Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. VS. Officer Jame
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Who do you think was in the right?
I think that after Professor Gates showed the Officer Crowley his ID the officer should have left.
I think it’s pretty outrageous that the POTUS should get involved and come down on a police officer.
Also I’m pretty sure this Gates guy has a history of inciting trouble like this.
So, the officer responds to a call of two black men breaking in to a house (likely an old white lady).
The officer verifies that Gates lives there and that there are no other problems. Gates gets irate and yells at the officer. The officer gets his feelings hurt (and just like Windy gets mad) and so arrests Gates.
The police drop the charges.
A few issues here: First, the officer should have asked if Gates needed any further assistance and verified that he wasn’t being coerced (legitimate reason to be in the house) into anything.
Second, Gates should not be yelling at police officers. He is an educated Harvard professor. I’m sure he can articulate his point without screaming.
Third, Gates should have ignored the racial profiling aspect. Racial profiling would have helped prevent terrorist attacks. Racial profiling will catch more serial killers. Racial profiling will prevent rapes and murders and gang violence.
The best way to reduce racial profiling is to change the behavior of the people being profiled.
Fourth, after verifying that Gates was ok and the homerenter, he should have left and never arrested Gates.
If Gates was being loud and obnoxious, shouting at the officer that he was a racist, saying that this is what happens to the black man in this country, what else would you expect of a police officer, but to arrest the guy for it. Crowley says he told Gates that he was crossing a line several times before he actually arrested him. There are two maybe three people who know the truth of what happened here: Gates, Crowley, and the other guy who was helping Gates. If there is blame to pass around, why blame the cop? He’s doing his job. Gates is the one who was doing the yelling.
Even if Crowley didn't do things right, Gates would have done better for other African-Americans if he would have just thanked the guy for making sure everything was alright and not getting into his face about racism. When you go on the defensive and start throwing racism remarks out there, nothing good can happen from there.[quote=Spaceman Spiff] If Gates was being loud and obnoxious, shouting at the officer that he was a racist, saying that this is what happens to the black man in this country, what else would you expect of a police officer, but to arrest the guy for it. Crowley says he told Gates that he was crossing a line several times before he actually arrested him. There are two maybe three people who know the truth of what happened here: Gates, Crowley, and the other guy who was helping Gates. If there is blame to pass around, why blame the cop? He’s doing his job. Gates is the one who was doing the yelling.
Even if Crowley didn’t do things right, Gates would have done better for other African-Americans if he would have just thanked the guy for making sure everything was alright and not getting into his face about racism. When you go on the defensive and start throwing racism remarks out there, nothing good can happen from there. [/quote]
I expect the officer to walk away. He completed his job. He verified that there was not in fact anybody breaking in to Gates residence. He is a servant of the people, not himself. When he puts on the uniform, he is held to higher standard than Gates.
Both were in the wrong. You blame both.
I don’t know how it is in law enforcement, but in the military, when you wear the uniform you are expected to be BETTER than the average citizen, including Harvard professors. You represent not just yourself, but the entire force (military or police).
If the police got a call about a break in and they did not check it out and it had been a burglar, they would be racists. If the officer was calm and Gates went ballistic, the officer is a racist. If Gates was calm and the officer arrested him for “being black”, he is a racist. The officer is accused of being a racist regardless of what happened. As long as every problem and issue is blamed of racism, minorities will never break free of self imposed chains. Not to say there is not racism in the world, but a fraction of what most minorities (and I am one) accuse others of.
Gates deserved to be arrested. You can’t yell and scream at a cop and not expected to be either arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick. The officer had every right to arrest that man after warning him several times. He sux!
Obama shot himself in the foot with the comments he made today. He has no business calling out the Cambridge police actions as "stupidly".Obama’s comments will follow him as long as he remains in office. In 3 years we will still remember how he brought up race in a situation he did not have the facts about.
[quote=Omar] Gates deserved to be arrested. You can’t yell and scream at a cop and not expected to be either arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick. The officer had every right to arrest that man after warning him several times. He sux!
Obama shot himself in the foot with the comments he made today. He has no business calling out the Cambridge police actions as “stupidly”. [/quote]
So does that mean if my wife yells at me, she should be arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick?
[quote=Omar]Gates deserved to be arrested. You can’t yell and scream at a cop and not expected to be either arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick. The officer had every right to arrest that man after warning him several times. He sux!
Obama shot himself in the foot with the comments he made today. He has no business calling out the Cambridge police actions as "stupidly". [/quote]Omar:
I do not know what the law is in <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Cambridge Mass. but I do not believe that yelling at a cop should be illegal. I think is unwise, but I do not think it should be illegal. As to be bashed on the head for yelling that is out of line.
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The police are public servants. Sergeant Crowley should have walked away, even if Professor Gates was say something about Sergeant Crowley Mama.
[quote=JackBlack][quote=Omar]Gates deserved to be arrested. You can’t yell and scream at a cop and not expected to be either arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick. The officer had every right to arrest that man after warning him several times. He sux!
Obama shot himself in the foot with the comments he made today. He has no business calling out the Cambridge police actions as "stupidly". [/quote]Omar:
I do not know what the law is in <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Cambridge Mass. but I do not believe that yelling at a cop should be illegal. I think is unwise, but I do not think it should be illegal. As to be bashed on the head for yelling that is out of line.
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The police are public servants. Sergeant Crowley should have walked away, even if Professor Gates was say something about Sergeant Crowley Mama.
[/quote] I would think that anywhere in this country when you start yelling at a police officer, who was doing his job, you put yourself at risk of being arrested by said police officer. Public servant or not, when the public that Sergeant Crowley was serving becomes beligerant, the police officer has to have the ability to put a stop to it. I wouldn't say he has the right to hit the guy with his knightstick (they don't carry those anymore do they? Don't they have those telescoping metal rod things?), but he should certainly have the right to put the guy in his cruiser and take him back to the station to cool down for a while. It will be interesting in this case to find out if they release the audio from the incident. Gates says he's the victim. Crowley, and his union board, say that he's in the clear. The president says the Cambridge police acted stupidly. Only one of them can be right.[quote=JackBlack][quote=Omar]Gates deserved to be arrested. You can’t yell and scream at a cop and not expected to be either arrested or bashed over the head with a nightstick. The officer had every right to arrest that man after warning him several times. He sux!
Obama shot himself in the foot with the comments he made today. He has no business calling out the Cambridge police actions as "stupidly". [/quote]Omar:
I do not know what the law is in <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Cambridge Mass. but I do not believe that yelling at a cop should be illegal. I think is unwise, but I do not think it should be illegal. As to be bashed on the head for yelling that is out of line.
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The police are public servants. Sergeant Crowley should have walked away, even if Professor Gates was say something about Sergeant Crowley Mama.[/quote]
Gates didn't simply walk up to the cop on the street and start talking trash. The police were responding to a call from a concerned neighbor who allegedly witnessed a break-in at the house minutes beforehand by black men. Like it or hate it, when the cops got there they saw a black man inside the house and had to treat him like a suspect. The neighbor who called the thing in didn't say "a man is breaking in a house", she said "black men are breaking in the house". If the "black man" who was at the house when the cops arrived did not cooperate and answer questions that were asked of him and got in the cops face, the cops had every right to feel like their safety was at risk. He could have been Gandhi, but if a neighbor calls and says "There is a bald Indian looking man with very little clothes on breaking into a house next door" and the cops arrive with Ghandhi standing right there, the man is a suspect until proven otherwise.Spaceman Spiff:
Why should yelling at a police office be illegal?Do I not have the freedom of speech?
I would bet that Professor Gates was being a d1ck, but that is not illegal.Think of the old saw: Stick and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.
[quote=JackBlack]
Spaceman Spiff:
Why should yelling at a police office be illegal?Do I not have the freedom of speech?
I would bet that Professor Gates was being a d1ck, but that is not illegal.Think of the old saw: Stick and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.
[/quote] He didn't say yelling at a police officer is or should be illegal. He said if you are going to yell at an officer you put yourself at risk of being arrested, which is 100% correct. If an officer asks a question in the middle of a response call and you yell at an officer, there is a better chance you will be put in handcuffs than if you answer the question politely. That can't be disputed.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
From what I have read, Sergeant Crowley was walking away from Professor Gates, after determining that Professor Gates was the lawful resident of the house. Now, Gates was no longer a suspect. Professor Gates then followed Sergeant Crowley out of the house yelling at him, when <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Crowley told Gates to stop yelling or go back into his house or face arrest. Gates continued to yell at the Officer. Gates was then arrested. Gates was arrested for being a d1ick. It is not illegal to be a d1ck.
I wonder if any of us have all the information we need to make a determination of who is at fault. That’s why I say it’s both of them.
If someone yells at me, what is my recourse? Because you have a badge, you get to arrest me and get me a mug shot? That’s ridiculous!
As for Gates. A Harvard professor needs to think about the University he is representing as well as the people he represents. Any time someone makes a racist remark about Tiger Woods, he says nothing. The media takes care of it for him. Fuzzy Zoeller, the girl from the golf channel. All chastised in the public. The same would have happened here. Tiger Woods is a class act, and somebody like Gates could learn from the younger generation.
Write a paper, or something you moron! Or include it in a book.
[quote=JackBlack]
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From what I have read, Sergeant Crowley was walking away from Professor Gates, after determining that Professor Gates was the lawful resident of the house. Now, Gates was no longer a suspect. Professor Gates then followed Sergeant Crowley out of the house yelling at him, when <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Crowley told Gates to stop yelling or go back into his house or face arrest. Gates continued to yell at the Officer. Gates was then arrested. Gates was arrested for being a d1ick. It is not illegal to be a d1ck.
[/quote]
You're correct. It's not illegal. He got arrested for disorderly conduct. From what I can tell, that's a pretty vague reason to be arrested, but in this case, Crowley says that he warned Gates several times, more times in fact than most people would have got, to back down but Gates kept it up the tirade. So, it seems that if the officer you're dealing with believes you've pushed him too far, then it can become illegal. That's what happened here.[quote=BioFreeze]
Uppity schwartzes need to be placed in handcuffs on occasion. It sends a strong message to the rest of them.
[/quote]Wind… will you come back and translate Bio’s post for us?