Harvard Professor Jailed; Officer Is Accused of Bias

[Anguille]

That sounds like a pretty handy projection on your part, however it is not exactly commensurate with the actual circumstances. Mr Gates is the only one who demonstrated his ego at the scene as he is the one who escalated the situation and cried racist for no rational reason. The officer was prompted to respond by simply demonstrating standard legal procedure in order to diffuse the escalated situation as provoked by Mr Gates.

Is it against the law to cry racist? If standard legal procedure means every cop must arrest every person that calls him a name our prisons are going to explode. Does the eyewitness' assessment of the situation not matter to you? Does Gates' own version not matter? Are police reports the only valid evidence in a case?
Are you going to claim, like Sheila does, that Obama pulled strings and got the charges dropped?

It wasn't like he exactly whispered racist. He was defiant and disorderly for a reason the officer could only guess until his identity was finally verified. Crying racist is just what Mr Gates used to intimidate the police and they were compelled to respond after he refused to calm down. He totally caused a scene for no reason.



Note to self, professor: Loudly threaten to sue the police for [fill in the type of] harassment during routine inquiry prompted by concerned citizen for suspected burglary, expect to be taken down town to complete some paperwork.

Look like you believe whatever the police say.

Still, I wonder why you think a person can be arrested for being "disorderly" in their own home. Other the Good Housekeeping police, that is.
Any thoughts on why charges were dropped?

 

[Againsheila]

Is it against the law to cry racist? If standard legal procedure means every cop must arrest every person that calls him a name our prisons are going to explode. Does the eyewitness' assessment of the situation not matter to you? Does Gates' own version not matter? Are police reports the only valid evidence in a case?
Are you going to claim, like Sheila does, that Obama pulled strings and got the charges dropped?

It wasn't like he exactly whispered racist. He was defiant and disorderly for a reason the officer could only guess until his identity was finally verified. Crying racist is just what Mr Gates used to intimidate the police and they were compelled to respond after he refused to calm down. He totally caused a scene for no reason.



Note to self, professor: Loudly threaten to sue the police for [fill in the type of] harassment during routine inquiry prompted by concerned citizen for suspected burglary, expect to be taken down town to complete some paperwork.

Look like you believe whatever the police say.

Still, I wonder why you think a person can be arrested for being "disorderly" in their own home. Other the Good Housekeeping police, that is.
Any thoughts on why charges were dropped?

Sure, the man is a Harvard professor with friends in high places...he can get away with disorderly conduct that would put you and I in jail.

 

[Anguille]

Sure, the man is a Harvard professor with friends in high places...he can get away with disorderly conduct that would put you and I in jail.

So what is that you resent the most about him, Sheila? That he is black or that he is rich? Or both?

 

[Valerie]

Is it against the law to cry racist? If standard legal procedure means every cop must arrest every person that calls him a name our prisons are going to explode. Does the eyewitness' assessment of the situation not matter to you? Does Gates' own version not matter? Are police reports the only valid evidence in a case?
Are you going to claim, like Sheila does, that Obama pulled strings and got the charges dropped?

It wasn't like he exactly whispered racist. He was defiant and disorderly for a reason the officer could only guess until his identity was finally verified. Crying racist is just what Mr Gates used to intimidate the police and they were compelled to respond after he refused to calm down. He totally caused a scene for no reason.



Note to self, professor: Loudly threaten to sue the police for [fill in the type of] harassment during routine inquiry prompted by concerned citizen for suspected burglary, expect to be taken down town to complete some paperwork.

Look like you believe whatever the police say.

Still, I wonder why you think a person can be arrested for being "disorderly" in their own home. Other the Good Housekeeping police, that is.
Any thoughts on why charges were dropped?

Looks like maybe you're predisposed to not believe the police, just like Mr Gates who evidently had more of an emotional response to routine inquiry...?

I think the charges were dropped in order to defuse the legal situation as threatened by Mr Gates. A compromise of sorts.


I admittedly had an emotional reaction to seeing our president relight that fuse, however.

 

[Ravi]

It seems to me this man was arrested for insinuating that the police were racist, rather loudly.

I wonder if all those that think he deserved to be arrested also support hate crime laws...because really, it seems that was the reason behind his arrest.

What makes you think he was a arrested because he cried racism?

There is not one shred of evidence that suggests the officer acted inappropriately.

Mr Gates cried racism just for the fact that the officer merely showed up at his door. He was upset that the neighbor profiled him and wanted to make sure everyone knew who he was.

He was loud and obnoxious toward the officer who was there only to do his job. He threatened to sue. He continued yelling at the police in the street after being warned to stop. The officer responded by taking him down town and putting it all on record. Boo hoo.

None of the officers' actions at the scene were observed to be racially motivated or inappropriate in any way whatsoever, yet some people are so eagerly willing to profile a white Boston police officer, what's up with that?

Disorderly Conduct

Almost every state has a disorderly conduct law that makes it a crime to be drunk in public, to "disturb the peace", or to loiter in certain areas. Many types of obnoxious or unruly conduct may fit the definition of disorderly conduct, as such statutes are often used as "catch-all" crimes. Police may use a disorderly conduct charge to keep the peace when a person is behaving in a disruptive manner, but presents no serious public danger.

Mr Gates got what any of us would deserve under the same circumstances, IMO.

I just don't agree that getting angry at a cop because the cop suspected you of wrong doing is a criminal offense. It's not like he was trying to harm the cop.

 

[Ravi]

That sounds like a pretty handy projection on your part, however it is not exactly commensurate with the actual circumstances. Mr Gates is the only one who demonstrated his ego at the scene as he is the one who escalated the situation and cried racist for no rational reason. The officer was prompted to respond by simply demonstrating standard legal procedure in order to diffuse the escalated situation as provoked by Mr Gates.

Is it against the law to cry racist? If standard legal procedure means every cop must arrest every person that calls him a name our prisons are going to explode. Does the eyewitness' assessment of the situation not matter to you? Does Gates' own version not matter? Are police reports the only valid evidence in a case?
Are you going to claim, like Sheila does, that Obama pulled strings and got the charges dropped?

It wasn't like he exactly whispered racist. He was defiant and disorderly for a reason the officer could only guess until his identity was finally verified. Crying racist is just what Mr Gates used to intimidate the police and they were compelled to respond after he refused to calm down. He totally caused a scene for no reason.



Note to self, professor: Loudly threaten to sue the police for [fill in the type of] harassment during routine inquiry prompted by concerned citizen for suspected burglary, expect to be taken down town to complete some paperwork.

Jesus, Val...you can't seriously think threatening to sue someone or calling them racist is a criminal offense.

 

[Valerie]

Is it against the law to cry racist? If standard legal procedure means every cop must arrest every person that calls him a name our prisons are going to explode. Does the eyewitness' assessment of the situation not matter to you? Does Gates' own version not matter? Are police reports the only valid evidence in a case?
Are you going to claim, like Sheila does, that Obama pulled strings and got the charges dropped?

It wasn't like he exactly whispered racist. He was defiant and disorderly for a reason the officer could only guess until his identity was finally verified. Crying racist is just what Mr Gates used to intimidate the police and they were compelled to respond after he refused to calm down. He totally caused a scene for no reason.



Note to self, professor: Loudly threaten to sue the police for [fill in the type of] harassment during routine inquiry prompted by concerned citizen for suspected burglary, expect to be taken down town to complete some paperwork.

Jesus, Val...you can't seriously think threatening to sue someone or calling them racist is a criminal offense.

The charge was disorderly conduct, Ravi...routine stuff for people who defy the police and "get in their face". Just wait until the tapes are released and it becomes crystal clear who got emotional and irrational at the scene, as witnessed by many people who described Mr Gates as behaving like a total maniac.

 

[AllieBaba]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

 

[Valerie]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

Yesterday I heard the Massachusetts DA on the radio say that is a myth.

And the officer had trouble with radio transmission within the residence which is also on the tapes.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

It's amazing how many of you people fail at reading comprehension. He wasn't arrested inside his house and I challenge you to provide evidence that he was. The cop ask him to step outside BEFORE he knew he was the homeowner, again I challenge you to prooduce evidence to the contrary.

Professor Gates, who has taught at Harvard for nearly two decades, arrived home on Thursday from a trip to China to find his front door jammed, said Charles J. Ogletree, a law professor at Harvard who is representing him.

He forced the door open with the help of his cab driver, Professor Ogletree said, and had been inside for a few minutes when Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department appeared at his door and asked him to step outside.

Professor Gates followed him outside, the report said, and yelled at him despite the sergeant’s warning “that he was becoming disorderly.” Sergeant Crowley then arrested and handcuffed him. Professor Gates was held at police headquarters for hours before being released on his recognizance.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/us/21gates.html?_r=1

 

[Anguille]

Looks like maybe you're predisposed to not believe the police, just like Mr Gates who evidently had more of an emotional response to routine inquiry...?

I think the charges were dropped in order to defuse the legal situation as threatened by Mr Gates. A compromise of sorts.


I admittedly had an emotional reaction to seeing our president relight that fuse, however.

I'm not predisposed to not believe anyone. Having read the police report, I am disturbed by how Crowley choose to precede and what he chose to report. That charges were dropped points to his supervisors also having doubts about the legitimacy of the arrest.

Yes, the president's response definitely made the situation more complicated.

 

[Anguille]

The charge was disorderly conduct, Ravi...routine stuff for people who defy the police and "get in their face". Just wait until the tapes are released and it becomes crystal clear who got emotional and irrational at the scene, as witnessed by many people who described Mr Gates as behaving like a total maniac.

Like I said before, cops take guff all the time. It's not their job to arrest people who try to push their buttons, only those who actually commit crimes and/or are creating genuine public disturbances. This cop should have kept walking away and gone back to doing real police work. Instead he turned around and decided to take off part of his work day to teach a guy a lesson about just what can be said to Officer Crowley.

 

[Anguille]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

Even Allie Baba sees the plain truth here.

 

[manifold]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

Even Allie Baba sees the plain truth here.

If that's not a huge red flag I don't know what is.

 

[manifold]

Apparently Officer Crowley is now considering filing a lawsuit againts Gates for defamation of character.

 

[Ravi]

The charge was disorderly conduct, Ravi...routine stuff for people who defy the police and "get in their face". Just wait until the tapes are released and it becomes crystal clear who got emotional and irrational at the scene, as witnessed by many people who described Mr Gates as behaving like a total maniac.

Like I said before, cops take guff all the time. It's not their job to arrest people who try to push their buttons, only those who actually commit crimes are creating genuine public disturbances. This cop should have kept walking away and gone back to doing real police work. Instead he turned around and decided to take off part of his work day to teach a guy a lesson about just what can be said to Officer Crowley.

It's nice to agree with you for a change.

If Gates had done anything wrong to begin with or if he acted this way for a traffic stop then the cops would have been justified for arresting him for disorderly conduct. Basically we have a crank that became emotional and dissed the cops while he was in his own home and on his front porch.

Reminds me of the time the cops pulled me over for shooting a bird at them, which I didn't...and it wouldn't have been an offense if I had. Cops that can't handle cranky people should think about a career change.

 

[Anguille]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

Yesterday I heard the Massachusetts DA on the radio say that is a myth.

And the officer had trouble with radio transmission within the residence which is also on the tapes.

A myth that you can't be arrested for disorderly conduct in your own home? Supposing that were true? Doesn't that give you cause for concern?

 

[Againsheila]

The give-away is that you can't be arrested for disorderly inside the house. The cop asked him to step outside, THEN arrested him for disorderly, and so apparently knew he was the owner of the house then.

Even Allie Baba sees the plain truth here.

Except that you CAN arrest someone for disorderly conduct, even in their own home.

 

[Againsheila]

Looks like maybe you're predisposed to not believe the police, just like Mr Gates who evidently had more of an emotional response to routine inquiry...?

I think the charges were dropped in order to defuse the legal situation as threatened by Mr Gates. A compromise of sorts.


I admittedly had an emotional reaction to seeing our president relight that fuse, however.

I'm not predisposed to not believe anyone. Having read the police report, I am disturbed by how Crowley choose to precede and what he chose to report. That charges were dropped points to his supervisors also having doubts about the legitimacy of the arrest.

Yes, the president's response definitely made the situation more complicated.

No that the charges were dropped points to Gates "friends in high places".


Face it, if it were you or I, charges would have been filed. But then again, if it was me at least, I wouldn't have been yelling at the officer like that.

 

[Againsheila]

The charge was disorderly conduct, Ravi...routine stuff for people who defy the police and "get in their face". Just wait until the tapes are released and it becomes crystal clear who got emotional and irrational at the scene, as witnessed by many people who described Mr Gates as behaving like a total maniac.

Like I said before, cops take guff all the time. It's not their job to arrest people who try to push their buttons, only those who actually commit crimes and/or are creating genuine public disturbances. This cop should have kept walking away and gone back to doing real police work. Instead he turned around and decided to take off part of his work day to teach a guy a lesson about just what can be said to Officer Crowley.

Oh good grief, you are suggesting the officer should have walked away, leaving a yelling, out of control man standing there? The cops can't do that, as long as Gates is out of control, it's up to them to get him back into control. Failing that, they MUST arrest him.

Gates lost his cool. The charges never should have been dropped, of course if they hadn't been Gates behavior would have been all over every news station in the country. Everyone would know him for the fool that was totally out of control. It would have cost Gates, BIG TIME.

As it stands now, it may end up costing this cop his career. All because Gates has friends in high places and can get away with just about anything....