts.

The police reports states that Gates followed the officer outside his home to continue with his verbal abuse. I'm not promoting anything but waiting for the facts to shake out. Right now it looks like Gates lost his temper and the cops busted him for it.

"Goons", "It really doesn't matter. Those cops are going to be hurting, as well they should be."

It sounds like you're bias is guiding you on this. Why not give the officers the benefit of the doubt?

[EFerrari]

296. Being angry is not a crime. But go ahead and defend these freaks.

[proteus_lives]

299. Why are they freaks?

???

[EFerrari]

303. Because if you're trying to ID a person and you do, that should be it?

Because they arrested a world famous scholar in multiple fields?

Because they are too stupid to live?

Pick one.

[proteus_lives]

307. "Because if you're trying to ID a person and you do, that should be it?"

I think it would have the end of the situation if Gates wasn't being abusive.

"Because they arrested a world famous scholar in multiple fields?"

Gates certainly wasn't acting like it at the time. "Ya, I'll talk to your mama outside." Classy.

"Because they are too stupid to live?"-Bias, Bias, bias.

[EFerrari]

311. You bet I have a bias. I believe that peaceful people shouldn't be yanked out of their homes

and arrested.

You BET I have a bias.

[proteus_lives]

320. He wasn't yanked out of his home.

You have abandoned the known facts of the case for emotions and bias.

[EFerrari]

322. Oh, yes he was. And you have abandoned the facts for ad hom.

That's fine.

[proteus_lives]

328. Not according to the police report.

Which is all the info we have right now. If Gates had been mistreated, his lawyers would be screaming to high heaven. But they aren't which says something.

The police report states that Gates walked outside his home. You have presented no fact to indict otherwise.

[EFerrari]

330. You sit with that police report.

:)

[proteus_lives]

332. Until it's proved false I will.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

336. And that is your bias. That you believe the report of the same guys

who fucked up this badly. :hi:

[proteus_lives]

337. And your bias is that you can't accept that someone you respect deeply was in the wrong.

So you automatically start throwing out the "pigs" "goons" and "fuck-ups" despite the lack of evidence proving that behavior.

Gates lost his temper, he's human. So are the officers involved. I would think that Gate is embarrassed about the way he acted and will probably attempt end the fracas quietly. Unless there is evidence that the officers acted in a racist or improper matter. If so, I hope his lawyers present it.

:hi:

[EFerrari]

342. Dr. Gates did no wrong by being in his own home.

That he had to deal with the fuck up racist goons in that police department is unfortunate.

And I have no doubt that he will get this set straight. They really did fuck up with the wrong black man. :)

[proteus_lives]

346. Gates left his home and harassed a police officer.

"That he had to deal with the fuck up racist goons in that police department is unfortunate."

Read the police report and please point out the behavior that is "fucked-up" and "racist."


"And I have no doubt that he will get this set straight. They really did fuck up with the wrong black man."

You certainly are building him up. Or it could end up that a tired old man who lost his temper and behaved crassly to a person just doing his job will allow this to die without further incident. :-)

[EFerrari]

351. And you are still quoting the police report. lol

[proteus_lives]

362. Your laughter would more appropriate if you could prove it is false.

But you don't have any evidence to back up your claims of racism or thuggery. You only have your bias and your zeal.

[EFerrari]

367. That you cred the police report in this case is already hilarious.

That is you bias. Own it. The police arrested HENRY LOUIS GATES for STANDING IN HIS OWN HOME.

Defend that.

:rofl:

[proteus_lives]

369. You got Sports-fan.

He walked out of his home. (I know, it's hard to grasp...think about it.) And then he verbally harassed the police officer and refused to cooperate. Then he was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Oh wait.....it was HENRY LOUIS GATES!?!? Well, stone the crows! The cop should have dropped to his knees and genuflected before removing his plebeian self from the presence of the holy Gates.

He's a scholar so he's above the law? :rofl: He works for Harvard? Is that why you're on your knees? A cop would have arrested anyone acting like him. The fact he's famous doesn't excuse his behavior.

[EFerrari]

371. His behavior? You mean, standing in his own home?

How disgusting is that, that you can possibly defend this. Wow.

[proteus_lives]

373. No, I mean being abusive towards the officer.

"How disgusting is that, that you can possibly defend this. Wow."

Yeah, waiting for the facts, reading the materials, making my own decision and not jumping on the emotional bandwagon (equipped with hero-worship wheels) is disgusting. I'm a disgusting person. :eyes:

[Raineyb]

399. The man was on his porch. He can say whatever the hell he wants there

The police after having established his ID had no more business being there and if they don't like being called out as racists that's too damn bad for them.

[proteus_lives]

405. I'll say to you what I've been saying to EF.

What did they do that was racist?

[EFerrari]

427. You mean, besides ignoring that he had two pieces of ID, his KEYS,

and his luggage on the premises? Or arresting him to cover for their behavior?

You mean, besides trying to paint this notoriously moderate man as some kind of out of control asshole? Because, you know how those people are. :sarcasm:

Isn't that enough?

The charges have been dropped and the police department faked a half apology. I hope he sues them until it hurts.

[datasuspect]

288. your absolutist assumptions about the role of police in a free society

betray crypto-conservative "law and order" justifications that ultimately imperil OUR fundamental liberties as guaranteed by the bill of rights. your statements and others like them, are on the wrong side of history. those types of statements and the intellectual bankruptcy behind them enabled nixon, reagan, and both bushes to be as successful as they were in chipping away at our civil rights.

[datasuspect]

277. cops and criminals exist on opposite ends of the same continuum.

i'm sorry that i cannot provide you with the capability of apprehending the reality we untermenschen experience.

[proteus_lives]

287. Ok.

You just stopped by with your stereotypes, bigotry and slander. Good luck with any other groups you have a collective opinion of. Maybe someday you'll be able to back up your claims.

[datasuspect]

290. you have access to google

i needn't do your homework for you.

and you can't be so socially isolated to sincerely believe that institutional racism doesn't exist in this country.

you're using tools and dodges that more capable conservative minds used so many times in the past.

what is the payoff for you personally in being just one more voice in the chorus or errors promoting falsehoods? do you not realize the assumptions you are parroting lead to further circumscription of your fellow citizens' fundamental liberties?

[proteus_lives]

304. I say wait for the facts, people being too emotional.

"and you can't be so socially isolated to sincerely believe that institutional racism doesn't exist in this country."

It does but I'm not seeing it in this situation.

"do you not realize the assumptions you are parroting lead to further circumscription of your fellow citizens' fundamental liberties?"

What fundamental liberties are at risk here? What I see a minor arrest getting choked up by the fame of the arrestee. By what we know now, he wasn't mistreated, he was read his rights and he free that day with access to his lawyer. You have noticed they aren't commenting publicly right? It's because they know Gates was in the wrong.

[EFerrari]

265. Because they fucked up as much as possible and now need to cover their asses?

Or, maybe they're boy scouts who will admit that they screwed up.

Yeah. That's the ticket.

[Starry Messenger]

237. oh my heart, this thread.

Thank the stars Dr. Gates is ok and I hope he gets justice. What bullshit.

[EFerrari]

246. I know. At least they didn't shoot him.

:(

[Starry Messenger]

259. That's exactly what I was thinking.

:(

"''He has an infection that has impacted his breathing since he came back from China, so he's been in a very delicate physical state,'' Ogletree said."

I have no words.

[EFerrari]

262. Thanks for the sanity.

:hug:

[Myrina]

247. Rather than rip on the police, what about the neighbor lady ?

How does she not know what her neighbor looks like, or who he is?

And she called the cops anyway?

Methinks she might be the one with the race issue.


:shrug:

[EFerrari]

252. But she couldn't have snatched Dr. Gates out of his own home.

:shrug:

[Myrina]

388. But surely she knew who he was before she called the cops in the first place ...

:shrug:

[fascisthunter]

402. that doesn't exonerate the policemen's actions at all

[datasuspect]

248. there has NEVER in the history of policing EVER been a recorded instance of an officer fabricating

or falsifying a police report. ever.

there's just a few bad apples.





















































yeah, right.

[Window]

269. This reminds me of a black judge in my area arrested at an upscale mall...

shopping while black. No accusation of stealing...just shopping while black. There was non-stop coverage and outrage. They apologized on tv and in the papers. He sued there asses off and won.

[MasonJar]

270. I am white and old and I think this entire episode is actionable. Just because

someone reports an alleged break-in does not give the police the right to question the proven, legitimate resident of the property or for that matter to even question his being in the house before showing his identification. Why was it assumed he was in the wrong and not the caller? Isn't Cambridge a relatively small community? It is strange to me that this woman, if a neighbor, wouldn't recognize her fellow resident (but then I am from the South, where we tend at least to recognize our neighbors and, unlike the assumptions of many DUers, actually care about them regardless of their race, gender and ethnic backgrounds.) It is abominable that the Cambridge police and the Harvard campus police stop/question innocent blacks for no apparent reason. It is a black mark (no pun intended) on Harvard and Cambridge. I do NOT blame Professor Gates for his outrage. I would be filing a law suit. Oh, and Harvard, I am awfully glad that my daughters went to Princeton. Your environment seems sadly lacking in common sense as well as good sense.

[Dappleganger]

279. What racist dumbass woman called the police on her own neighbor

rather than go over and offer to help the man?

Right, the one who never bothered to get to know him and treated him like Big Scary Black Man.

[datasuspect]

282. why do so many people here feel compelled to defend the assumption that the police have absolute

authority?

because they actually don't.

the constriction of our civil liberties through legislation and jurisprudence notwithstanding, the bill of rights still apply.

why are there people trying to promote the idea that you cannot question the police (or to do so would put you in peril) and use this assumption to justify their pro-law enforcement agenda?

it's almost like they are shills who have no understanding that their basic presuppositions about the role of a police force in a free society undermine the fundamental liberties of their fellow citizens.

that they show no compunction whatsoever in this bullheaded error only betrays the extent to which they have done dishonor to themselves as free people.

[EFerrari]

284. A national treasure was dragged out of his own home and arrested because he is black.

That anyone can defend this is about the most disgusting thing I've EVER seen on DU.

[datasuspect]

292. "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,

against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."




this fundamental right has been essentially eroded through jurisprudence in the twentieth century (due to tweakings of the meanings of probable cause and "officer safety"), we still are afforded protections through the 4th amendment.

[EFerrari]

301. After reading these threads, I'm just happy that Gates wasn't shot.

Because I wouldn't be able to take posters defending *that*.

[DontTreadOnMe]

325. I can see both sides of this story.

First off... it doesn't matter if you are white or black, but being "uncooperative" with any police officer just doesn't make sense.
And yes, the police get to define what is "uncooperative".

But the story doesn't make sense. We are missing some details. Because when someone opens the door at a home, police should assume it it not a robber. Robbers don't answer the door!
And then after showing ID and more... that's when the police needed to back off and assume the man is innocent of any crime.
The police should have been polite at that time, and indicted to Mr. Gates they just needed to check out his ID, for his own protection.
The police should have been humble at that point, and no ARREST should have ever occurred.

Respect is a two way street. When I was growing up in Connecticut, there was a very public story about State Troopers pulling over a disproportionate amount of blacks driving on the Merrit Parkway.
Was it racist? Of course it was... but as a teen growing up in Connecticut... white males between 16-21 got pulled over just as many times. Yes, the police were profiling. It is not fair.
But we need the police. Not many jobs require you to put your life on the line... every day. So you fight your battles with a lawyer, not with the police.

I see a large lawsuit coming against the Cambridge Police Department.

[EFerrari]

334. Respect really is a two way street. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[Lost-in-FL]

313. I can't believe people find reasons to defend the actions of the police.

Don't you see it was his own F@#ng house???

Did he had a warrant for his arrest??? So then he didn't had to identify to NO ONE!! It is HIS house!!!!

Oh wait... Obama is the President and it is now ok for cops to randomly harrass people in their own houses (it would be different if the Republicans were in power).

[DontTreadOnMe]

339. Random?

It wasn't a random call to the house, someone called and said there might be a robbery in progress.
That call will surely introduced as evidence. The police had every right to knock on the door.
They didn't knock the door in.

When they arrested Mr. Gates, that's when the police went over the line :)

But don't confuse that fact that "your house" is off limits to the police. If a neighbor witnesses you storing explosives or dangerous materials at "your house", the police have the right to come and ask you questions. And if you refuse to answer the door... that would probably lead to a judge allowing the police to surround "your house".

I never talked a police officer out of a ticket by yelling at him. But I have calmly made a logical explanation of what happened and only got warning. Your mileage may vary.

[ProudDad]

365. You didn't read the article either I gather (n/t)

[bluedigger]

347. And how are the police to ascertain that it is his own house?

Come on people! Do we really think the police have some sort of superpower that tells them who belongs everywhere? All you DU'ers that do title searches? You're irrelevant! The State now has real time knowledge of where everybody lives. Makes no matter whether you own, rent, lease, or squat. Apparently, the State is omniscient.:sarcasm:

The police responded to a complaint. They treated the suspect with respect, unless the suspect can prove otherwise. They attempted to leave, and Gates proceeded to give them a piece of his mind. They didn't want to hear it. 300 posts over a misdemeanor charge? Priceless!

[Lost-in-FL]

357. He proved it was his house

He showed id. But of course, HOW DARE a citizen in their own house REFUSE to tell the police who he was!!!!

[RufusTFirefly]

321. Good thing it was the eminent Dr. Gates and not some "wise Latina" instead

After all, you know how hot-blooded they can be!

[DatManFromNawlins]

349. This entire thread is hilarious

Nobody knows what actually happened, because the account is incomplete, but a vast majority just KNOW that Gates is in the right here. Further, they know that the cop is racist, and a "pig." After all, the guy who got arrested said so. He also claimed his innocence. After all, people who get arrested always admit their guilt, don't they?

You bunch need to go pedal with Lance Armstrong on the Tour de France. I'm sure all your knee jerking would prove helpful to get you up that mountain of bullshit you constructed for yourself.

You don't know anything but what was in that police report and what was in the article. Neither do I. And unless you've got the super deluxe version of the "Jump to Conclusions" mat, that's the way it will stay until there can be a civil matter on this issue. *IF* there is a civil matter on this issue.

[ProudDad]

353. You need to read post #390... (n/t)

[DatManFromNawlins]

370. I read about the first two sentences

Which starts off with a presumption and then turns into a rant. You're just another one of the reality challenged who refuses to let the actual facts come out for themselves and instead just JUMPS to a side because of what your emotions tell you.

How quaint. Move along.

[EFerrari]

366. That's funny.

A man who identifies himself gets arrested in his own house and you're. lol, defending it.

And you know this is right because of the POLICE REPORT.

:rofl:

[DatManFromNawlins]

372. English must not be your first language

Because you clearly didn't comprehend what I wrote.

Did I not state that we do not have a clear picture of what transpired because we have two sides going at it without full evidence being presented?

Oh yeah, I did.

But you keep on with that simple knee jerk reaction you're so good at, because really, you have no other talent, do you?

[EFerrari]

374. English isn't my first language and that means I'm literate in one more language than you are.

And yes, it is funny that you lend so much cred to a police report written by one or two guys that are trying to cover their asses.

But, carry on.

[No Elephants]

410. Kudos on being able to be one of the best posters on the board in a language that is not

your first language.

[No Elephants]

416. Well, there won't be a criminal charge. The police department's own statement is that

the situation was regretable, unfortunate, etc. Also, the spokewoman is saying in an interview that the police will try to learn. She is also saying that she thinks both parties (Gates and the cop) were wrong. Now, given that the department might be sued, that admission says a lot, including that the police report was not totally honest. Given that the cop should be trained how to handle situations like this, it is far more excusable, IMO, that a man who was hassled for doing nothing more than being in his own home got irritated than it is that the cop blew up.

BTW, you should read the staement of Gates' lawyer as to what happened.

Speaking only for my own posts on this thread, I never said that the cop was racist. I reactedt to people who had leapt to the conclusions that (a) the police report was the whole truth and nothing but; and (2) Gates had been an "ass" to the cop, with no possible justiification.

But, you are wrong that we had only the police report to go on, though that was fishy in itself. There is Professor Gates's disposition and his life's work.

As ar as knee jerking, you're pretty good at it yourself.

[sallylou666]

350. Denying another person's reality

Race matters. So does gender and class. If you don't believe this, you must be a well-dressed white dude.

I'm always amazed when people deny another person's reality. If a person tries to see things from another person's perspective, that person can at least empathize with another person's injustices, even if he/she hasn't experienced exactly the same thing. If not, you get racist/sexist/class apologists.

[notesdev]

358. so does

having an apparent vested interest in making one's career out of such things

[No Elephants]

414. Read his wiki and then get back to us with your speciific objections to his career, k?

[ProudDad]

352. OPEN COMMENT TO you cop lovers...

If this had been a WHITE man...instead of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- an esteemed BLACK scholar...

The neighbor probably WOULDN'T have called the cops if an elderly man was pushing on his own door.

But, what the hell, "they" all look alike to the white neighbor...

If the cops came to his door, a white man would have no reason to suspect police misconduct would probably open up the door and be treated like royalty in that neighborhood.

A Black man in USAmerica has been trained to expect police misconduct and would be reticent to open the door to his own home in fear of being rousted--which is exactly what happened when he did. I'm sure the tone of voice and approach of the cops to Mr. Gates was more akin to their approach to a tagger than to a college professor.

And how was Mr. Gates to know that someone called the cops on him -- he may have suspected that they saw him go into his own house and decided to make sure he "belonged in the neighborhood".

Mr. Gates rightly asked for the officer's badge number and was refused this legal request.

From the article
'He was shocked to find himself being questioned and shocked that the conversation continued after he showed his identification,'' Ogletree said.

Ogletree declined to say whether he believed the incident was racially motivated, saying ''I think the incident speaks for itself.''"

Some of Gates' African-American colleagues say the arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge.

Ogletree also disputed the claim that Gates, who was wearing slacks and a polo shirt and carrying a cane, was yelling at the officer.

''He has an infection that has impacted his breathing since he came back from China, so he's been in a very delicate physical state,'' Ogletree said.

Gee, a cop lying on a police report. The horror :sarcasm:

Cops routinely lie on police reports.

and finally, for you cop lovers and apologists for racist USAmerika -- DID YOU BOTHER TO READ THE FUCKING ARTICLE?

[ProudDad]

360. In case you've missed the context here in racist USAmerika...

There's HISTORY HERE and HISTORY MATTERS!







There's a history here in USAmerika. And it's not freakin' over yet -- obviously from some of the sick, racist posts on this thread...


Medgar Evers







HISTORY MATTERS.

You can pretend electing a half white/half black Harvard educated pResident changes all that but it doesn't.

Emmit Till before:



Emmit Till after:



He whistled at a white woman... I guess he should have told the Klan, "Yassuh, Nosuh.", eh?

There's HISTORY HERE and HISTORY MATTERS!

[EFerrari]

368. Who are these people?

:puke:

[Piewhacket]

375. I don't think it has as much to do with "black", as it has to do with "stupid cop".

Based on the article, it seems pretty clear:

Gates properly answered his own door when the officer arrived.
Gates provided proper ID which was REQUESTED by the officer.
Gates PROPERLY declined to "step outside" when REQUESTED by the officer.
AFTER Gates complied with a request for ID the officer persisted to raise
questions, probably aggressively, and his conduct could at that point might
have been considered by Gates to be harassment.
Gates declined to further cooperate and was arrested for disorderly conduct.

(note it is quite clear the officer is NOT claiming Gates disobeyed an ORDER
to produce ID nor an ORDER to "step outside", and that is significant because
if these were REQUESTS a citizen has a RIGHT to decline to comply and ask
for an explanation. We know it is not being claimed because the officer (wisely)
did not base his arrest on it, but upon a disorderly conduct.)

But Why? Why did the cop persist to be a jerk? Because he was pumped on testesterone
(these calls are DANGEROUS), was pissed because Gates was not being "respectful"
or "cooperative", and basically his girlfriend (who also thinks he's a jerk),
dumped him and then his dog bit him while licking peanut butter off his penis
(stupid dog - seriously people, jury duty is not all bad, but yikes - next time
just flippin shoot me), and these cops do put up with a lot, but NONE of that
excuses BAD BEHAVIOR, and some of these idiot cops shouldn't have driver's licenses
much less be given guns, and more than a few BELONG in PRISON.
But returning to point...

The arrest is false and the supporting police report is probably spinned
to cover up what was about to be (yet another!) misconduct complaint to his superior
based on some really stupid behavior which later, in the cool calm of reflection
as he was engaging in the creative fabrication of his official police report, finally
dawned on him.

Anyway, you have to admire the gonads of an officer who claims a disorderly charge
based on picking a obviously unjustified fight with a well known celebrity at his own home.
The arrest is plainly false, provoked, retaliatory, and and without lawful cause.
It will be dismissed. Al Sharpton apparently plans to be there to see it.
The officer most likely needs to be disciplined, get psych evaluated, get some
retraining, stop feeding his dog peanut butter and get a new girlfriend.

Now I'm not saying color had nothing to do with it, but all I am saying
I got through all that discussion without even once mentioning the
color of anyone's skin.

Just saying to folks the world is not always analyzed exclusively
in terms of "black and white". Sometimes peanut butter may be involved.
That, and "stupid cops" are are a hazard to everybody, not just black people.

[ProudDad]

377. Not "stupid cop". This is systemic...

This cop's not an aberration, he's a fully adjusted product of a sick-sick criminal-injustice system in a sick, still very racist country.

This is Standard Operating Procedure among urban police departments!

Their number one job is to protect the dominant (nearly all white - mostly rich) minority from the majority, especially the growing Majority of People of Color.

They use intimidation, the laws, the courts, the jails and the prisons to achieve this end.

Please don't get sidetracked by the lone, rogue cop theory.

It's the System...

[Piewhacket]

407. Regret any offense, and I didn't say race had nothing to do with it....

and it may well be, but the mere fact that Gates was black
does not make the police response an act of discrimination.
You agree so far?

And of course it may be shocking to some but our law does not actually
prohibit a person from being a bigot, racist, sexist, homophobe, freeper,
or even a goddamn republican! Alas, its true, even police can be these things.
So its not actually illegal to BE those things, only in some circumstances
to ACT like those things.

I hope this is clear, for it explains what must come next...

For it is then so that even if one 'knows' race is always a factor in how the police
respond, and even if it is 'absolutely TRUE' that it happens, if one is to redress
an ILLEGAL act of racism IN LAW it is still necessary to 'PROVE' your assertion
that race was not only a factor but that racism is systemic in the police department.
A mere cry of 'racism', however inflammatory, should be no more enough for a lynching
than the cry 'the nigger raped a white woman, get him!'.

Again, I am not trying to offend, only to make crystal clear that if we are
talking about redressing a problem using LAW rather than a LYNCHING, then proof
is required. It may be there is such proof, and that what you have said is so, and
if so that would be a serious thing, to be sure, but even Sharpton and Ogglethorpe
raising a cry of racism IS NOT SUFFICIENT.

I do appreciate your view as you expressed it, nor do I take your comments lightly.
BUT SO FAR, from the article, I think you must agree that we have sufficient to make
a pretty solid claim of "stupid cop", which is no light charge, for an officer can
(and sometimes should) be FIRED for such stupidity. But this situation does NOT rise
to the level of criminality by a police officer, and at present "stupid" (and
possibly "illegal") conduct is all that appears.

[chasitynola]

428. Interview with Professor Gates

http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?page=0,0&auto=true

[No Elephants]

404. And your point is? Stupid cop, racist cop, who cares? The point is,

the cop behaved like a jerk. And a disabled man of almost sixty who had just gotten home had every reason to get ticked off. And no reason to be arrested.

Would a disabled white man of almost 60 in a lovely area of Cambridge who was sitting home and produced two forms of ID been subjected to further questioning? Or had the Harvard police called on him? We don't know. But the incident is so off the mark that an African American of almost 60 would logically have had the reaction that it was racism.

Testosterone, racism. None of us can say for sure. But it should stop.

[Piewhacket]

408. I don't know if it was racism, but I FULLY agree with your comment.

[troubledamerican]

382. Domesticizing While Black.

Fuck the police. That's right. Fuck the police.

[Evoman]

385. Gates could say anything and I would believe him over these bullshit asshole cops.

Come on, that report reads like the fucking butt covering it is.

Gates is way more credible than these assholes cops. Jesus, I'm CANADIAN and I've heard of the man. The ignorance on this thread is astonishing.

[newspeak]

398. my question is, how long has Gates been in the neighborhood?

How long has the neighbor who reported this incident resided in the neighborhood? I've lived in many different neighborhoods, some, all of the neighbors were close and others, just viewed them leaving for work, etc... But everywhere I have resided, I could spot someone as my neighbor. Now, a man with a cane walking up to a residence, as a neighbor, even though I might not personally know him, it seems I could have identified him as my neighbor. The woman's there on the sidewalk while Gates is being harassed with her phone. To me, it sounds like a busy body who actually knew Gates. I mean that's my impression, unless she just moved into the neighborhood.

[No Elephants]

406. The thread is about the respective conduct of the cop and Gates. I

[newspeak]

412. yes, I am aware of that

but part of it is she called the cops on him. That's how this whole thing started.

So, since it's about the police-there are some good ones and some really, really bigoted ones. A job I worked for in California, it was my job to obtain driving records for those who were considered for employment. One thing I noticed was those driving records for Latinos and African Americans, there'd be a list of stops for driving without a seatbelt. Now i didn't notice those type of infractions on many of the "white" driving records. On many of those driving records, it wasn't like a speed violation and driving without a seatbelt, it was just driving without a seatbelt. So, my first thought was they were stopped not for a driving violation, but stopped, then because they were stopped, a violation had to be found. You can pooh pooh it, but just looking at the records, my first thought was racial profiling.

And, I once worked for DMV, I've listened to some of the"talk" from law enforcement. Some of them, I'd be afraid to be stopped by them, the way they talked. Some were down right bigoted and didn't mind anyone knowing. Not all, but some have a mentality of "us against them" even though we are the ones that pay their salary. My boss was a LA cop many years ago (back in the sixties) and he told me a tale about a "hippy" young man who was brought in and he called them "PIGS" which got him a beating in the jail. I guess the kid was pretty beat up and not one of those officers opened their mouth on who did the beating.

I don't believe Professor Gates should have been arrested.

[No Elephants]

417. We don't know a lot about the woman, but she was correct that she saw someone trying to force the

door. For all we know, she was sincerely worried about her neighbor. Or not. But, she made perfectly accurate report. It should not have started anything. Especially when the cop shows up, knocks on the door and gentleman opens it. Not exactly burglar behavior.


Being stopped for driving while black is not even up for debate, except by total jerks. It iw well known that it happens all over the country, even in one of the most liberal cities in the nation (supposedly, anyway).

I one saw two cops beat up on a man who started yelling at his companion in a public building. His companion was seated right next me, at my right elbow practically. He had just come out of the men's room and thought she had taken something that belonged to him. So, he started yelling, asking her where it was. No violence, just yelling.

The cops gave no warning. They just instantly took down him to the ground. I don't recall for certain, but I think one may have used a nightstick in that process.

Once he was face down and not moving a muscle, one cop kneed him repeatedly in the spine while the other kicked him in the head a couple of times or good measure. THEN they cuffed him and brought him to his feet.

All three men were African American. Would they have done the same to a well-dressed white man? Can't say. But they were brutal for no reason, I can say that.

[chasitynola]

429. Interview with Professor Gates

http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?page=0,0&auto=true

[JonLP24]

423. Charges to be dropped!!!

Police led Henry Louis Gates Jr. away in handcuffs after his arrest on Thursday at his home in Cambridge.

By Tracy Jan and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The Middlesex district attorney's office plans to drop criminal charges against Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., who was accused of disorderly conduct on Thursday and arrested at his Cambridge home.

The City of Cambridge and the police department recommended today that prosecutors not pursue the criminal charge against Gates, one of the nation’s foremost African-American scholars. His arrest sparked outrage and charges of racism.

"The City of Cambridge, the Cambridge Police Department, and professor Gates acknowledge that the incident of July 16, 2009, was regrettable and unfortunate," the statement said. "This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department. All parties agree that this is a just resolution to an unfortunate set of circumstances."

Prosecutors plan to enter a nolle prosequi, which will drop the charges, according to the statement.

"Everyone recognized that this was an incident that should never have happened and it needed to be resolved quickly," said defense attorney Walter Prince, who was asked by Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree to help represent Gates.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/07/charges_to_be_d.html

[DarthDem]

433. Good

An interesting episode in the life of "Skip" Gates. I didn't want him getting any further publicity out of this. The police report made it pretty clear that everyone could have handled the situation a lot better; the charges were no doubt properly dropped.

[chasitynola]

431. Professor Gates interview

Now we hear the good professor's side of the story.

http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?page=0,0&auto=true