Harvard Professor Jailed; Officer Is Accused of Bias

[Anguille]

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what this officer did wrong. What did he do that violated standard procedure? What should he have done differently? You can sympathize with Gates all you want (personally I don't), but how exactly does Officer Crowley's actions constitute racism or racial profiling?

He should have told Gates he was investigating a break in at Gate's house. It would have helped prevent the misunderstanding. He should have presented his ID when asked. Otherwise, I see nothing in the police officer's behavior to indicate this had anything to do with race. I don't have sympathy for either. I think this was a case of working class guy versus a professional. Both of whom happened to have big egos and resent having their authority challenged.

Your suggestion seems reasonable to me, but I don't know enough about police procedures for this kind of situation to say for sure. But it seems that the initial misunderstanding was cleared up rather quickly and I'm more than willing to saddle both of them with half of the blame for it. However, once the misunderstanding was remedied, Gates took the situation as an opportunity to shout racism and berate and harass the officer. And even now he seems determined to ruin the officer's career. In my book that makes him a race baiting, fucking asshole of a douchebag.

Yes, I agree Gates was race baiting. I have a lot of respect for the guy otherwise as an academic so I am doubly sorry to see him sink so low.

I think they are both equally responsible, Crowley and Gates for letting the situation escalate, but Gates is responsible for bringing the issue of race into it. All I can say is that obviously he was not in his best form that day.

Here's something else I found. Apparently, Gates did think his home may have been burglarized.


My driver is a large black man. But from afar you and I would not have seen he was black. He has black hair and was dressed in a two-piece black suit, and I was dressed in a navy blue blazer with gray trousers and, you know, my shoes. And I love that the 911 report said that two big black men were trying to break in with backpacks on. Now that is the worst racial profiling I’ve ever heard of in my life. (Laughs.) I’m not exactly a big black man. I thought that was hilarious when I found that out, which was yesterday.
It looked like someone’s footprint was there. So it’s possible that the door had been jimmied, that someone had tried to get in while I was in China. But for whatever reason, the lock was damaged. My driver hit the door with his shoulder and the door popped open. But the lock was permanently disfigured. My home is owned by Harvard University, and so any kind of repair work that’s needed, Harvard will come and do it. I called this person, and she was, in fact, on the line while all of this was going on.


Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. speaks out on racial profiling after his arrest by Cambridge police.

 

[Lonestar_logic]

The fact that the officer's first words to Gates were to ask him to step outside, indicates he intended to arrest him.

You ask them outside for safety. You don't know who else could be in the house or if the suspect has a weapon inside the house.

You should research police procedures before you make such asinine statements.

They also ask them to step outside because certain types of arrest are easier to justify later to a judge when they are made on public property instead of private property. Arresting a homeowner inside his own hom when no crime has been committed and the officer does not have a search warrant is risky behavior on the part of the officer.

Mr/Ms. Know-It -All....

You make absolutely no sense. Arresting a homeowner inside his home when no crime has been committed is the dumbest thing I've heard all day. You're suggesting a cop would arrest a person when no crime has been committed.

Instead of assuming what you believe to be facts, you should study police procedure and when you come across the section that states " certain types of arrest are easier to justify later to a judge when they are made on public property instead of private property" please provide that portion for all to see.

 

[Anguille]

You make absolutely no sense. Arresting a homeowner inside his home when no crime has been committed is the dumbest thing I've heard all day. You're suggesting a cop would arrest a person when no crime has been committed.

Shocker!!

 

[Lonestar_logic]

You ask them outside for safety. You don't know who else could be in the house or if the suspect has a weapon inside the house.

You should research police procedures before you make such asinine statements.

Maybe you should. You can't arrest someone for disorderly conduct inside their own house...but you can when they are outside, in public.

Exactly, and what the cop called disorderly conduct had not even begun as yet. This cop was avoiding showing his ID.

The cop was wearing a name tag and badge, what other ID is needed? A drivers license?

 

[WillowTree]

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me what this officer did wrong. What did he do that violated standard procedure? What should he have done differently? You can sympathize with Gates all you want (personally I don't), but how exactly does Officer Crowley's actions constitute racism or racial profiling?

He should have told Gates he was investigating a break in at Gate's house. It would have helped prevent the misundersatnding. He should have presented his ID when asked. Otherwise, I see nothing in the police officer's behavior to indicate this had anything to do with race. I don't have sympathy for either. I think this was a case of working class guy versus a professional. Both of whom happened to have big egos and resent having their authority challenged.

Your suggestion seems reasonable to me, but I don't know enough about police procedures for this kind of situation to say for sure. But it seems that the initial misunderstanding was cleared up rather quickly and I'm more than willing to saddle both of them with half of the blame for it. However, once the misunderstanding was remedied, Gates took the situation as an opportunity to shout racism and berate and harass the officer. And even now he seems determined to ruin the officer's career. In my book that makes him a race baiting, fucking asshole of a douchebag.

Bullseye! Bullseye! Bullseye. Racial Politics of Convenience!

 

[Anguille]

Maybe you should. You can't arrest someone for disorderly conduct inside their own house...but you can when they are outside, in public.

Exactly, and what the cop called disorderly conduct had not even begun as yet. This cop was avoiding showing his ID.

The cop was wearing a name tag and badge, what other ID is needed? A drivers license?

Geez, I thought you knew about police procedure?

 

[Lonestar_logic]

Exactly, and what the cop called disorderly conduct had not even begun as yet. This cop was avoiding showing his ID.

The cop was wearing a name tag and badge, what other ID is needed? A drivers license?

Geez, I thought you knew about police procedure?

I do and all that's required is name and badge number. I know, it's a shocker. Oh and can provide specifics about police arresting citizens when no crime has been committed.

 

[Anguille]

The cop was wearing a name tag and badge, what other ID is needed? A drivers license?

Geez, I thought you knew about police procedure?

I do and all that's required is name and badge number. I know, it's a shocker. Oh and can provide specifics about police arresting citizens when no crime has been committed.

Don't know where you live but where I live and where Gate's lives a police officer is required to present ID when asked. And they normally do. I've them asked myself. That this officer refused to present ID shows a cavalier attitude towards his duties.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

You make absolutely no sense. Arresting a homeowner inside his home when no crime has been committed is the dumbest thing I've heard all day. You're suggesting a cop would arrest a person when no crime has been committed.

Instead of assuming what you believe to be facts, you should study police procedure and when you come across the section that states " certain types of arrest are easier to justify later to a judge when they are made on public property instead of private property" please provide that portion for all to see.

Ok here is some history for you.

On that specific street in cambridge there have been 9 daylight front door break ins in the past 3 weeks.

A nosy neighbor saw him enter the front door in what looked to them like a break in and the neighbor called the cops.

The cops arrived and asked him to present ID to prove he lived there and he refused, and did so in a loud and obstinant manner

A 55-year-old neighbor who said he witnessed the incident but declined to give his name, however, said that Gates was in fact yelling loudly, as indicated by a photo taken by another neighbor.“When police asked him for ID, Gates started yelling, ‘I’m a Harvard professor . . . You believe white women over black men. This is racial profiling.’ ”

Upon further refusals the police officer placed him under arrest (which i think was over the top, he should have restrained the professor then gotten his ID and let him go once it was verified)

Henry Louis Gates Jr. demands apology, sensitivity training - BostonHerald.com


"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt" — Abraham Lincoln

 

[Shogun]

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

You said "typical ******" not "racist". Is this where you start to do your silly little ravi dance?

 

[Ravi]

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

You said "typical ******" not "racist". Is this where you start to do your silly little ravi dance?

Did I misunderstand you? You seem to think that because he made the your momma quote that means he is a typical ******, correct?

 

[Shogun]

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

You said "typical ******" not "racist". Is this where you start to do your silly little ravi dance?

Did I misunderstand you? You seem to think that because he made the your momma quote that means he is a typical ******, correct?

Certainly not the caliber one should expect from a celebrated professor. Is there some kind of silly Ravi math involved in squeezing "racist" out of that, monkey?

 

[Ravi]

You said "typical ******" not "racist". Is this where you start to do your silly little ravi dance?

Did I misunderstand you? You seem to think that because he made the your momma quote that means he is a typical ******, correct?

Certainly not the caliber one should expect from a celebrated professor. Is there some kind of silly Ravi math involved in squeezing "racist" out of that, monkey?

Are you backing away from what you said now, Soggy? If you think he's a typical ****** because he said your momma then don't be afraid to admit it. I'm not saying you are a racist if you believe that.

 

[Shogun]

Did I misunderstand you? You seem to think that because he made the your momma quote that means he is a typical ******, correct?

Certainly not the caliber one should expect from a celebrated professor. Is there some kind of silly Ravi math involved in squeezing "racist" out of that, monkey?

Are you backing away from what you said now, Soggy? If you think he's a typical ****** because he said your momma then don't be afraid to admit it. I'm not saying you are a racist if you believe that.

I didn't call him a racist, Ravir. Do you REALLY need me to quote your stupid cuntly ass here? I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.


I guess I might as well go ahead and quote you BEFORE you start dancing around like a retarded monkey

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

 

[Ravi]

I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.

That's all I wanted to know. Was that so hard?

 

[Anguille]

Certainly not the caliber one should expect from a celebrated professor. Is there some kind of silly Ravi math involved in squeezing "racist" out of that, monkey?

Are you backing away from what you said now, Soggy? If you think he's a typical ****** because he said your momma then don't be afraid to admit it. I'm not saying you are a racist if you believe that.

I didn't call him a racist, Ravir. Do you REALLY need me to quote your stupid cuntly ass here? I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.


I guess I might as well go ahead and quote you BEFORE you start dancing around like a retarded monkey

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

Why couldn't a "typical ******" become a Harvard professor?

 

[Shogun]

I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.

That's all I wanted to know. Was that so hard?

not at all. Just a matter of using the quote feature to step on your little monkey tail.

 

[GHook93]

From Professor:
Mr incompetent officer (who just shot back race relations year and gave black self-loathers like Jackson and Sharpton more fuel for their fire) first check the residence owner on your database. Next check his identification. Once they matched. Apologize and explain the situation. More than likely the professor would have turned to be grateful instead of angry!

His actions of still not believing him were unacceptable (extremely unacceptable). Tell you the truth it would enrage me if I was in the shoes of the professor! Many cops get on a power trip once a person shows any type of hostility towards them, no matter how justified that hostility is.

The Cop "I don't know why he started acting like that." Hey dickhead imagine you come back from a long trip and find your house broken into and the cop shows up, you give him identification and the ignorant cop says "Nigga I still don't believe you!" Hey asshole 90% of the people out there would have reacted like the professor!

From Officer:
Although the officer is clearly in the wrong and deserves to be fired and sued! The professor had more than a reason to be enraged, but still should have tried to keep his cool a little better.

 

[Shogun]

Are you backing away from what you said now, Soggy? If you think he's a typical ****** because he said your momma then don't be afraid to admit it. I'm not saying you are a racist if you believe that.

I didn't call him a racist, Ravir. Do you REALLY need me to quote your stupid cuntly ass here? I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.


I guess I might as well go ahead and quote you BEFORE you start dancing around like a retarded monkey

I didn't know your momma was a racist statement. The things I learn here.

Why couldn't a "typical ******" become a Harvard professor?

for the same reason a blue collar heyseed shouldn't; we don't define our best efforts in education with low brow people. Do you expect ME to be a prof at Cambridge, Ang? Why not? If Your Mamma can do it then I guess so too can anyone else, eh? Which, pretty much makes a joke out of the concept of noting the best schools in a heirarchy.


Hey, go tell the next homless bum you see that he too can be a prof at Stanford!

 

[Anguille]

I didn't call him a racist, Ravir. Do you REALLY need me to quote your stupid cuntly ass here? I said he acted like a typical ****** in busting out a Your Mamma to a cop. If that is the kind of statement you expect to hear from a harvard prof then I can understand why you have slurpee and dollar menu tastes.


I guess I might as well go ahead and quote you BEFORE you start dancing around like a retarded monkey

Why couldn't a "typical ******" become a Harvard professor?

for the same reason a blue collar heyseed shouldn't; we don't define our best efforts in education with low brow people. Do you expect ME to be a prof at Cambridge, Ang? Why not? If Your Mamma can do it then I guess so too can anyone else, eh? Which, pretty much makes a joke out of the concept of noting the best schools in a heirarchy.


Hey, go tell the next homless bum you see that he too can be a prof at Stanford!

You midwesterners are so provincial!