Police Commisioner: Officers 'Deflated', "Deeply Pained" By Obama Remark

[masuki bance]

The Cambridge police commissioner said his department is "deeply pained" and his officers were "deflated" by President Barack Obama's statement that they "acted stupidly" when they arrested a renowned black scholar in his home.

Commissioner Robert Haas commended the arresting officer, Sgt. James Crowley, as a decorated officer and said his actions were in no way motivated by racism.

Crowley, who is white, has been a lightning rod for criticism after arresting Henry Louis Gates Jr. in his home last week. Police say Gates flew into a verbal rage when officers asked him for identification while investigating a report of a break-in at his home.

On Wednesday, the president said officers "acted stupidly" in arresting his friend. On Thursday, he softened his stance and said cooler heads should have prevailed.

Crowley, 42, has maintained he did nothing wrong and has refused to apologize, as Gates has demanded.

...



http://wbztv.com/local/cambridge.police.commissioner.2.1098662.html

[babylonsister]

1. And? So? Did you expect them to admit any culpability? nt

[SemiCharmedQuark]

6. I'm sure Gates was jumping with glee about being arrested.

[emilyg]

31. Did you expect Gates to?

[babylonsister]

36. Not getting into it with you. He had the absolute

right, standing in his home, to say whatever he wanted. So no, he shouldn't have to.

[Jennicut]

2. On a 5th post I see now?

Boo hoo. Sorry, I still don't care about this police officer.

[elehhhhna]

23. Hey, coppers: So, don't be stupid, m'kay? Problem solved.

[vaberella]

25. I think s/he is either Pat Buchanan or channeling him. n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Tough

Maybe next time, they'll act professionally. Sometimes you get called out in public. Especially when you're fucking up your very public job.

[FrenchieCat]

4. I'm done with you.

You "pain" me.

[Jennicut]

7. LOL

I love ya Frenchie.

[vaberella]

24. I've been done. Talk about agenda. n/t

[SemiCharmedQuark]

5. Oh dear god...

[ErinBerin84]

8. i'm sure it's embarrassing for them

:nopity:

[Hutzpa]

9. Yepeeee !!!!!

now we dance.........

[rvablue]

10. Can one detest the actions of this officer without wanting to see his life ruined over this? n/t

[rucky]

58. An apology would do him wonders.

but we're nowhere close to seeing one.

It's the arrogance. If he's worried about his life being ruined, he knows what to do.

[mix]

11. good

Maybe they'll reflect upon their bad policing policies and their department's institutional racism now.

[Political Tiger]

12. Oh please! What a bunch of WIMPS! n/t

[Xipe Totec]

13. Nobody said he was a racist.

Obama said he acted stupidly.

And he did.

Doesn't matter what color.

Once the officer determined that the man was in his own home, he should have provided the ID information the homeowner requested, and left the premises.

An apology would have been a gentlemanly touch, but not absolutely necessary.

Instead, he arrested the homeowner?...

How stupid is that?

[BunkerHill24]

14. Your racial profiling pains me daily...welcome to the club

[PretzelWarrior]

15. tough shit, assholes. do your jobs better whitey.

P.S. I am white male. SO I can call them whatever the fuck I want to.

[Aramchek]

16. stupid is as stupid does, and this stupid ass treated Gates as a suspect in his own home

[These Eyes]

17. When are you going stop this?

You've been at it all day with your posting crap trying to defend the police officer. It seems to me you are over-identifying. Is there something you need to confess?

[Political Tiger]

18. You noticed that too, huh?

He/she couldn't be more obvious if he/she tried!

[Jennicut]

19. Its only been, what, 5 freaking posts on the same subject?

[Political Tiger]

20. At least...with more to come I bet! n/t

[Thrill]

21. Then they should know how Mr.Gates feels. If words hurt this much

Think about getting arrested for breaking into your own house?

[Political Tiger]

22. Good point! n/t

[CakeGrrl]

26. I'm thinking that the OP is "Deflated" or "Deeply pained" by the President's remark

This is becoming kind of fascinating.

[Enrique]

27. some cops could use some deflating n/t

[City Lights]

28. Poor things.

I suggest the "deeply pained" and "deflated" officers seek counseling. Who knew there were so many sensitive officers on the Cambridge police force? :shrug:

[SeattleGirl]

29. Oh, poor widdlw babies.

You're just pissed that Prof. Gates didn't bend over and kiss your lily white ass.

[Arkana]

30. I saw this guy on the local news.

"I didn't vote for 'im."

[Canuckistanian]

32. Good!

Maybe this will teach them not to arrest innocent black people because their feelings got hurt.

[AspenRose]

33. Gee, that's too bad.

[backscatter712]

34. Maybe they could act like professionals instead of thugs for a change.

:nopity:

Fucking pigs...

[Raineyb]

35. Boo fucking hoo!

:nopity:

Hopefully if they are truly deflated then they'll keep their egos in check.

[Optical.Catalyst]

37. How did this even get up to our President's level

It should have been handled at the Cambridge Police Department before it ever was reported on national news. Crowley should have been suspended without pay until the matter was investigated, and then he should have been fired.

[ellie]

38. Fuck him.

[DevonRex]

39. Good. If they think this was okay, then they need deflating.

[zalinda]

40. Am I missing something?

The cops got a report that two black guys were breaking into a house. They went to investigate, the door was jimmied and there was a black guy in there. They asked for ID from the guy, and instead of complying, he flew into a rage.

Now, if the cops got a report that two white guys were breaking into a house, and they found a white guy in the house, who flew into a rage when they asked him for ID, would you people still react the same way?

How were the cops to know he was the owner of the house? Are they mind readers? They asked for ID. If he had just produced it, there wouldn't have been any fuss. I'm sorry, but the cops were doing their jobs, as far as I can tell. If they had handcuffed him and took him into the station without asking for any ID, you would then have a case for racism.

zalinda

[busymom]

41. I agree....n/t

[DevonRex]

43. Whoa lady. He answered the door, let the cop in and GAVE HIM HIS IDENTIFICATION.

[busymom]

49. after screaming and yelling and going to the porch...

[DevonRex]

50. OMG he went onto HIS OWN PORCH???? The horrors!

[Forkboy]

46. "the door was jimmied and there was a black guy in there."

[DevonRex]

47. That caught my eye, too. Where are these people coming from today?

[Forkboy]

56. I see the color qualifier a lot.

I honestly doubt the line, "The door was jimmied and there was a white guy in there" would even come to mind, but we seem to always include the black person's color.

[zalinda]

74. There was a call about a break in

it was reported that two black guys were breaking in. So, duh, the cops saw the door jimmied and a black guy and wondered if this was one of the guys that were breaking in. If it had been a call about two white guys breaking in and a black guy was in the house, he wouldn't have been a suspect.

I swear, ever since Obama started to run, racism has been yelled in just about bad incident involving a black person. You know, sometimes it just isn't.

zalinda

[KingFlorez]

61. There are place for defending the wrong sort of people, this isn't one of them

[Kind of Blue]

42. The statement is ridiculous

"deeply pained" and "deflated" by the President's statement they "acted stupidly," when they did act stupidly. They need to stop making me laugh. Oh, the "pain. The pain."

[Number23]

55. Now, now KOBlue, these cops seem like the "sensitive" sort, don't they now?

Actually had to arrest a man in his own home because he mouthed off at them! Now they are "deeply pained." Not REMORSEFUL. Not APOLOGETIC. Not CONTRITE and interested in putting things RIGHT. But "deeply pained."

I weep for them, you know. :cry:

[Forkboy]

44. My guess is that black people are deeply pained and deflated by dealing with this shit daily.

[Cali_Democrat]

45. ^^^bingo

[SemiCharmedQuark]

48. Now why would this guy be so horribly hurt by a guy he didn't even vote for?

I couldn't give a shit what McCain thinks about me.

[zulchzulu]

51. Oh crap! His feelings were hurt... Cry me a fuckin' river...

Let's give him a little Black Sambo blow-up doll to suck his little Johnson.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

52. He's almost Joe the Plumber but he's James the Cop

[Odin2005]

53. Boo-fucking-hoo!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

54. Bunch of delicate flowers, aren't they?

[depakid]

57. They're just bucking for a lawsuit, aren't they?

Keep talking and watch the verdict/settlemwnt amount rise.

[jenmito]

59. When asked how he felt about Obama's response at the presser, he replied, "I didn't vote for him."

Then he smirked. Why in the world would he say that?

[ProSense]

60. "Jim the Police Officer" replaces "Joe the Plumber"

Two deeply disturbed people who can't come to grips with a Democratic President.

I hope the pain eats away at his psyche.

[Cha]

62. Is he whining? 'Cause

it sure sounds like it to me.

tj2001 (296 posts) Thu Jul-23-09 09:33 PM
Original message
Crowley: It was Gates' tone of voice
http://www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_12902510

"Crowley, a native of Cambridge, told a local sports radio station Thursday that Gates... "seemed that he was very upset, very put off that I was there in the first place. Not just what he said, but the tone in which he said it, just seemed very peculiar — even more so now that I know how educated he is." ...

After getting in and calling Harvard's maintenance department to fix the door, Gates said, he saw Crowley on his porch. The sergeant was disrespectful from the beginning, the professor said, asking him to step outside without explanation and demanding identification while refusing to provide his own name or badge number.

But Crowley said Thursday that he was only protecting himself when he asked Gates, whom he did not recognize, to come out and identify himself. Daytime break-ins are not unheard of in the neighborhood, he said.

Crowley described the woman who reported the possible break-in — who works at Harvard Magazine, on Gates' street — as "reliable," and said that while the professor did not "look like somebody who would break into a house," his tone was troubling."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6134956

[firedupdem]

63. how many posts are you going to make on this issue?

[SoCalDem]

64. Should we all chip in and buy them a fainting couch for the break room?

[BlooInBloo]

65. As deflated as the old black dude was when arrested for being tumultuous in his own home?

FUCK YOU COPS.

[Zomby Woof]

66. What whiny pissants

I wouldn't want them to be cops in my area, if they are that whiny and thin-skinned.

[BklnDem75]

67. Interesting...

Not a single post from this OP on any of the previous Gates threads until Obama gives his opinion. Now several threads started by this OP. Curiouser and curiouser...

[ohheckyeah]

68. He sure is sensitive.

He couldn't handle Gates "verbal rage" and now he's deeply pained. Poor baby.

[bluestateguy]

69. It would be unfortunate if federal funding for the Cambridge PD had to be cut off

I mean, that could be really bad for them.

They might want to rethink their actions and their words.

[Lorien]

70. If they are that thin skinned then they shouldn't be cops

Time to resign. I'm sure that there are better qualified people for those positions.

[TheKentuckian]

71. Good, they and police around the country need to come down quite a few pegs.

If they don't want to be and behave as peace officers then they can find another line of work or perform their work in another country. If any other sector of employees dared to treat their employers like these folks have for generations, the outcry would be heard across the universe. Let a cashier at McDonald's get lippy and you'll hear all about it and have the fucking Hallelujah Chorus chiming in but every mental contortion in history, along with several new ones, to defend a cop no matter how out of line they are. I seen cases where a gang of cops will gun down a handcuffed and scrawny old man defended till stupid motherfucker were blue in the face.

Even if the cops are completely beyond the pale, many will just fall back to the pressures of the dangers line.

The only benefit I have ever directly received from a cop is a jump. I'd rather have called a tow truck than the money I've burnt on the worthless assholes in taxes, tickets, and odd and end fines.

I've got a gun, what the fuck do I need a cop for? Police and the system they are the muscle for are more leaches than insurance companies or banks. What they do isn't worth the investment.

[cliffordu]

72. Ah, horseshit.

[Leo The Cleo]

73. Of Course He Taught How To Racially Profile

This is all just too funny. He taught racial profiling. Let's be honest. LOL

[stevietheman]

75. Police officers always seem very sensitive to criticism about how they do their job.

That's just my observation.

[TexasObserver]

76. Institutional racists seldom think they did anything wrong.