Want to see how racist that Cambridge cop was, who arrested the professor?

[top gun]

The charges were only dropped because Gates has connections, he's part of the elite and isn't subject to the laws that working schleps like myself are expected to follow.

Go ahead and test your 1st amendment right with some cop in your neighborhood and see if you get arrested.... See if the charges get dropped against you... Go on, do it, but have your wife video tape it so we can all see what happens... I'll wait here.

The charges were dropped because they knew they would have no way to prevail at a trial.

Once you are checked & cleared of any wrongdoing and you are sober and on your own property you can legally say anything you want to or about a police officer as long as you are not threatening violence.

1st Amendment Right of Free Speech

 

[asur]

Gates realizes he was wrong? He drops his case! What?

It was a marked change in tone for Gates, who in the days following his arrest gathered up his legal team and said he was contemplating a lawsuit. He even vowed to make a documentary on his arrest to tie into a larger project about racial profiling.

In an e-mail to the Boston Globe late Friday, he said: "It is time for all of us to move on, and to assess what we can learn from this experience."

Well, it would have been nice for this to play out and see what the
facts are. If Crowley did something wrong then he needs to get some
reprimanding. Likewise if Gates did something wrong he needs to get some
reprimanding. This sounds like CYA and hiding the facts from the US public!

It's called CHANGE!

 

[top gun]

Gates realizes he was wrong? He drops his case! What?

It was a marked change in tone for Gates, who in the days following his arrest gathered up his legal team and said he was contemplating a lawsuit. He even vowed to make a documentary on his arrest to tie into a larger project about racial profiling.

In an e-mail to the Boston Globe late Friday, he said: "It is time for all of us to move on, and to assess what we can learn from this experience."

Well, it would have been nice for this to play out and see what the
facts are. If Crowley did something wrong then he needs to get some
reprimanding. Likewise if Gates did something wrong he needs to get some
reprimanding. This sounds like CYA and hiding the facts from the US public!

It's called CHANGE!

Great misinformation but Gates dropped the idea of a lawsuit for a completely different reason.

The change is our great new President is getting the two parties together to use it as a learning experience. They have both agreed to meet with him together and over a beer discuss what they both could have done to prevent this from happening.

Just think about it. Had this been Bush and a White citizen Black Cop first he would have lied us into invading Cambridge saying the Cop was a terrorist. Then he would have shipped the officer off to a "special" prison where they could waterboard him for a full confession.

Damn right we needed CHANGE!

 

[asur]

The way it's going now, is to sweep the incident under the rug.
It wasn't good for Obama because it exhibited racism on his part, either way.

But the question remains, what really happened?

Topgun - this incident had nothing to do with Bush.
You suffer from bush-derangement, like so many liberals, such that it
clouds your mind.

With my 100% batting record on this forum, I'll set you straight though.

 

[KingClovis]

I think if Gates continues to cause a big fuss over this, he should be arrested again, on charges of inciting an insurrection.

 

[top gun]

The way it's going now, is to sweep the incident under the rug.
It wasn't good for Obama because it exhibited racism on his part, either way.

But the question remains, what really happened?

Topgun - this incident had nothing to do with Bush.
You suffer from bush-derangement, like so many liberals, such that it
clouds your mind.

With my 100% batting record on this forum, I'll set you straight though.

Remember what I said before. Your only batting average of 100% is outside the stadium as a SNOW CONE VENDOR... trying to snow us all...

As most neo-cons you have a poor sense of humor. The Bush thing was a joke... just like his Presidency but I digress....

It's obvious what happened. The official report my the officers clearly states that as they were leaving (which means they had all the ID and information to know that Mr, Gates was in his own home) because Gates kept talking back (1st Amendment right) the officer went back up to the house and arrested him for disorderly conduct.

The Cop had not one single leg to stand on. The worst public defender in the world could have got him off that and not even showed up for court.

And truthfully I think the Cop all along knew this wasn't a prosecutable charge. He appears a pretty smart guy. But he was pissed at Mr. Gates for talking back and thought he'd teach him a little lesson by taking him downtown.

This was never about race. It was about 2 guys in a pissing contest.

I understand Mr. Gates misinterpreting a power play for racism and I can understand the Cop for not being used to situations on private property where a person can legally call you anything in the books (as long as they aren't threatening you) and it's totally 100% legal.

So now cooler heads have prevailed. Gates probably sees the Cop wasn't being racist he just over played his legal authority hand.

And the Cop just didn't want to be seen as a racist and feels taking him downtown was no big deal because they quickly dropped the disorderly charge.

And President Obama is bringing everyone together to talk and use this as a learning experience for both gentlemen and all have a cold beer together.

Everything worked itself out... life is good.

 

[bododie]

http://news.yahoo.com

Fri Jul 24, 1:57 pm ET
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – A black police officer who was at Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s home when the black Harvard scholar was arrested says he fully supports how his white fellow officer handled the situation.

Sgt. Leon Lashley says Gates was probably tired and surprised when Sgt. James Crowley demanded identification from him as officers investigated a report of a burglary. Lashley says Gates' reaction to Crowley was "a little bit stranger than it should have been."

Asked if Gates should have been arrested, Lashley said supported Crowley "100 percent."
Gates has said he was the victim of racial profiling.

President Barack Obama says the officers "acted stupidly." Lashley called Obama's remark "unfortunate" and said he should be allowed to take it back.


CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A multiracial group of police officers on Friday stood with the white officer who arrested a prominent black Harvard scholar and asked President Barack Obama and Gov. Deval Patrick to apologize for comments the union leaders called insulting.

Obama said Wednesday that Cambridge police "acted stupidly" during the disorderly conduct arrest of his friend, Henry Louis Gates Jr., in his own home near Harvard University. Gov. Deval Patrick said Gates' arrest was "every black man's nightmare."

Dennis O'Connor, president of the Cambridge Police Superior Officers Association, said Obama's remarks were "misdirected" and the Cambridge police "deeply resent the implication" that race was a factor in the arrest.

"President Obama said the actions of the CPD were stupid and linked the event to the history of racial profiling in America," O'Connor said. "The facts of the case suggested that the president used the right adjective but directed it to the wrong party."

Officers responded to Gates' home on July 16 after a woman called 911 and said she saw two black men with backpacks trying to force open the front door. The woman, Lucia Whalen, has not responded to repeated attempts for comment.

Gates has said he returned from an overseas trip, found the door jammed, and that he and his driver attempted to force it open. Gates went through the back door and was inside the house on the phone with the property's management company when police arrived.

Police said he flew into a verbal rage after Sgt. James Crowley, who is white, asked him to show identification to prove he should be in the home. Police say Gates accused Crowley of racial bias, refused to calm down and was arrested. The charge was dropped Tuesday, but Gates has demanded an apology, calling his arrest a case of racial profiling.

Gates, 58, maintains he turned over identification when asked to do so by the police. He said Crowley arrested him after the professor followed him to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

Crowley has refused to apologize, saying he followed protocol.

 

[samsara15]

The charges were only dropped because Gates has connections, he's part of the elite and isn't subject to the laws that working schleps like myself are expected to follow.

Go ahead and test your 1st amendment right with some cop in your neighborhood and see if you get arrested.... See if the charges get dropped against you... Go on, do it, but have your wife video tape it so we can all see what happens... I'll wait here.

I have to agree with you, there, General. Give a traffic cop a little lip, for example, and you'll get handcuffed and run into the station, and popped into a jail cell. Only the elite get the charges dropped.

 

[top gun]

I have to agree with you, there, General. Give a traffic cop a little lip, for example, and you'll get handcuffed and run into the station, and popped into a jail cell. Only the elite get the charges dropped.

It's different though in a traffic stop than when you are on your own property. In a traffic stop anytime until you drive away that stop is still in progress. This would be more like if a Cop pulled you over for a possible stolen car... ran the car and found out that it actually did belong to you... let you drive away... and then said, you know I didn't like his attitude and chased you back down pulled you back over and arrested you for disorderly.

Like what happened here...

Gates turned over identification when asked to do so by the police. Crowley arrested him after the professor followed him as he was leaving outside to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

So the investigation was over. The police were leaving. At that point as a citizen confirmed to be doing nothing illegal can say anything they want as long as it's not threatening violence. And especially a citizen has a right to ask for an officers name & badge number.

The officer knew what this meant was Gates was going to go in and make a complaint about what he felt was improper treatment... it pissed the Cop off and he arrested him without cause.

I'm not against Cops. I have a lot of Cop friends one that was killed in the line of duty.

But they'd all tell ya a Cop can arrest a ham sandwich if he wants to... that doesn't mean it's a prosecutable charge. They actually do it more than you think, usually in situations just like this just to make the person have to go downtown and make bail. They know the charges will be dropped they just want to inconvenience the person for giving them a hard time.

So it's really not an "elite" thing or a "poor" thing it's a thing Cops just sometimes get into a situation and do.

 

[Pandora]

Top Gun do you take this black cops word that the white cop did the right thing?

 

[top gun]

Top Gun do you take this black cops word that the white cop did the right thing?

I take the entirety of the police report for exactly what it was... Black Cop, White Cop all Cops.

That they had had been shown proof & concluded that Mr. Gates was on his own property legally and while leaving after Mr. Gates continued to make accusations and ask for names & badge numbers they turned around and arrested him for disorderly.

To Cops there's a bond between them and saying that "things were done properly" doesn't necessarily mean things done would be able to be successfully prosecuted as a crime.

Which is exactly the case here. They got Mr. Gates downtown. I'm sure the arresting officers knowing this guy was going to make a stink because had already been asking for names & badge numbers explained what happened and showed the higher ranking officers probably a captain or watch commander their report.

And the officer (hell they might have even called someone in the prosecutes office) but somebody said... We can't win this case, and this guy will never plea bargain, better to drop it now.

Just in case I haven't been clear. I'm not saying Gates wasn't being an ass. My guess is that he was. I'm simply saying that the exact way this played out he broke no law. That's why the charges had to be dropped. Or go into court, get beat, have a law suit, and lose the whole none yards.

 

[Pandora]

I'm simply saying that the exact way this played out he broke no law.[/COLOR][/I]

I thought he broke the disorderly conduct law?

Either way I am glad you agree he was being an ass.

Its all over now isnt it? obama is having a beer with everyone or something.

 

[bododie]

I'm not saying Gates wasn't being an ass.

How convenient. Of course most of your posts indicate that you would support any racist ass as long as he isn't a religious republican! Lol.

Send a message to your other racist idol and tell him to start paying attention to the security of the country, and not to other petty racists like Gates.

 

[KingClovis]

Gates is the racist here, and should be made to calm down before he incites a race-riot in this country. He's not thinking of the welfare of America. He should be instructed to be quiet.

 

[ASPCA4EVER]

Gates is the racist here, and should be made to calm down before he incites a race-riot in this country. He's not thinking of the welfare of America. He should be instructed to be quiet.

No, No...now that would infringe on that all time favorite "Freedom of Speech" and if you can't be free inside your own home to get pissed off and be human; {he was handcuffed inside his house and walked out the front door by the officer} then what is our Democracy all about???