Gates did not break the law

[mkultra]

His demeanor is not pertinent unless it breaches any of the available criminal statues which make his actions a crime. When his identity was verified, the duties of this police officer where concluded. Being an asshole is not illegale and arresting someone for contempt of cop is an abuse of power. All of this is reinforced by the fact that the charges where dropped which actually increase the exposure to a civil suit.


His actions where stupid. He did act stupidly.

[zbdent]

1. If Gates was white, and the officer was black,

Gates would have his own show on Faux by now ...

[scheming daemons]

2. In the situation, two people acted like assholes.. but only one of them had the right to

The officer, while on duty, has to maintain his composure and NOT be an asshole.


Gates had every right to act like an asshole in his own home and on his own property.


Acting like an asshole isn't a crime. Arresting someone for acting like an asshole SHOULD be.

[sandnsea]

3. Clearly n/t

[kestrel91316]

4. Gates was exercising his First Amendment right to express his negative

opinion of the officer. I applaud him. A few more cops need to know what We The People think of their snotty, superior attitude when they display such. We pay their salaries.

[damntexdem]

5. Disorderly conduct in public -- in one's own living room, or even porch.

Whatever happened to the RW's "one's home is one's castle"?

[RufusTFirefly]

9. Bingo! Defending Gates should be a bread-and-butter Republican cause!

... except for one pesky little detail.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Which part of his actions were stupid?

[mkultra]

11. The part where he hung around and arrested Gates

[JitterbugPerfume]

7. Gates did not commit a crime

and he did not act stupidly. He was in his own home.

The police officer was pissed because Gates did not respect his authori_TAH and submit to his police state tactics like a good N#### !

[jberryhill]

8. "police state tactics"

What, specifically, was the reason the cop was there in the first place?

I was under the impression that the cop was there to protect the valuable property presumably in a house in a wealthy neighborhood.

What the cop then failed to understand is that he had been dismissed by the wealthy resident of said house.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Disorderly Conduct is a catchall cops use when nothing else fits and they want to arrest you

There was a story a while back about a Wisconsin man arrested in his front yard for DC because he was legally wearing a holstered pistol on his belt (AKA Open Carry). A whinny neighbor called the cops. Wisconsin AG said the action was legal, but the local prosecutor went ahead with it. Police chief backed the arrest and order his officers to do it again under the same circumstances. The victim of the police abuse was an white male.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=118&topic_id=201627
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/39722082.html
http://www.wisn.com/news/19235901/detail.html Police after the same guy AGAIN


Similar Cases
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/nyregion/18about.html?_r=2
http://www.wisn.com/news/19243781/detail.html

[mkultra]

12. NPR had two police chiefs on yesterday

Both confirmed that once the identification was made, police duties where over. They also both confirmed that you have wide leeway in the things you can say in your own home and an officers job is to de-escalate. They both agreed that in this case, de-escalation meant Crowley leaving.

So for all the abusive cop apologists:
Crowley broke from procedure.
Gates was in the right being in his own home.


Obama may think its best to to heal the wound nationally but i have no such duty. The cop acted stupidly.