Racist Cop or Combative Professor?

[CoryKS]

I'm glad I didn't link to Fitzpatrick's Brewing Company's Nutty Professor Brown Ale!!!

:rofl:

 

[Archangel M]

Hmm..If you are going to subscribe to the "someone was looking to be offended" theory... Who here had more reason to be "offended"? The homeowner who ASSUMED the cop was only there because he was a "black man in America" or the cop who was having his honor and his mother impugned by the "mad professor" for just doing his job??

PS-Im also getting tired of all the "Gates shouldn't have been arrested for being disorderly IN his own home" pap...if the mad professor had stayed in his home he wouldn't have been arrested.

 

[celtic_crippler]

Its not racist, its just acting stupidly

no doubt...everybody knows lager's are better

Hmmm..according to CNN, now Gate's lawyer is saying "this is not about race"...BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Can you spell backfire? How about backpedaling?

But I thought it was about "how a black man is treated in America"?

Seems to me, Gates was the one that wanted to make it about race in the first place. Unless he now is saying he didn't say what he said.

 

[CoryKS]

no doubt...everybody knows lager's are better



But I thought it was about "how a black man is treated in America"?

Seems to me, Gates was the one that wanted to make it about race in the first place. Unless he now is saying he didn't say what he said.

"They took my words out of context" in 5...4...3...

 

[Steve]

:BSmeter:

The President brought himself into the discussion when he basically called the cops stupid. Obama is now clarifying (back tracking on) his statements. Of course we knew the Obama haters would jump all over this, but even the biggest Obama supporters know he put his foot squarely in his mouth on this one, which is why he is 'clarifying' as he should be. I'm glad he recongized his mistake and is now working towards improving the situation instead of the opposite.

Sorry I wasn't clear. The Obama haters are steering the thread away from the original post. Better? I know it's more fun for a select few on this board to bash Obama, and certainly more convenient than admitting that the cop was as much at fault in this as the prof. Maybe if we keep this thread going for another page or two, you guys will convince yourselves that it was really Obama's fault it happened in the first place.

 

[Steve]

Hmm..If you are going to subscribe to the "someone was looking to be offended" theory... Who here had more reason to be "offended"? The homeowner who ASSUMED the cop was only there because he was a "black man in America" or the cop who was having his honor and his mother impugned by the "mad professor" for just doing his job??

PS-Im also getting tired of all the "Gates shouldn't have been arrested for being disorderly IN his own home" pap...if the mad professor had stayed in his home he wouldn't have been arrested.

Poor Sgt. Crowley. He's the real victim in all of this. :angel:

 

[crushing]

Sorry I wasn't clear. The Obama haters are steering the thread away from the original post. Better? I know it's more fun for a select few on this board to bash Obama, and certainly more convenient than admitting that the cop was as much at fault in this as the prof. Maybe if we keep this thread going for another page or two, you guys will convince yourselves that it was really Obama's fault it happened in the first place.

I can see this is going nowhere.

 

[Archangel M]

I suggest that everybody read the Police Report:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates2.html

The "mad professor" acted like an *** right from the "get-go".

 

[Steve]

I suggest that everybody read the Police Report:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates2.html

The "mad professor" acted like an *** right from the "get-go".

Archangel M, there are two accounts, both certainly biased. This is Sgt. Crowley's carefully written account.

But that aside, I think it's pretty clear Gates was an ***. In my mind, that's not even a consideration. If cops go around arresting people for being jackasses, we've got bigger problems than racism in this country.

 

[jks9199]

Actually, if you read the report, Sgt. Crowley was in an unmarked cruiser. It's not clear one way or the other whether or not he used lights or sirens. It's pretty clear from his report and that of the other officer (who would face criminal charges for filing a false report... unlike someone's comments to the press) that they tried pretty hard to defuse the situation

 

[jks9199]

Actually, if you read the report, Sgt. Crowley was in an unmarked cruiser. It's not clear one way or the other whether or not he used lights or sirens. It's pretty clear from his report and that of the other officer (who would face criminal charges for filing a false report... unlike someone's comments to the press) that they tried pretty hard to defuse the situation before m

 

[jks9199]

Actually, if you read the report, Sgt. Crowley was in an unmarked cruiser. It's not clear one way or the other whether or not he used lights or sirens. It's pretty clear from his report and that of the other officer (who would face criminal charges for filing a false report... unlike someone's comments to the press) that they tried pretty hard to defuse the situation before making a

 

[jks9199]

Actually, if you read the report, Sgt. Crowley was in an unmarked cruiser. It's not clear one way or the other whether or not he used lights or sirens. It's pretty clear from his report and that of the other officer (who would face criminal charges for filing a false report... unlike someone's comments to the press) that they tried pretty hard to defuse the situation before making an arrest.

Maybe my position biases me. But when you have a cop at your door -- it kind of trumps a phone call. And when the cop is trying to protect YOUR residence, you can at least cooperate slightly.

I'm not absolutely absolving Sgt. Crowley of responsibility. But there is no reason to believe, despite the insinuations, that race was a factor at all in this -- from the police side. It absolutely was a factor from Prof. Gates's side. I dare say that he'd be complaining even if Sgt. Crowley had simply looked at the ID, explained why he was there and left.

 

[Steve]

Actually, if you read the report, Sgt. Crowley was in an unmarked cruiser. It's not clear one way or the other whether or not he used lights or sirens. It's pretty clear from his report and that of the other officer (who would face criminal charges for filing a false report... unlike someone's comments to the press) that they tried pretty hard to defuse the situation before making an arrest.

Maybe my position biases me. But when you have a cop at your door -- it kind of trumps a phone call. And when the cop is trying to protect YOUR residence, you can at least cooperate slightly.

I'm not absolutely absolving Sgt. Crowley of responsibility. But there is no reason to believe, despite the insinuations, that race was a factor at all in this -- from the police side. It absolutely was a factor from Prof. Gates's side. I dare say that he'd be complaining even if Sgt. Crowley had simply looked at the ID, explained why he was there and left.

I'm not sure if this was in response to me or not, but I've never accused (nor do I believe) that Crowley is a racist. What I believe, based upon everything I've read and heard so far, is that he overreacted to verbal abuse, allowed a civilian to irritate him, and abused his authority to put this civilian in his place. If anything, i agree that the only issue of racism was on the part of Gates.

However, Gates having a chip on his shoulder, verbally abusing Crowley or being racist in no way absolves Crowley from abusing his position of authority and not simply leaving once it was clear that Gates was not a crook.

 

[Archangel M]

"Abuse of his authority" is strictly a matter of the peanut galleries opinion here..what matters is if there was probable cause to effect an arrest. Could have the Sgt. walked off? Should he have walked off? Maybe..probably...I would like to think I would have.

Did the officer "have to walk away"...did he make an illegal arrest? I would say (and Im fairly confident many attorneys would say) NO.

 

[Steve]

"Abuse of his authority" is strictly a matter of the peanut galleries opinion here..what matters is if there was probable cause to effect an arrest. Could have the Sgt. walked off? Should he have walked off? Maybe..probably...I would like to think I would have.

Did the officer "have to walk away"...did he make an illegal arrest? I would say (and Im fairly confident many attorneys would say) NO.

Oh, for crying out loud. I never suggested that Crowley broke a law. Jesus, the lengths you guys are going to in order to defend this guy's actions. Should he have walked off? Most definitely. Absolutely. I definitely would like to think that every LEO I know would have.

 

[yorkshirelad]

Whatever you say man, I'm with the Prof on this one. Yeah I'm gonna get loud and disorderly after showing ID.

Yes, you and the other race baters, including Obama, who had to do alot of back peddling to get himself out of his race bating quagmire.

This guy was arrested for his tirade against an officer on public property. He was arrested for disorderly conduct.

 

[jks9199]

And so he then lost his cool and acted in a manner that was, IMO, unprofessional. Come on. Even in your defense of him, you guys keep suggesting that it was retaliatory. He arrested Gates because a Gates had the temerity to disrespect him. I'm really at a loss to believe that I'm the only one who sees this as an obvious abuse of power.

I'd really like to know how you reached this conclusion. Yes, many of us who happen to be LEOs on this forum have said that there were problems on both sides of the communication here. But nothing I've written was intended to suggest that the arrest was any sort of retaliation, and I've seen nothing else supporting that idea. There's nothing to suggest that Prof. Gates was arrested simply because he didn't show Sgt. Crowley appropriate respect. Instead, when the professor's conduct became a public problem, and after he ignored warnings, the problem was solved. I see nothing that even hints at abuse of power!

The only abuse of power I see is Professor Gates using his connections to get press coverage and Presidential comment after he made a very public *** out of himself.

 

[seasoned]

Anybody in their right mind, when confronted by a police officer, for legitimate reasons, would comply fully. The officer asks the questions, you answer the questions, everyone is on the same page, things are straightened out, case closed. Once Gates, and his big mouth came outside, he was in the public domain, and subject to a whole new set of rules. Gates was the aggressor, and the officer was very professional in his dealings. Gates sealed his fate by continuing to be belligerent outside, and in public, hence, disorderly conduct. Police officers have a hard enough job, as does professors at Harvard. I'm sure if Gates was teaching a class and a student became mouthy, that student would be dealt with. Everyone has a job to do, but in this case the officer was in charge and doing his job, and it was Gates that should have said "thank you officer" turned around, and gone into his house, case closed.

 

[Archangel M]

Yes, you and the other race baters, including Obama, who had to do alot of back peddling to get himself out of his race bating quagmire.

This guy was arrested for his tirade against an officer on public property. He was arrested for disorderly conduct.

To be fair...while the "mad professor" was arrested for what he said/did in "public" it was from "private property" AKA-his porch. While it was his property, once you exit the house and make a scene you can be held responsible for your impact on the neighbors. You can't expect to be able to stand on your porch and swear/threaten/disturb every person that walks by. As the porch, front door, etc..portions of a house are generally open to the public (I can legally walk up to your door and ring the bell..thats what they are there for), I can typically walk up to/onto them and arrest your disorderly self.