LoL, So true, seems that goes across the board on all issues.

It is actually not very bright of him to make an assumption based on race when the officer was just doing his job. Just shows me that all of the BS he was fed by Rev. Wright really has had an impact and influenced him.

Ginny

That was my first response too. He doesn't know the facts, but labeled the situation "stupid."

Who looks "stupid" now?

I didn't think he would know "stupid" if he tripped over it.

aijncolorado,......... Your Statement about Christian values is Racist. You are no better than the ones you complain about.

Wait until tomorrow when Gibbs has to tell us "what he meant to say"...LOL

BTW, aijcolorado, kind of like the pot calling the kettle black....uh oh, I hope THAT isn't racist.

I wasn't aware that "Christian" was a race.

Being Christain is not a race. But It still describes a certain group of people. So I take that statement as being racist against Christians.

Embarrassing for our president to make this statement. Dr. Gates was considered for a position in the Obama administration, thus the President Knows the professor. There are several posts about a "clarification or reversal of the statement" tomorrow. Probably is true. Mr. Obama's statement was really bad. No like him - while he is a true politician and carefully frames his answers, he was very wrong on this statement.

So true, while admitting he doesn't know all the facts of the case, he instantly condemns the police because of his racial prejudice. This president is the most rascist man we have ever had in politics. He hates whites uniformly and wants them to pay for every perceived slight and injustice in history. Never mind that he is a member of the Democratic party, historically the most rascist party in American history. Know your history people, or it will come back to haunt you.

LOL lowrider, there has to be race involved before it is racism, however ajin statements were prejudiced and bigoted...they were not racist.

It might seem like I am spitting hairs with semantics, but the difference is there.

I can understand why Obama and other blacks/minorities feel this way. Sometimes it is about race. But the sad fact is, we have some seriously messed up police out there. Just look at you local situation. The police, with their union, intimidate the hell out of local politicians in most communities in this country. Getting rid of the bad apples is almost impossible.

I have had a similar experience with them myself, and I happen to be white.

Police unions should be illegal. These people hold a special position of power in our society, they should not have any further advantage shielding them from political oversight. If they don't like it, don't apply for the job.

I hope the officer sticks to what he says and does not apologize. Had this been 2 white people or 2 black people involved, this would not have made news because the race card would not have been pulled. All Gates had to do was show an ID and he made an issue over it. I am tired of people having to apologize for everything. Political correctness has run amuck in this country.

obama admitted that he did not have all the facts. But, he is standing in front of millions of people saying the officer acted stupidly. This joker is the President of the United States and should not be inciting anyone, in the first place. Even if he knows all the facts, he needs to tone it down. This has been the worst Presidency and congress in the history of the United States. He has lied and misled the American people more in the first six months than any other administration. The only thing left for obama, pelosi, and reid to do, is bankrupt our country. This is exactly what is going to happen with everything they are proposing. America, open your eyes and read the facts.

Berrymountain

You're wasting your breath they some how think just because of their race they are some how singled out, right now my respect for Obama has been jolted by his comments, to just go on an assumption that the police acted stupidly shows that he has not gotten past his race issues, I'm from Hawaii just like Obama is and for him to make a comment like that, without prove positive just makes me look at him in a different light, I'm now thinking he was the wrong person that a lot of people voted for we all looked at him and viewed him not as Black, but this comment has changed my believe, to take sides in an issue of this type is what I call stupid, a president can never take sides especially when they are claiming a race issue.

WOW!!! This is the guy that has his finger on the nuclear button? Think of this scenario. Gee, I am sorry comrade Putin for firing the first exchange without having all the facts but hey, we are the yes we can government. God help us all!!

Gee, would have the good Dr acted differently if a black officer had responded rather than a white one? Another case of "reverse" racism. If you run your mouth loud and long enough, someone will listen, but is it really right?

John. I was thinking the same thing. This wouldn't have made it to the TelePrompter In Chief if this had been a white person regardless of position in life. But throwing out the race card is becoming popular again. Even forthe POS POTUS. Hey Obama stop worrying about stuff you don't know all the fact to and get back to the hope and change crap you spewed to us. Oh and hey what about that birth certificate? Your family in Kenya says you where born there. I guess they acted stupidly too. When you were in college how did you travel to countries off limits to Americans at the time if you where traveling on an American passport. Because you were traveling the world on a foreign one. Just how do you get one of those if your an American? You must know someone special....

The mask has not only slipped, it has been cast aside.

I'm pretty sure they are much more pressing issues for Obama to get involved with

Really Mr. President? Were you there? do you know exactly what the circumstances were? Did you arrive on scene with the officer and hear what was said?

I have seen over and over again how SOME (not ALL.. you out there with your, "your a racist" hands on the trigger) Blacks act like complete imbeciles when confronted by the police. Always running from police... then, telling them how they are "racists" or pulling the "you are just profiling me" act... as they pull the 4 pounds of Cocaine from inside his pants... routine... Watch one episode of Cops or any show like it and it will be very clear and you will see what people do. Whites and Brown do the same... but don't try to USE it as much. Our so called "president" has done nothing more than dump fuel on what he and those like him who use as a tool for their bidding... and while doing so, fan the flames higher to give the engine more power.

The use of Racism as a tool...is racist. This whole damn Country has allowed people to use this tool to dived and conquer while the "white guilt liberal party" just stands back and apologizes to every one they possibly can. And a few us us are not going to play any more... so get over it. I applaud this cop for standing on what he feels is right rather than bending over for the Saudi King Obama style.

I also absolutely despise how this President uses matters like this to shield what he is doing... just watch... this whole thing will blow up on CNN and CSNBC just in time to be a distraction from the current free fall of his popularity. I actually bet my father a buck that there would be a "distraction" within a day or two to at the very least drum up a few "sympathy feelings" for this narcissistic man.... well... I'll use the dollar to pay for the call I make to my Congressman today letting him know that he will not have a job should he follow this Socialist President down the road to our destruction.

Initially I thought the arrest was off base.  But after much thought I think that we all need to back away from the idea that there were any racial overtones or motivations.  It is too easy fo people to be distracted over this issue.  What we must all do is stop, take a deep breath and ask ourselves what the officers official responsibility is as a police officer.  He was responding to a call of a possible break in. His #1 responsibility is to 100% sure that the man that met him at the door was who he said he was.  Just what does a criminal look like? Seriously... ask yourself that question.  Now think of all the recent cases of people arrested for criminal conduct. Bernnie Madof comes to mind.  An older white man that from all outward apperances seemed to be an upstanding citizen.  Had that officer simply walked away from that house without checking Mr. Gates' I.D. and it turned out that the man he confronted was actually a sophisticated burgler, what do you think you would all be saying about this officer? Incompetent?  Lazy?  Looking for his next doughnut?   Lets be fair to the officer.  No doubt Mr. Gates was alrready frustrated to find that after returning from a long trip that he was locked out.  I am sure his perception that the fact that the officer asked for him for his I.D. further frustrated him.  After all, in his mind he was standing in his own home.  He should have complied... quickly, quietly and respectfully.  He chose to beome belligerent and for that he paid the price.  Not because of the color of his skin but because he was belligerent and interfered with the duties of a sworn officer of the law.  This officer was just doing his job.  And for doing his job, one that is necessary for all communities, he diserves a little respect.  The same type of respect that Professor Gates demanded but was himself unwilling to give.  Professor Gates should be ashamed that he tried to shift the spotlight away from his own bad behavior by making this officer out to be a racist of some sort.   Professor Gates owes the officer an apology... not the other way around.  Pure and simple.

Actually, the President is not alone in this. Many have made and will continue to make the same such decisions with out all the facts in hand....but why not, its publicity,,,keeps the name in the paper and on the media. Also, nothing was said about the fact that one of the officers was balck....nothing has been said about the friend that was with this professor....guess he must have been white since no mention of him being arrested. The sad thing is ...too many people of all races use their own hate to keep causes going...right or wrong. The over all majority I do not believe carry hate in such a way as to interfer with their lives in such a way as this. But that is never in the news...just is not good media material.

Mr. President you have something in common with these Cops then...It's kind of like your Socialized Health Care program...Your acting Stupid and you're making statements before you admittedly even know the details.

First of all, if our president doesn't have more important issues on which to focus his energies, he is doing the entire country a disservice. Next, what kind of message is he sending to the American people in general, and young people and kids in particular, by denigrating the police in this matter? Especially given the fact that doesn't even know all of the facts.

Of course the President to the rescue. A black man is arrested and automatically the Police are at fault. I believe the President and this Professer are raising the Racist Card, yet again!

Actually the president's comments about the case is proof that racial tensions are still alive these days. The guy is a black scholar. He is the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Of course he is going to scream racism when confronted by a the police. I was a very big Obama supporter but now after his comment, well, no more.

"Richard Weinblatt, director of the Institute for Public Safety at Central Ohio Technical College, said the police sergeant was responsible for defusing the situation once he realized Gates was the lawful occupant. It is not against the law to yell at police, especially in a home, as long as that behavior does not affect an investigation, he said." Isn't it amazing the number of people..so called smart people...people of means , that pass judgement with out being there in this case. Every one including the President seems to know more about what went on than the police officers that were there. It is very easy to make something out of this since the professor was of race...It would be most interesting to know just how each of the people that have passed judgement including the President would react in the same situations as police officers have to be in every day. It would be most interesting to hear what the black officer that was there had to say...see if he would back up the professor....or the other officer..and then for the President to play the race card..to keep this going , to make statements with only one side of what went on at the professors house was uncalled for.

Why is a guy that is branded by the left to be so smart acting so stupid...I see his poll numbers dropping below 40 % after the American public see him in his true light!!!!!!!!

Agreed, Ginny-397538 but what else did he attempt to manipulate?

Commencing with the conclusion, while acknowledging that he did not know all the facts Mr. Obama openly took a position of partiality in favor of his acknowledged friend while calling the police stupid; clearly, denotes from the White House a position of racial prejudice. If, this does not promote racial dissension nothing does because the youth and young adults will take his statement and without thinking run with it; and, sadly, it is too late for Mr. Educated Obama to take back what he stated and implied. But, the pied piper, Mr. Obama, did not stop there.

Then, the matter of healthcare he never once spoke of how the federal government has outsourced VAMCs who are charged ridiculous fees after the government reneged on its promise to veterans of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Obviously, he is still attempting to force down the throats of Americans the Clinton-era health plan using his rhetorical nonsense as the pied piper of Washington that has, again, failed to convince any rational thinking human being; especially, while focusing on what was inherited as oppose to acknowledging the errors of his administration from the bailout and trillions of dollars deficit that he continues to try and justify while the American people suffer as Corporate America is restored as he skirted the issue when asked.

There were no clear indications to support the allegations present by the federal, state or local government to substantiate their claims that the decline of existing corporate America would have such drastic effects as assumed by Mr. Obama and cohorts; simply more empty rhetoric while proving exactly who and what he is and where he is leading the American people. And, as he so eloquently stated, he has a physician following him around and that he has the best healthcare in the nation. Military physicians serving someone who fails to respond to the needs of veterans and by the way, can someone tell which branch of service he served in and or how he served this country that he so openly flaunts in the face of America what he has and they do not. If, he is so much of a leader let him do that which Bloomberg did and refuse the salary and benefits of the office and pay for his own; he can afford it based on his book of questionability or simply another means of using the American people for his own gain; and, the pied piper continues.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing they, themselves, to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

The handwriting is on the wall and yet the blind seek not to see or hear that which is before them. O ignored fool, whomever you are, when will you awake and turn away from such people.

And, he attempts to equate himself with the historical Negro/Black American, guess again, he openly demonstrates that there is a distinct difference between the Negro/Black American and the African-American and uses others to endorse his questionable concepts.

Race is not involved here unless one links being black and being a jackass together...

I think the whole "esteemed" misperception is the issue. I don't care where either went to school... In there intellectual arrogance, they want to be above the law. Both BO and the professor are examples of the failed quota system... these two are the best they have to offere.

The professor needs counseling and BO has a narcissist disorder.

Another "cry wolf incedent." I am not buying into this crap anymore.

Everything is racist because to be a victim, you have to have someone to blame.

doesn't obama have bigger things to worry about like uh our country that he is bankrupting ? please this has no business being spoken about from him eveythingthat deals with race uh oh uh I think uh we should say something here uh about this uh because um uh well i'm the 5th mixed president in the white house so uh I uh should uh say something to the people uh???

Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

THEN STOP USING GOVERNMENT REPORTS STATISCALLY SHOWING THAT BLACK AND SPANISH (I AM SPANISH) HAVE HIGHER RATES to do MOST TYPES OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY!!!! then the police will stop profiling us, you moron!!!! reports like these create more racism through fear of these statistics!!!

Obama said Gates'arrest was a reminder that the race issue "still haunts us" and that federal officials need to continue working with local law enforcement "to improve policing techniques so that we're eliminating potential bias."

though it is wrong, it will Never happen when are people going to relize this, racism is part of our humanity within the persons heart, that they can only change themselves. you can't tell people OBAMA stop racism its bad we should all hold hands and expect people oh ok I am sorry obama, my bad? now lets all sing kumbiya (spelling sorry)

remember when we were young we would never pick the fat kid to be on our team to play football because he sucked. that's discrimination ( I was the fat kid,LOL)

you not liking a women because what she looks like is a form of discrimination, but is a preferance to what you like or dislike to have a women to be with you.

Kudos tpOffice Crowley for not apologizing.

If this doesn't show the true make up of the President, I don't know what does. Doesn't know all the facts, but says the police acted stupidly. He is the biggest racist in this country. Wake up, liberals, look who you elected. He fooled alot of people.

obama is acting stupidly by responding to something that he does not have all the facts on! the police were doing their jobs. they get paid to keep the peace. the prof refused to say who he was or verify he lived there so what choice did they have but arrest him? seriously, this race card thing is sickening! a president backing it is worse!

Mr. Gate is a racist pure and simple. The officer doing his job does not make him a racist but Mr. Gates thinks so. Every law enforcement officer will tell you this is a huge problem in America. Suspects like Mr Gates will tell an officer they are a racist to avoid prosecution and just to be jerks. Mr. Gates is a jerk. Calling this officer a racist on TV? Mr. Gates should be sued for liable. SERIOUSLY. This problem will not go away with Mr. Gate types out there crying wolf.

I think the media should focus on the real racist here and that is Mr Gates with his inflammatory accusation.

Sounds just like BUSH!

As Chris Rock stated on 60 minutes there is a 'war in America between blacks and n-----s." Obviously a first rate education and occupying a high elected position does not automatically assign one to either catagory. Distasteful? Yes. But unfortunately, very very true. It will always distill down to a person's fundamental character. First time in the history of America that the President has made a public statement against Police while openly admiting he does not know precisely what transpired. And I, as a life long Republican voted for this idiot because I truely wanted to believe he would be fair minded and unite, instead of divide.

hmm, he doesn't know the facts, but makes an assumption based on one person's race over anothers... sounds like racism.

The President was asked what he thought and he told the reporter. We all have opinions and I'm white, and 70 years old. I guess the Prez could have been more diplomatic but, hey, he's seen this discrimination crap in his own life, so who's to blame him for speaking an honest opinion. I happen to agree with him, and by the way, he qualified his opinion. He said Gates was his friend and he might be biased, plus that his opinion was based on the facts that he and everybody had access to. The guy was arrested in his own home after his identity was no longer in question because he demanded identification of the officer, which by the way, was his right under the law. So, yes, he acted stupidly.

The white half of Mr. President is suspiciously silent on the matter...

There's a couple of mistakes made here by both sides. The officers are responding to a call of a couple black males, maybe, breaking into a home? They asked Gates for a ID---something to establish who he is and that he owns, or in this case, rents the place. Nothing improper about that at all. He refuses and starts talking about racial profiling and a whole bunch of other IRREVELANT BS. He's causing problems and looking for a cause. Would they have asked a white man for an ID? You bet your AS-. So now we're going to take a routine "Hey who are you" and blow it into a national issue. GATES---just show the man your ID, say thanks for coming, and go on about your business. Every other American in this country would have, but not you, you're too great for that. BS!

This is what we have for President. First, we get a press conference with him knowing the questions he will be asked, and using a teleprompter to answer them. Then, we get a statement without him knowing all the facts on a situation he has no business talking about, and he says someone "acted stupidly."

Looks to me like he's the one who acted stupidly.

Black Republican, I new before this vine was over someone would bring up Bush. What did he have to do with this? Oh, I forgot, you got to blame someone else.

What amazes me is that this has become all about race. Couldn't possibly have anything to do with the fact that the majority of crimes are committed by blacks and Latinos.

I missed the part where the call was on two black males. WOW!!! Must be racism to ask a black man for an ID.

ACORN should have given him one.

All I have to say is there are Blacks out there just as racist as Whites or any other Nationalities. Its time we let the past go and work together as a nation that is United as One Nation Under God.

This is not the first time, and it won't be the last, that police behave "stupidly." I'm sure many police officers are excellent human beings, but in general, police officers are neither the cream of our American crop, nor are they generally emotionally healthy individuals, and the stress of such a horrific job usually sends them over the edge. There is no absence of articles, news reports, essays and studies about police officers and their astronomical rate of crime and abuse of others. They are notorious abusers. So does it SURPRISE me that a white officer would abuse a Harvard professor for being black? Hell no! I'd sooner believe that cows fly than that a white police officer behaved professionally and with kindness towards someone of color. And I'm white.

Another thing, the good thing about being white and not a bigot, is that I get to hear the "behind the scenes" racist comments from whites. I guess bigot whites think everyone white is a bigot. How brilliant is that? Then they get all whiny when I call them on it.

This so-called "genius" is a BLACK RACIST ! !  The policeman responded to a burglary in progress and ask an individual who was observed entering the home without using the fron door, he went in through a window.  The policeman ask for an ID and got nothing but an outburst of a RACIAL RANT BY THE BLACK PROFESSOR. He deserved to be arrested, and he should be charged accordingly ! ! !!   Obama is also responding as a RACIST, by responding to an incident without knowing the facts.  Just because it was another stupid Black Person refusing to take responsibility for their own actions, Obama "assumed" the Black man did nothing wrong.  Obama has shown his true intentions, America can not survive 4 years of Obama.  Dust off the articles of Impeachment. 

"The wheels on the bus go round and round

round and round, round and round

The wheels on the bus go round and round

every frickin day"

Ya know, I was born a poor black child.

I was cute and funny. Then I learned the truth about white people. Hell, it seems like that's all we ever talked about. I'm so happy I grew up to be white, otherwise I'd still be hating myself. There are some people who like to be black, but I'm not one of them.

If this doesn't make any sense to you, don't despair.

If it does make sense to you, you have issues.

And if you try to analyze it for longer than a few seconds, you're probably Mr. Gates.

After this incident. I am one dude that if I were in Gates class right now and any race but black , I would be automatically, dropping out. Goes to show you that a certificate that says you got a Phd on your wall does not equate to being smart or having common sense. Maybe next time someone will break in and no one will show up.

it also goes to show you that a title, like in President of the United States, doesn't make you smart automatically. What is really scary is that someone in this position has openly admitted to not having or knowing all the facts ( other then it happen to a black friend of his) can put our country at war without all the facts at the push of a button.

We have a smart President that should probably worry about the country and our BIG problems in the world; not what's going with town politics. People should drive around with cops for a day or two - they don't know who they can trust - The guy should of just produced identification and said Thanks to the cops. What if it wasn't him trying to get into his own house and it was a robbery - would he have called for the cops and been thankful that someone showed up ? Unfortuneately, this is getting blown WAY out of proportion - We have more important things to worry about....like Get to work to pay more taxes....

I've read the story twice and I can not find where Obama said he "doesn't have the facts", as you all say he said. So either you all are stuck on stupid, like the Sgt. Crowley, or you're just telling a blantant lie. Obama said "he didn't know what role race played in the incident", which means he's not blaming racism on this incident-hello!. I agree wholeheartedly that this was a senseless act of poor judgement exercised by Crowley. I don't care how "highly respected" he is, or how much of a "distinguished record" he has-he made a mistake that day. The situation had been assessed-there was no burglary, right? But instead of taking the high road and leaving the scene, Crowley took the opportunity to be an @!$%# and add insult to injury by arresting Gates. Crowley is fully responsible for this fiasco and deserves the negative press! Gates was upset and had every right to be. If the police officer had been black, Gates would have still been irritated-ANYONE WOULD. I mean damn, Gates was in a suit, in broad daylight WITH his car parked in front of his property of which he'd been living at for YEARS; racial profiling or not, this arrest was idiotic!

I'm glad a lot of people agree with me on this.

There is a system in place for an internal investigation of police officer. There is a justice system in place if there was wrongdoing. Obama should have let this play out and then made a comment if he felt it was necessary. He answered a question about health care the other day by saying he was not familiar with a certain part of one of the bills. Something like that should have been his statement here.

Without knowing the facts and still making a comment like he did, Obama is definitely the one acting stupidly.

Oh that racist white police officer is asking for my ID and I'm not going to give it to him. I believe that Mr Gates was predisposed of believing all white men are racist and I think that our President seems to have the same "Woo is Me" mentality. I really felt that Obama was pretty intelligent till now. If the police asked for his ID and he didn't not give it and was uncooperative he deserves to be arrested. If I did that I deserve to be arrested. It is the racial tendencies of Mr Gates that caused this. Racism goes two ways. Oh and I've met some really ignorant professors before who are more intelligent book-wise than they are in practicality.

What Obama did last night was to play the race card in an attempt to help him pass this health care reform. When he doesn't get his way he brings up race relations. I did like the way he included Latinos (aka please vote my way).

This is not the change I voted for.

Perhaps the President is guilty of racism in this case!

maybe the professor acted stupidly by getting an attitude. why not just cooperate and get back to your life. the cops have enough danger in their lives without dealing with an irate overly self important college professor

I'm not following your logic there Shugga.

If Obama is not citing race on the issue, why would he say "I don't know what role race played on the incident"? Why bring it up?

So the officer acted stupidly for doing his job?

Or he acted stupidly for arresting a Harvard Prof.?

Or, (and here's the kicker), he acted stupidly for arresting a BLACK HARVARD PROFESSOR?

Nice try though!

checkerbattery

well you do get what you vote for. Maybe listening a little closer would have let you see beyond what he was selling. I always said he would have made a great snake oil or one of them cure all remedies that were sold in the wild west

arebrown-- It does not matter who called. If someone appears to be entering my house (even if it is me) under suspicious circumstances, I want someone to call the police. The difference is if it is me, I will fully cooperate with the police. If a black cop shows up, I will treat him with respect as I would a white cop (saying this because I am white).

 Well here it is again...the black mans feeling of entitlement. Is it not enough we have to listen to Gates talk about how he was "wronged" but now the socialist pres. has to bring up how the police forces everywhere and historically have basically racially profiled blacks and latinos....damn right they get racially profiled because they commit most of the violent crimes/felonys as evidenced by the prison populations....thats the facts if blacks dont like that fact do a better job teaching the kids who have the misfortune of growing up in innercities, and lower income areas the morals and values of a decent, honest, hardworking people, and stop leading them in the direction of thinking that society owes you something......Obama your just another crooked politician from Chicago, transparent to people but for some reason ignored.

I hope the officer sticks to his position. He has nothing to apologize for. The militant Black "scholar" should have shown his ID and NOT followed the officer outside to harass him. The muslim shows his true colors with his comment. Too bad the majority of voters are the ones who are stupid and we ended up with this idiot.

The existance of "stupidity" on police forces across the nation is no secret. I call them "Strap on John Wayne's" because once they are allowed to strap on that weapon they believe they are above the citizens they are supposed to be working FOR. But, what I find far more disturbing, the fact that you are only safe from harrassment by police within the walls of your home, and not on your front porch, or even your lawn, tells me that your property does not belong to you. The government owns everything, we only rent. Of course if you're rich you can rent a politician, police officer, or most other so called "public servants" at a reasonable rate.

Too add to it, even the mayor and governor, who are black, are troubled. What does this tell you America? Blacks are the racists, much worse than whites, who are made to feel guilty over transgressions from the far past. I'm glad Officer Crowley refuses to apologize. These people need to be apologizing to him.

The President did nothing but show his "true color". Without the facts, he blames the Policeman and said nothing about Gates behavior. Not a very Presidential answer.

Mr. Obama's open impartiality in attempting to learn the facts before reaching a verdict is exemplary...I wonder what a wise latina woman may think of the case, after all, more often than not she can reach a better judicial decision than a white male...

Joe in DC

Well said, it really was that simple, but what we have now just because Mr. Gates felt he was treated unfairly is one big mess, everyone can thank Mr. Gates for this mess ...

I work in a jail, and we see alot more whites than blacks, hispanics and other nationalities. I get racial remarks all the time, all from blacks just for doing my job. they get very verbally abusive. I'm not saying all do there are some that treat me as a human being.

I just do not understand they have black pride day, and hispanic's have their day. I guess I should have no pride in which I came. My forefather's fought for freedom from slavery and every battle my country has asked them to to sustain the freedom's they so generously use to their advantage. All I'm saying is we should all learn respect for our countrymen whatever color they are.

Police office DID act stupidly!!!! My God, what is wrong with you people? Arrested in the guy's own home AFTER he showed identification??? Unless he punched the officer in the face, there is no way he should have been arrested. If that wasn't a bogus charge, it wouldn't have been dropped. I am white, and white is not always right.

Ok, the charge was disorderly conduct not breaking and entering this is the important part that so far no one has talked about. All Mr Gates had to do was calmly say officer I live here let me show you my drivers license and then after the officer looked at his drivers license he should have explained what was going on nicely without yelling and screaming racism and he would have been let go and the entire thing would have been over for him in less than 15 minutes. By the way I had the police called on me when I was a teenager because I got locked out of my house and my neighbor saw me pop a screen off a bedroom window and climb through it. I showed the officer my drivers license and that was that. Police officers will treat you nicely if you treat them nicely.

There is surely a double standard for minorities. If Gates is a scholar he would have called a locksmith and not broke the door in. That is STUPID. Now this will be blown out of proportion as a race issue when it was a 911 call about a suspected burglary. the next time someone is breaking into his house I hope no one calls the police... Perhaps he just left his keys over at Marion Barry's house...They are on the table next to the crack pipe...

lets get real. There is NO national identity card that we MUST carry with us, to even ask for an ID there has to be some type of probable cause to ask for it ( in this case there was. )

Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 542 U.S. 177 (2004), held that statutes requiring suspects to identify themselves during police investigations did not violate either the Fourth or Fifth Amendments. Under the rubric of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), the minimal intrusion on a suspects privacy and the legitimate need of law enforcement officers to quickly dispel suspicion that an individual is engaged in criminal activity justified asking a suspect to identify himself.

Now lets remember that it was a neighbor that called the police ( I would have suspect that they would all kinda know each other) police asked for an ID in this situation , and if you have one you must show it, and refusal to do so can be taken at the least as obstruction of justice. I really cannot fathom a Sgt of the police force ,where so many professors live would just randomly arrest this guy just for the sake of it. I would tend to believe that this pompous Phd actually proceeded to make an ass of himself, and belittle the police officer for doing his job.

Police officer, government employee. Government is good. People ignorant followers. How can we seriously think a government employee could make a mistake?

Mel,

Why didn't the cop enter Gates' home without permission? Why after ID was produced didn't the officer automatically exit Gate's home? The man just got home from a 16+ hour flight from China. I think he was rather calm for someone being re-exposed to white stranger overpowering himself into his home.

abetterlife

Read your post again.

Now tell me again how you had no idea that racism was so rampant?

You're a fake! You're a hypocrite!

It's nice to know you have but one desire in life, and that's to see whites discriminated against.

Well you must be pleased as punch, because it's all around you.

"Whites, the other, other minority".

Get off your high-horse and admit your own prejudices, then maybe we'll bother to consider your posts credible.

Did you happen to notice the African American police officer in the front of the picture?  A biracial team of officers was sent to the house based on a neighbors report of a burglary.  The Nutty Professor started screaming in outrage because they were doing their job. 

Once I locked myself out of my car ( I am white) and a white officer stopped by while I was trying to retrieve my keys.  He asked for my drivers license and ran it through the computer in his car.  Folks these are just standard procedures these days.  I didn't think it was racist to asked for ID when I was trying to break into my own car. 

Obama needs to keep his mouth shut.  One of these days a law enforcement person may put his life on the line to save Obama's.  To paint these people as ignorant without understanding the facts is typical of Obama.

Move over Jimmy Carter, Obama is giving you a race for "Worst President Ever".

BO: It doesn't pay to be stupid unless you show it. Congratulations.

You are brilliant! I am a white woman who set off my home alarm accidentally. I was third degreed for more than a few minutes as to whether I was the home owner or not. They came on as not believing me even with proof. I was a little put off but in retrospect was glad that they treated the situation in this way. I could have been someone who wanted to rob my home. Thank you Columbus, Ohio police. The President had no right to comment on this situation and if the man had been white he would not have. Racism from the White House.

This is a presidential issue? Maybe the economy is a tad more important? There's nothing here---no meat and potatoes. Gates refused to show his ID and ran off at the mouth. That in and of itself will get you a trip to the magistrate. As for a set-up, by who and for what? Until today, I didn't know a Gates was on Yale's payroll, didn't care yesterday and don't care today. Personally, I'd like to see Obama's approval rating drop another 20 points or so----be OK with me. I don't figure the white house needs to get involved in this issue.

Obama proves every day that he is unfit to be our president, and I believe that many Americans, who voted for him, are starting to see this. He had no business commenting on this situation in the first place. It only made national news because the black professor sought national attention, for his own personal agenda no doubt. No one denies that racial profiling exists, but I think most (except for blacks) folks are starting to see that this was not the case. Why did the guy's neighbor make the report in the first place, unless she finds him to be an abominable ass, and saw an opportunity to get back at him. If he was belligerent and uncooperative with the police, chances are he's just as belligerent and uncooperative with his neighbors. Some people just wear a chip on their shoulder all the time and look for opportunities for confrontation, be it racial, religious, ethnic, etc. Obama is actually the racist in this case and let's hope that voters wake-up and realize this before the next election.

Obama is a light weight.

Our Chief Executive has crossed the line and commented upon a local, civil matter that local law enforcement can handle on their level or that of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. The President admits Gates is his friend.

Did Gates call the President for national backing? The President had no right to say and do what he did. He has turned this situation into a clear racial matter as well as further divided blacks, whites and all other people. This is staggering and shocking beyond comprehension. I never thought the President would pull a stunt such as this, yet the damge is done and this is a "waterloo' against him, but the media will cleverly handle it not to hurt him further.

My Dear Mr. President, I did not vote for you, but I embraced you and your changes. I respected your office and the grave responsibilities that attend your office. You have hurt this nation very much with this single act, more so than all your fiduciary decisions.

I pray we can all heal from this involvement, sir. This is a major blunder.

I KNEW IT! I called it yesterday that this obamination of a president wouldn't let this story go by without putting his prejudiced spin out there.

READ you proponents of Mr. Gates! A FACT is that the police were LEAVING when Gates started his tirade.

Officer Crowley - THANK YOU for your service to the community, and for everything you do, youth coaching, etc. etc. You are a FINE example of a real community organizer and have 10 times the experience in comparison to this B.O. imbecile that somehow managed to snake-oil sell his way into office.

Brownsugga - if you were watching your savior's address on TV last night, when the incident was posed to him, the very first thing he said was "Well, I don't have all the facts..." In other words he is IGNORANT about the situation. I was actually about to give him some credit since I was honestly hopeful that he would SHUT HIS MOUTH at that admonition but NOOOOoooo, he's got to go on and on, about the so-called truth of racial profiling and talk about how the cops were stupid!!!

I watched the full address last night hopeful for some substance. Nothing but generalizations and diversion tactics. I don't know how some of you think his questions were pre-chosen because I saw him struggling to actually anwer any of the questions. To me, there was not ONE question (other than the Gates issue) that he actually answered as it was asked. It was always a DIVERSION to the lies he is peddling. When asked about where the money was going to come from, it was "Let's not talk about money....Let's talk about [how we have to look at this problem and how we can't afford to NOT do something]" over and over.

But this Gates commentary is the last straw for me - an OUTRAGEOUS statement by stinking B.O. I keep hoping he'll offer something I can support but this stupidity from a so-called educated man is astounding. He calls police stupid and he wants respect for his position?! NEVER!! I also loved how he said "MY plan is the BEST plan". His arrogance is staggering. I will NEVER respect this man and he will NEVER be my president.

Donnie post #1.91

You're about as dumb as a slug... First off it doesn't matter who you are, if you break into a house whether its yours or not you had better be ready to show identification when the police show up. This Gates guy set himself up for that, yes he's a moron. Even Obama is a moron. He and Gates are so ready to put the blame on racism. We know who the real racists are, they are the ones who claim racism. Obama is the biggest twit of them all. He's the one who brought racism into the presidential race.

After Gates did identify himself the officer should have left the property. Not doing so is why he acted "stupidly". Race plays no part whatsoever. Gates was obviously belligerent, which is always a dumb move when dealing with cops, but a cops duty is to serve and protect. Who was he protecting or serving by arresting a man on his own property for exercising his 1st amendment right to be a deuche?

Here is the first page of the police report:

When I arrived at Ware Street I radioed ECC and asked that they have the caller meet me at the front door to this residence. I was told that the caller was already outside. As I was getting this information, I climbed the porch stairs toward the front door. As [reached the door, a female voice called out to me. I looked in the direction of the voice and observed a white female, later identified {} who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the residence, held a wireless telephone in her hand arid told me that it was she who called. She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of• Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry. Since I was the only police officer on location and had my back to the front door as I spoke with her, I asked that she wait for other responding officers while I investigated further.

As I turned and faced the door, I could see an older black male standing in the foyer of {} Ware Street. I made this observation through the glass paned front door. As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied "no I will not". He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was "Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police" and that I was "investigating a report of a break in progress" at the residence. While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed "why, because I'm a black man in America?". I then asked Gates if there was anyone else in the residence. While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer. I assured Gates that I was responding to a citizen's call to the Cambridge Police and that the caller was outside as we spoke. Gates seemed to ignore me and picked up a cordless telephone and dialed an unknown telephone number. As he did so, I radioed on channel I that I was off in the residence with someone who appeared to be a resident but very uncooperative. I then overheard Gates asking the person on the other end of his telephone call to "get the chief' and "whats the chiefs name?'. Gates was telling the person on the other end of the call that he was dealing with a racist police officer in his home. Gates then turned to me and told me that I had no idea who I was "messing" with and that I had not heard the last of it. While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me. I asked Gates to provide me with photo identification so that I could verify that he resided at Ware Street and so that I could radio my findings to ECC. Gates initially refused, demanding that I show him identification but then did supply me with a Harvard University identification card. Upon learning that Gates was affiliated with Harvard, I radioed and requested the presence of the Harvard University Police.

With the Harvard University identification in hand, I radioed my findings to ECC on channel two and prepared to leave. Gates again asked for my name which I began to provide. Gates began to yell over my spoken words by accusing me of being a racist police officer and leveling threats that he wasn't someone to mess with. At some point during this exchange, I became aware that Off. Carlos Figueroa was standing behind me. When Gates asked a third time for my name, I explained to him that I had provided it at his request two separate times. Gates continued to yell at me. I told Gates that I was leaving his residence and that if he had any other questions regarding the matter, I would speak with him outside of the residence.

As I began walking through the foyer toward the front door, I could hear Gates agai,n demanding my name. I again told Gates that I would speak with him outside. My reason for wanting to leave the residence was that Gates was yelling very loud and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information to ECC or other responding units. His reply was "ya, I'll speak with your mama outside". When I left the residence, I noted that there were several Cambridge and Harvard University police officers assembled on the sidewalk in front of the residence. Additionally, the caller, md at least seven unidentified passers-by were looking in the direction of Gates, who had followed me outside of the residence.

As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates's outburst. For a second time I warned Gates to calm down while I withdrew my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case. Gates again ignored my warning and continued to yell at me. It was at this time that I informed Gates that he was under arrest. I then stepped up the stairs, onto the porch and attempted to place handcuffs on Gates. Gates initially resisted my attempt to handcuff him, yelling that he was "disabled" and would fall without his cane. After the handcuffs were property applied, Gates complained that they were too tight. I ordered Off. Ivey, who was among the responding officers, to handcuff Gates with his arms in front of him for his comfort while I secured a cane for Gates from within the residence. I then asked Gates if he would like an officer to take possession of his house key and secure his front door, which he left wide open. Gates told me that the door was un securable due to a previous break attempt at the residence. Shortly thereafter, a Harvard University maintenance person arrived on scene and appeared familiar with Gates. I asked Gates if he was comfortable with this Harvard University maintenance person securing his residence. He told me that he was.

Yeah, no one will ever have all the "truth" in this becuase the officer lied in his statement to cover and put a "FAVORABLE" light in his position since he knew he was wrong. The President did the right thing to address you ignorant people, but your not smart enough t understand this cause its a BLACK thang!!!

These cops and their racial or hateful power trips need to be called on it. Cops are supposed to protect and serve the public not intimidate and bully!

Obama is a jerk! He admits he doesn't have all the facts, but he can surmise that the cops acted "stupidly". He continues to show his true colors - still playing the poor me, kept down by the white man routine!

Gates is an arrogant, I'll get the ACLU and NAACP all over you attitude a-hole! Just keep playing the race card - that definitely will win people over!

I just think that it is ridiculous because everytime an African-American is arrested it is because it is a racial thing. I am so sick of hearing that crap. The police responded to a call for "Burglary" When asked for his identification he refused at first then became aggressive. Who wouldn't take someone like that to jail. It wasn't because he was a black man. Get over yourselves people.

without knowing all the facts.

If you're a witness to an officers misconduct, and they see you, they'll charge you with disorderly, and vagrancy. Cops are really nothing more than pencil pushers. Over half their time they serve is spent on paperwork. Speeding tickets, meter-maids, etc.

Why do people become police officers? Usually because they were picked on in school, their mother's didn't love them enough, or they figured out a way to do crime and not get caught. Cops are always acting stupidly. If they had real intelligence they wouldn't be a officer (government lackey). And you want to say Obama was out of line? For the Sargent to say anything against the Commander In Chief, he should be reprimanded along with the idiot officer who arrested Gates.

Why is it when some people get into trouble they are always throwing it up to race? It does not matter who you are if you break into you own home when the police show up you will show ID or you will go to jail. That's what the police are here for I suppose if they had not checked ID he would have sued for not showing due diligenceat the home of a black man. Yes Obama is the narrow minded prick we all hoped he would not turn out to be. This officer was just doing his job, he is the one who deserves an apology from Gates and Obama. My advise for Obama keep your big mouth shut when you are not aware of all the facts.

Gates told me that the door was un securable due to a previous break attempt at the residence.

I wonder if Gates gave the poclie who responded to that break-in call a hard time? I think probably not.

Thanks Mr. "President" for giving every hooligan in the country permission to act up against the police and have further proof that they are untouchable. Smooth move.

Anyone with half a brain Knows they acted stupidly and the police force does also since they dropped the charges. The details the President was talking about do not need to be known in order to reach that opinion. In effect the police force has admitted they acted stupidly.

They invaded this mans home. He showed his identity and they still harassed hime. If it had happend to you then it would be a different story.

So true. Obama is uninformed, as usual. He is constantly looking for an opportunity to cry racism. He, of all people should be completely neutral. But then he would not be able to turn the attention away from his stupid healthcare policy and his stupid stimulus policy if there was not something for him to distract people. This police officer was just doing his job. A job that Obama is not making any easier for him to perform!!!

How can a statement be made that 97% of the blacks voted for O-bummer when he did not even carry the south. I know good and well the South has more than 3% Blacks. The southern states went Rep even the black belt. The cities that did swing for O-bummer were looking for the hand out. So it was more than 50% whites. O-bummer is doing noting but acting his color with his half witted remarks.

Obama is way out of line and the ridiculous version of events he presented is patently offensive.

This from the President of the United States? Using your bully pulpit to inject yourself into a dispute, when you can't possibly know exactly what occurred? But providing a summary that is a blatant distortion and oversimplification of things?

Geesh. How depressing that this man is our president for 3+ more years.

Does take a rocket scientist to know right from wrong.

Whether he fills the police acted stupidly or not is useless info to me. Since I've yet to hear "911" mentioned, I feel stupidity lies in the fact the police dispatched a unit based upon black man snooping. Not man snooping. Was the lady asked if the people looked familiar? Why does the burden of difusement come after the explosion in this case and not before? The initial contact was made between the police and the caller. Stupidity lies in the handling of the call and the relaying of information and subsquent dispatch.

Could the professor's DL or whatever the President say was "proof" not prove that he "lives" there and is "his" house? In today's climate hell it very well could have been his house and the house been forclosed on and the bank changed the locks and he does not have a legal right to be in the home anymore. Cop was just trying to get facts. I think racial predudice works both ways...the professor was a little short (I probably would be too) just have to realize that the situation would be worked out and race has nothing to do with it. That is untill the media got involved. I like Obama, but he should have stayed out of this. Sometimes it's not black and white!

He said that he didn't know how much race was involved.

"... I didn't think he would know "stupid" if he tripped over it."

Don't speak of Michelle like that. :)

Berrymountain

Excellent, thoughtful comment.

I wonder if PO knows what the term "NO COMMENT" means?

i am quickly learning what HIGHER education mean;

if your bankers, its a way to run your business into the ground and get bailed out and start paying the same wages again.

if your a politician, it also means you can open your mouth and say any stupid thing you want and because of your position, people are supposed to be courteous....not.

PO played the race card! now he'll have sharpton and jackson eating out of his hands. this was im sure to apease the total liberal left....how sad. and he wants to be called president of the UNITED STATES?

but lets just chalk this up to another dumb presidential comment and add him to the list right behind bush.

Wow, i see this thread brought out all the usual suspects and the anti-obama hate. Not surprised.

.......To Berrymountain....nicely said!!

As for me, I am truly amazed by society. If the tables were turned and it was a white person with a black police officer, would President Obama even say anything on national tv? Most likely not. It is getting so tiring with pulling the racial card. Grow up and deal with the circumstance you created not the police. The police have too much crap to deal with these days than to sit there in hear your rantings!! Get a life. If you are such a scholar, then act like it!

Is no one questioning why the "supervisor of the evidence room" was making this arrest in the first place? This is generally regarded as a place in most police forces reserved for screw-ups?

"Sgt. James Crowley responded to Gates' home near Harvard University last week to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded Gates show him identification. Police say Gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism."

When an officer asks you for something... you comply. That is all there is to it... all of this "Racism" accusation stuff because someone asks a person a question about their identity, or pulls them over for speeding... or breaking into a shop and is seen doing it... or bla bla bla... if you did it then you did it... stop with the racism...

By the way there are probably more blacks and hispanics pulled over than whites simply because unfortunately there are large numbers of them in bad neighborhoods and in bad economic circumstances... when you mix those two you get more crime... I came from some shady neighborhoods myself and I KNOW this and was friends with many that have been in jail multiple times that could not get out of that life style. Sure there are white people but far greater a number of non-white people commiting crimes generally. Call it profiling or whatever you would like. Obama has to be the "stupidist" president I have ever seen in my entire life.... as far as I am concerned... "Thats a fact"...

And once again Obama's deep rooted racism, bitterness, and hatred for all things 'white' bubbles up for all to see.

It's time someone called racism on the cops....they are used to having cover for their lies and deceit......get real......

In order for a white person understand the whole racism issue, must be a minority. I am a hispanic woman who raised three children (all of them american citizens) who grew up to be hard workers, excellent parents and respectful of the law. However, one of my sons wants to return to our country as he let his moustache and bear grow; since then he's been racially profiled and stopped by police officers (he lives in an almost all white neighborhood) so many times that it has caused him some sort of a paranoia. Just to give a couple of examples: he went on vacation and upon his return he found amongst his mail a renewal letter from his auto insurance (remember the 10 days grace period). On his way to the insurance office to renew it he was stopped by a police officer who issue him w/a summons. The court day he presented proof of the insurance card, renewal letter, plane tickets, etc - the judge charge him anyway. His friend who happened to be "white" drove w/o a driving license for 2 years before he was caught up. He was also issued a summons, the court day he went and got auto insurance which he presented to the judge (the same court, judge) and was let go. Last example, my son's car windshield was smashed by a tree branch, on his way to the glass shop to have it repaired - again he was stopped by a police officer. At this point my son asked him why he was being stopped and the officer responded that was a "routine" stop at this point my son replied "I thought you stopped me because of the cracked windshield". The officer walked to the front of the car while replying to my son "oh no, I did not noticed it". Now you tell me.....Maybe President Obama also suffered the humilliation of being profiled when he was young.

Sgt Crowley owes everyone is this country an apology especially Mr Gates.

You sir should in fact be suspended and made to attend classes. If Gates had been a whiteman this incident never would have happened.

You are truely a STUPID MAN.

The Boston Herald reported that Crowley gave dying Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in 1993. The 27-year-old forward suffered a fatal heart attack during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.

"I wasn't working on Reggie Lewis the basketball star," Crowley told the newspaper. "I wasn't working on a black man. I was working on another human being."

President Barack Obama and Henry Louis Gates Jr. owes the apology.A racist would have done nothing!He would have stood there and said ambulance will be here soon! He put his mouth to this mans mouth ! He did not know wither this man had aids hepatitis or What ever!He did what he did to try and save HIM!He put his own life on the line for a black MAN! That is something no racist would ever do! Shame on the both of you! you are Evil rotten RACIST people!

Waitaminit....In the picture showing "the oppressed" being led out in handcuffs, a black cop is clearly visible. Wonder what he is?

A while back, "Rev." Wright ,remember him, Chairman Obamas spiritual leader, was asked if he'd any contact with his boy since the election. The reply? "...them Jews wont let me near him.." wonder if he's stupid.

Just shows His Magnificence Hier Obama's arrogance. Did you guys catch his condesending speach last night? "My" this, "I"that...He's bipartisan if they agree with him.

I weep for my country, how did this happen?

What a bright President, he admits he does not know all of the facts of the case, but is sure the Police acted stupidly.

What he commented about was that, even after Gates showed his ID proving he lived there, the cop still handcuffed him. He could have investigated further without cuffing him, but he didn't. And it's not as if Gates presented a threat: he's 57 years old, 5'7" tall, and somewhat frail.

In my opinion, the cops seem to have license to do whatever they please. If a cop shoots someone, or runs a red light and mashes someone else's car, other cops "investigate", then whitewash, the entire incident. Why else did the cops get found innocent when a group of them shot members of a wedding party after the groom's batchelor party, firing more than 50 times at unarmed men (http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/25/sean.bell.trial/index.html)? Locally, a cop was entering the freeway at a high rate of speed (it wasn't clear if he had his lights on) when he rear-ended a guy stopped at the light for the metered on ramp and seriously injured him...the cops' official response was that cops are human and do things by accident like everyone else...and then the whole thing was swept under the rug.

Cops have far too much freedom of action. They can do what they please...who is the average citizen going to call? If the cop does do something wrong, he gets investigated by other cops...and since they stick together, it's very doubtful that they'll be punished for wrongdoing. We need an oversight group made up of non-cops to try and preclude any untoward action by rogue cops...

I am suprised the Democratic Communist Party isn't blaming Bush.

Racism is alive and well in America. In my area, there is a small town (15,000) where any person of color is afraid to go. Only one black person lives in the town, as he is elderly and was the high school custodian for many years. If you are anything but white, you are wise to avoid this town because I have seen first hand how non-Caucasians are treated. It is not pretty. People in my area throw around racial slurs right and left, and from the mean-spirited remarks of some posters on this board, they are in the same category. Some of the comments I have read, not just on this subject, have deeply saddened me. So maybe, just maybe, before some of you accuse the Professor of "playing the race card" you might want to consider that it just might be true.

Way too many of you people are blowing smoke out your behinds. Do any of you even know what really happened? I cannot believe that everyone just assumes that the cop must be telling the truth.

Obama is right. The cops DID act stupidly. That's why the charges were dropped, folks. Because the arresting officer was WRONG! Mr. Gates broke no laws. As soon as they realized this man was a resident of the house they should have apologized and left the premises.

*sigh*

Sgt. James Crowley responded to Gates' home near Harvard University last week to investigate a report of a burglary and demanded Gates show him identification. Police say Gates at first refused and accused the officer of racism.

Why didn't Gates just whip out his drivers license and say "here you are, have a nice day. Goodbye." And the whole incident never would have happened.

P.S. No on health care. No on Cap and Trade.

Do you think the press would have asked a white President the same question? I think not. They baited Obama and he fell for it. This is an incident that does not even deserve regional attention, let alone National attention. The Professor was mouthy and the Officer simply does not have to put up with that.

First,I think for the POTUS to make a remark of this nature during a press conference is less than professional,and to not have all the facts,even worse. Now the point that hits me the hardest is that when I went to the article about healthcare,you know the actual topic of press conference,it's rather telling that this article has about 5 times the comments than the article about healthcare reform! Makes me wonder if this was just away to yet again keep Americans from concerning themselves about the details,or lack of,concerning healthcare reforms? If that was his reason,it's working great!

President Barack Obama and Henry Louis Gates Jr. are the ones who brought race in to this!They could have complained about the procedures and wither or not there was any misconduct on the officers part.As said before this guy is no racist! There is more than enough proof of that! Our president and Henry Louis Gates Jr went diving with out checking the water and landed on a freaking log! Obama and Henry Louis Gates Jr owes this man a apology and the president should thank him for his efforts in trying to save a life and for his unbiased service! This is grounds for a reprimand by congress however it will not come because they to have no honor or morals.

Whatever... I'm white.. here is a "profiling story" for you:
Me and my girlfriend were at a park (she is also white) at 10:15pm... I was going back to my car and a police officer stopped us both and told us the park had closed at 10. I apologized saying I did not realize what time it was and the police officer requested I provide him with identification (but not my girlfriend) so I gave him my ID and he ran a check on me. When he was finished he gave my ID back and asked my girlfriend "Ma'am do you want to be here with him?" I was rather shocked at that comment but shrugged it off and my girlfriend told him she was there at her own will. The officer then requested we leave and so we left...

You don't see me screaming racism.... so give me a break if you don't like how cops do their jobs maybe you should become one yourself and see what "profiling" and "racism" actually happens first hand.... some people get lucky some do not.... I have lots of hispanic and black friends and I never really hear much about stories of racism. The closest thing to racism is the border patrol here in Arizona and my friend is hispanic and gets pulled over sometimes at the check points because he is hispanic.. but what can you expect? Seriously... they are doing their jobs....

really, the cops acted stupid. Since when are they taking the job as parents? If you question them in your own house they arrest you?

I remember as a child being reprimanded by my parents. They would send me to my room. I don't pay taxes for police to take over the role of parenting. I expect them to do their job I am paying them for. I expect them to say "We're just checking to see if everything is ok and we will be on our way." They would of settled everything. However some police have this power trip problem. This young man should be given more classes on how to really serve the community that is giving him a paycheck.

Let's tick off the valid points surrounding this incident -

- Racial Inequality...check

- Unequal Treatment of Participants...check

- Abuse of a Power Position...check

- Lack of Sensitivity and Incident Facts...check

- Arrogance...check

- Contributing to Racial Tensions...check

- Inciting/Excusing Future Race-Based Responses...check

- Mis-placed Empathy over Law...check

Isn't it great that we have a President, who shows us by his actions, just how narrow the constituency is that he serves? Unfortunately, the Liberal side will continue to slurp up his words and excuse his actions, quite sad actually.

Harry C

Let me see if I have my facts right here. The news article said that the officers were responding to a call from neighbors about a possible break in. Officers respond to the address where the alleged break in is occurring. Police officers find two individuals in the house and ask for identification. (Now remember, there is no evidence that the police officers know the individuals, nor do they know the individual who owns or rents the home). Seems like a simple request where you simply show the officers your ID and everyone goes about their business. However, professor decides to make an issue of the fact that the police officers are just trying to do their job and things go downhill from their. What in this description of the facts as laid out in the article leads you to believe that Officer Crowley should apologize for doing his job. There is no evidence of racial profiling since the officers were responding to a call by neighbors. If anyone deserves an apology, IMHO it would be the officer and that apology should come from the Professor and from the President of the United States. Obama was way off base in his comments which were based on his own perceptions rather than the facts (assuming the facts are correct as reported).

As for your rantings, spare us all. Your logic defies all attempts at explanation.

Ginny: You were first. Congratulations!

Your comment sums up the train wreck that that has collided into our White House. There really isn't a whole lot more to say on the subject.

I'll simply repeat what I commented the day after the election of BHO to the highest office in our land:

"What have you done, what have you done? God have mercy on my country The United States of America. What have you done?"

In my close circle, there is not one relative or friend that does not regret voting this man into office. And yes, my close circle includes a few left-wing-liberal voters.

I can only pray that the Democrat-controlled Congress will rein BHO in quickly, before all out revolution is at our gates. Even they can see clearly what is happening before our eyes.

Nice to see all the rancorous racists ferociously alive and well on this thread!

One day -- like when you're Civil Rights are violated in your own living room -- you may reconsider and change your rant.

I couldn't agree more and why was this brought up at the end of his conference. Plus there is indentify theft on the upswing and fake ids come easy. I am tied of hearing race isses.

Yeah Mister Joe - me too. I wish there were more people out there who could read and would read The Time Machine. It's a real good barometer for our future. Anyway, my thoughts (should anyone care to know) is that during the campaign, Obama promised many, MANY things and has not seen one of those promises to fruition. He even joked about that duing his stint on J Leno. I tried to get the point across that he seemed to be a man of his race more than a man of America and now it seems that HAS come to fruition. Instead of voting for the man because he is half black, those who did vote for him should have taken a deeper look into his agenda. Black first, American second just wasn't good enough for me. And before anyone decides to pull that good ol' race card on me heed this...it seems just as racist to vote for someone because they are black as it is to NOT vote for someone because they are black. As for calling the cops "stupid" - I would think someone with the higher education he got for free would have a wider reaching vocabulary that could have found a better adjective than "stupid." Jeesh Obama, get a thesaurus will you please. I'm sure you could deduct it from one of your many family outings across the pond (at America's expense) for a good one.

And again please don't pull that tired old "Bush" card. I didn't vote for him (GW) either time. And I am smart enough to know that his time is over and that whoever is in now is left to clean up the former's mess. Just as it will be for the one after BO. I surmise it will be OB's greatest tool for not getting something done. "Oh, I was so busy trying to clean up after George that I couldn't keep up with the NOW." Hmmm.

I totally agree with you! What about what people are saying that the professor spit in the police officer's face????? and how come it was not said that there was a black police officer there at the arresting time and agrees with his fellow officer for arresting the professor????? NOBODY HAS MENTIONED THAT?

Harry C:

Sgt. Crowley doesn't owe anyone, much less the country, an apology! Police officers deal with the crap and scum of our society. And Gates, using his race, is the epitome of the crap of our society! He deserved what he got.

Until people stop playing the race card and complaining and whining about how the "man" done him wrong - race relations will always be strained.

Gates is a pathetic loser and Harvard should can his racist a s s!

who Care's anymore ?? no one got killed or maimed..things could have went differently, it's over, said and done..water under the bridge, play some music, do puzzles, go fishing etc..why consume your life over 2 brazen idiots ??..

I've worked both sides of the criminal justice system - prosecution and defense. I've ridden along with cops, worked with cops, known cops socially and professionally, and I think most cops are arrogant pukes with atrophied social skills and they are roundly considered, by both prosecutors and defense counsel, to be the biggest liars you'll ever have on the stand.

Then again, I can say pretty much the same thing about Ivy League professors, who are also a bunch of arrogant pukes with atrophied social skills and notorious liars.

So, on THAT basis, I kinda agree with Obama - it wasn't merely "stupid", it was a concatenation of stupidity. "Dumb and dumber" making headlines together.

But the BIGGEST stupidity was that the President, who's supposedly got a full enough plate already and who has absolutely no cause to engage himself in the matter, would even deign to comment on it, let alone to do so after admitting that he doesn't know anything about the facts of the case. If his comment wasn't simply racist pandering, then it was absolutely stupid. Maybe he should have a talk with Mrs. Gump before he next opens his mouth.

If you don't know all the facts, then don't make a comment on how stupidly the police acted!!!

The whole reason that President Obama was speaking was on Healthcare and not Mr. Gates...Let the local authorities deal with the situation and not the President of the United States. Once the Preisdent has read the police report then he can make a comment, until them keep your mouth shut!

Gates acted stupidly. This arrogant black professor acted just like the entitlement class he represents by ignoring orders from an officer of the law and actually resisting arrest after his behavior warranted arrest. All he needed to do to calm the incident down was comply with police order to stand down then explain the circumstances and provide proof of his identity. He apparently just got defensive and rude questioning why on earth these policemen would have the audacity to come to his home and try to protect him from an intruder. They were doing their job. Gates was out of line and his bad behavior was, I'm afraid, typical--kind of like Sotomayor suing Princeton for not having enough brown and black teachers when they had just broken with forever tradition by even letting her in under Affirmitive action.

mel2877

Thanks for posting the first page of the police report.

It's obvious that the professor was guilty of failing to comply with reasonable police requests, and was himself the real racist in this situation.

The person who acted "stupidly" in this situation, besides the professor, was Obama, for taking a racist attitude himself by defending a jerk and criticizing the police for doing their job. This will cause Obama to lose credibility with most people, and I suspect that it will become quite a distraction for him.

I suspect that Gates also exhibits a rabid, racist anti-white attitude in his classes as well, but that's considered OK in today's Politically Correct society.

Mel

The police report is no longer valid. If the Cambridge Police doesn't stand behind the members of its force that account of what happen why should we?

Some of you guys are bending over backward to give the cops more credit than they deserve. They went to the Gates home for a burglary and arrested the homeowner for misdemeanor under the guise of a disorderly charge. Who cares what the police said he said? The act of stupidity remains had they removed themselves from the enviroment whatever conduct that offended them would have cease. If you don't like what someone is saying to you in their house, then get the funk out and go about your business. But no they don't do that. They further seek Gates company by arresting him for mouthing off.

I don't care what your opinion is of Gates but he gave the cop fair warning that he was dealing with the wrong guy if he thought he could get away with treating him in what he believed was an unjust manner. The idiot cop ignored his warning and this is the result. As Carlos Mencia would say "Dee Dee Dee" on the cops part.

Gates is a racist bigot. He was asked in a reasonable manner (see police report above in 1.108) to show some I.D. yet Mr. Gates CHOOSE to make it a federal case by refusing to cooperate and incite the very repose he eventually got. HE'S A COLLEGE PROFESSOR? I thought professors were smart people, not STUPID. Then Obama makes a statement about the issue before knowing all the facts. I thought presidents were smart people. On second thought though, I guess if anyone should know stupid, Obama should based on virtually every decision he's made to date.

No surprise here. Being from Michigan the race card is played so many times not funny. Our Society has allowed that to be a reasonable response. They have been trained to say that since the 60's. This is why it will not get any better. We have a President who is what America is about. True Diversity. For a man that was about change shows his true color. It is a very sad thing, for the 21st century it is only white people are racist. Just listen to all the minority comedians.

If the african-americans and hispanics would quit headlining the 6 o-clock news across the nation maybe the police wouldnt have to racially profile.

happy you're my president Mr Obama i can understand why your wife said for the first time in her life she's proud of her country(America).because this country(America) hasn't given blacks the respect they deserve just look at all the times white cops have killed young black men just because of their color if this had happen to some one who is white those cops would have had hell to pay for what they did.as far as I'm concern white isn't always right this @!$%# make me mad it just prove to me that racist Traller park White Trash like this crowley police Officer can just walk in to some ones home who hasn't broken the law and arrest him because he demanded the police Sergeant name and badge number(what did he have to hide) because he was unhappy over his treatment and whites feel he doesn't have the rights to complain and he's over reacting.then i guess to them i'm over reacting by speaking out on the facts. for years since slavery whites have been acting like they are the gods of every other race. and the world some of them are very mean and hateful people look at slavery and what they did to the native American Indians. who feed them and gave them a place to live. and wars after wars in countries that has nothing to do with America. only to take something that doesn't belong to them.(oil) some black A doesn't consider themselves (african american) they (blacks) are Americans just as any white American as long as they were ( born here ),as far as that cop is concern he need to apologize to this man,being white doesn't make you right or any better then anybody else.white or black he wiil have to face what he has did to this man.I'm not saying all white people are white trash just the ones who are bitter and hateful.I to people of color i'm not complaining about america just thoes who think they are better then others i'm glad to be an american because only in America Where i can tell you where to go and i tell you to kiss my B---K A-S let's call it what it's reallys is (racism) yes i'm bitter when there's so much better treatment for whites then other races .take your head out your ass and do the right thing .that cop was a croward i agree with president obama.he's a good president;God Blass Him

Why is it that you can be with a group including your white friends and profiling happens and they still don't seem to get what just happened? I think President Obama was right in what he said...this is a situation in which you need not know all of the facts to come to the same conclusion. The Officer got mad because Mr. Gates was going over his head by calling his superiors. Once Mr. Gates shows proof of residence why does the cop stay there? If this would have happened to a white person it doesn't matter how much yelling or phone calling would've happened after showing the ID the cop would've left.

Juno-932501 You show your true colors by saying right from go that "Gates acted stupidly. This arrogant black professor..." Please come on are you serious. This is not 1865, or 1965 when blacks weren't allowed to live where they wanted or where shunned from living in white areas. Regardless of what you think he had a right to be in his own house, the police were wrong and once they figured that out they should've left...period!

Harrison, Actually fewer than 50% of whites voted for Obama. Blacks did. Other minorities did. Welfare whites did and uber liberal college professor types did along with white unwed mothers. White men did not vote for him nearly 50%. This story shows they had him pegged for the racist he is especially against white males and anyone who has worked hard and actually makes a good salary.

We've had a dozen or so Police shootings in our community recently.

At least one was caught on tape - a cop on a cushman had used his cushman to block in a vehicle he was chasing. The driver of the vehicle reversed towards the cushman. The cop was standing outside of the cushman, and was lined up with the driver window as that driver reversed. He put his gun to the driver's head and shot him.

As it has been with every single police shooting in this state, it was ruled "justifiable".

Another case involved a person on his own private property, walking away from the officer with his back towards him, holding his cell-phone in his hand. The cell-phone was used as the reason the shooting was 'justifiable', even though the victim was shot in the back by the officer. The officer said he thought the cell-phone was a gun. Nevermind the guy had his back to him.

The most recent case involved a homeless woman 'armed with a sharp metal object'. Again caught on tape from a tazer-gun camera, you can hear an officer shouting, "Just shoot her already!". At which time the victim was tazed - and then shot!

The biggest 'GANG' in the Nation are those with the uniform and shield. They literally have the law on their side when they take action that can result in death against someone.

I don't automatically assume the cops are always right, because often they're not.

As Carlos Mencia would say "Dee Dee Dee" on the cops part.

LMAO. Kokayi, you just made my day.

OMG! Kokayi! I'm going to try and respond to you through bursts of laughter after reading your post to Mel. Are you kidding me? "...he gave the cop fair warning...?" You don't give a cop fair warning, they give you one. And they did give Gates one. Here's a scenario...a guy with a smoking gun standing over a dead man with a hole in his chest saying to the cops...I'm warning you, I didn't do it.

Sorry Kokayi - You're funny. Just too funny. Good luck in life. I hope all your warnings work for you. Hey and keep those posts rolling in. I need to laugh after reading some of the other ones on these boards.

So he told the world that our police are stupid and that our doctors are only out to get more money and not find out what the real diagnosis should be. What's next, apologizing to the world about America...oh wait.....

Yes Sgt. Crowley DID ACT STUPIDLY, he is supposed to behave like a professional when on the job, he is supposed to use REASON, PRAGMATIC THINKING etc. ie when a person shows his ID in his own home it would behoove the officer to react calmly to the situation, not act like a hotheaded storm trooper and haul the innocent into jail for NO REASON other than the fact that he was obviously annoyed with the professor for not having been an actual burglar. GUARANTEED this WOULD NEVER, HAS NEVER happened to a white man breaking into his own home in Cambridge MA.

To all you less then properly educated people out there who think it is acceptable for a police officer to act like a storm trooper please read the last line of the article, it is probably THE MOST PERTINENT PART OF ALL and SGT. JAMES CROWLEY NEEDS TO GET A CLUE AND START ACTING LIKE THE PROFESSIONAL HE CLAIMS TO BE . . . ie Sgt. Crowley, stop whining about not wanting to own up to having overreacted when you & your boys made an obviously huge mistake because you are clearly not properly trained in your jobs as "Peace Officers" Start acting like professionals and you won't have to make any apologies in the future.

"That is part of being a police officer in a democratic society," Weinblatt said. "The point is that the police sergeant needs to be the bigger person, take the higher road, be more professional."

Ummm.... anyone notice that all the homeowner had to do was cooperate with the police? So, next time a cop responds to a break-in, don't ask for ID and let whoever it is hang out in the house and attack the wife and or kids of the homeowner. Like well dressed people don't break into homes to go after their spouses? Please read the news..this isn't a race problem, this is an total disregard for the law.. just show ID.. unless you have something to hide....

Here is the actual police report for those that think the police were racist in their action.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates3.html

Sitafa - I guess it hit us at the same time.

Ok, first off I want to say for all of you that have never been a police officer/correction officer, no one in your family is one or you do not know anyone that is then you have no idea what they put up with on a daily basis. They put up with more S@!* then we can imagine. So walk in some one elses shoes before you start to judge! All we can go by is what is being stated in the police reports and once you turn in a police report you can not go back and say "wait, can I change a couple of things" no you need to make sure you right the correct things and be honest before turning in the report.

To Mel, thanks for the police report from Sgt. Crowley. I have attached the police report from the other officer that was standing behind Sgt. Crowley when Gates was trowing a hissy fit.

On July 16, 2009 at approximately 12:44PM, I Officer Figueroa responded to an ECC broadcast for possible break at {} Ware St. When I arrived, I stepped into the residence and Sgt. Crowley had already entered and was speaking to a black male.

As I stepped in, I heard Sgt. Crowley ask for the gentleman's information which he stated "NO I WILL NOT!". The gentleman was shouting ou to the Sgt. that the Sgt..was a racist and yelled that "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA!" As the Sgt. was trying to calm the gentleman, the gentleman shouted "You don't know who your messing with!"

I stepped out to gather the information from the reporting person, Whalen, Lucia. Ms. Whalen stated to me that she saw a man wedging his shoulder into the front door as to pry the door open. As I returned to the residence, a group of onlookers were now on scene. The Sgt., alon with the gentleman, were now on the porch of {} Ware Stt. and again he was shouting, now the onlookers (about seven), "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA!" The gentleman refused to listen to as to why the Cambridge Police were there. While on the porch, the gentleman refused to be cooperative and continued shouting that the Sgt. is racist police officer.

Now this report was turned in on Monday, July 20, 2009 @ 1:58PM.

Kokayi ---
"I don't care what your opinion is of Gates but he gave the cop fair warning that he was dealing with the wrong guy if he thought he could get away with treating him in what he believed was an unjust manner. The idiot cop ignored his warning and this is the result. As Carlos Mencia would say "Dee Dee Dee" on the cops part."

Your nothing short of a moron like Obama himself... obviously the officer did not know who the guy was... if I show up to your house for a burglary and you tell me you are the home owner how would I know? I would ask you for identification... then when you call me a racist pig or whatever other lunacy you want to convey to me I would slap you in handcuffs and not discount what you said but continue to pursue whatever criminal was on the grounds not ruling out the reverse psychology play you just tried to push on me of yourself not being the criminal... I don't know who Gates is... could care less. I don't care who he claims to be either... until he presents that ID and does not give a bunch of lip he is getting slapped in some handcuffs...

Get out of the gene pool it would benefit future generations!!

The facts of the case seem to well support "stupidly". It turns out that Prof Gates is 5'6", 125 lbs, has one leg shorter than the other and has had a recent hip replacement in the other leg. He has severe asthma. Most people I know with asthma try to avoid yelling or raising their voice because that is one of the well-known things that trigger an attack. It should be noted that Prof. Gates was held until 5:30 the next morning and was denied his asthma medication during that time (though he was "gtiven a sip of water.")

The officer put all the "right" things in his report to make hiself look justified. But the bottom line remains that arresting a man in his own home for disorderly conduct (the asking him to come out on his porch was an attempt to get around the "in" part) would not hold up in any copurt anywhere anyhow. Once the officer was greeted Prof Gates in the foyer of Prof. Gates home, his right to be there started to rapidly diminish.

The Sgt. that precipitated this was the Supervisor of the Evidence Room. This is a position usually reserved for screwups. And the officer had other complaints (the City of Cambridge will not say how many) about abusive conduct. His police report is neither logical nor does it have the ring of truth. It just sounds like his "version" that was necessary to protect his job.

In Cambridge there is a majority of minorities. The Police Department has a long history of racial profiling and hassling minorities (especially Asians.) White minority policemen seem to have a lot of accusations. There is also the "Town and Gown" issue. There has been a huge amount of friction between Harvard and Cambridge with a lot of resentment on the part of some Cambridge residents and police. The Cambridge especially seem to resent that Harvard has its own police forec (as do most large schools.)

Prof Gates, since his house was Harvard property, did the appropriate thing and called the Harvard Police to get things straightened out. Under the circumstances, he might have as well called the Taliban. That was probably what ultimately caused his arrest.

There is an interesting tape of the phone call from Gates to the Havard Police. The tone and volume of his voice and what was said do not match the Cambridge police officer's version of what was going on.

I have a good friend who is a policeman. He always says in such cases that about a third of cops are good guys and trying to do an important job as well as they can and are good at it. About a third are good guys, but don't have the interpersonal skills necessary and eventually move on to other professions because of the stress. And the last third are the abusive, loud, pushy cops who should have never made it into the job. That seem to always be at the center of trouble. My friend says that they need a gun and an aggressive tone to hide their low self-esteem and short penis. Who knows? LOL

Another genius: KeepingItReal2009-1

He was not cooperating with the officer.... 1+1 = 2 Not cooperating + being irate = no positive id + handcuffs...

This world needs to remove a lot of people from the gene pool...

The cop is white trash from a trailerpark huh? I got a kick out of that....

bigbabii

Sweet... another one LOL.. he refused to show his ID to the cop... does anyone know how to read?

Juno you are truly -- with all due respect -- one of the more revolting posts on this horribly racist shockingly revolting blog today.

I'm white attorney and I voted Obama. Not welfare. Not an unwed mother. Worked my way thru college and law school. Work endlessly hard. Etc. Love Obama.

You June are an ass -- again with all due respect, except none is due.

A more disrespectful pretentious dishonestly racist bunch of people I never hope to meet than those on this blog today.

how many of you are "Christians" again?

i'mbored YOU'RE another genius

When was the last time you saw an arrogant WHITE Harvard Professor led off from his own home after at 20 hour flight back from China in handcuffs for no reason other than arrogance -- oh right NEVER b/c it would NEVER happen that's why!

How many of you yahoos on this site blaming Gates who was doing nothing more stupid than tyring to get into his own home after a really long flight and culture jump have been to China? None? How about Harvard? None again. Yale educated? Nope?

That's what I thought....

It was stupid.Because he fell right into Gates trap.I'm sure they both behaved inappropriately.

Sue,

Yeah, it was a fair warning. Crowley thought he could use the power of his badge to back him up and now he can't get his own department to stand behind him. Plus the President of United States of America who is sworn to uphold the U.S. Consitution, who is also a constitutional scholar and a friend of Gates, in a televised national press conference when asked has the balls assess Sgt Crowley as acting stupidly. His career in public law enforcement is pretty much over. I could understand if he was rookie but he'd been promoted to the rank of sargent. Havard University Chair 1 CPD sargent Zero!

Sitafa,

I'm glad I could help you laugh in light of all the bigotry swirling around this thread.

If the the officer felt threatened he could have easily cuffed the guy and search the house, or just arrest the guy for braking and entering right on the spot. No, he chose to invite Professor Gates outside the house where charging the professor with disorderly conduct would actually be legal. This officer did this with the intent to lie - like many cops do - about the facts of the situtation, and to smite anyone who dear eercise his right in front of a cop. This cop should have the most strongly worded reprimand added to his record - for being stupid enough to have been caught in a lie. You should be ashamed of yourself for being a right wing moron - all of you have been repsonsible for bringing this country to the brink of collapse with unbelievable stupid policy created by a mentally retared and in-bread Bush presidency and Cheney (the incarnation of Satan himself - that bastard should do some hard time for lieing to Congress and human rights violations) Wake up.

I'm not so sure that the officer was "just doing his job" as someone pointed out. First, Boston is one of the worst cities for racism. I grew up there... it's a fact.

I understand this man being upset that the cops came thinking he was breaking in, and it's obvious his first thought was it was because he's black. However, I would've thought, cool, my neighbors were paying attention and did the right thing. Regardless if this guy threw a fit, yelled at the cops, whatever - that's not illegal. I wasn't aware they could arrest someone because they were being nasty. No law was broken, though he could've handled it better - they both could have.

I've known many cops in my life - I was one for a while before an injury prevented me from staying in, and cops have a mentality that it's "us against them"... 'them' being civilians. They all have attitude problems (well, not all of them, but most), and feel just because they wear a uniform that makes them better than everyone else, and they seem to love that kind of control.

It sounds like this sgt arrested him just because he could - though no one will know for sure if had to do with the fact that the guy is black. It may have just been the cop was in a pissy mood and wanted to teach the guy a lesson, which unfortunately happens quite a bit, it's just that none get the attention like this one did.

Of course, if you switch the situation and pretend this guy was white - wearing the same clothes, etc., as Mr. Gates, it's doubtful he would've been arrested. Again, no one is really going to know the correct answer here though, as the sgt sure won't admit to doing anything wrong.

Regardless of the color of Gates' skin, he shouldn't have been arrested - no matter what he said to the cops. Only unless he got physical with them, which did not happen. I really think the sgt was just pulling rank and trying to prove a point, but I doubt he'd have done this with a woman or a white man.

A wise man once said "Stupid is what Stupid Does" The Teleprompter in Chief went off script!

harry c

Sgt Crowley owes everyone is this country an apology especially Mr Gates.

You sir should in fact be suspended and made to attend classes. If Gates had been a whiteman this incident never would have happened.

You are truely a STUPID MAN.

If this would have been a white man, he would have been arrested, and the charges would not have been dropped. Plus there would be an obstruction of justice charge and possibly a resisting arrest charge for refusing to come outside.

Sgt. Crowley did his job. He did not know if he was dealing with the owner, a criminal or someone who owns the place but has an order of protection against him. That is why he was asked to come outside and show his ID. If Gates would not have made an ass out of himself by shouting to people passing by, then he would not have been arrested for DC. When a police officer asks for ID you BY LAW have to comply. If not it is obstruction.

Wow. How very desperate, er, I mean, anxious people are to find something with which to condemn Obama, seeing that the birth certificate conspiracy theory isn't working out so well. The quote was taken out of context and the responses are way off base.

It IS stupid to arrest someone in their own home. Like Obama said, the circumstances leading up to it make perfect sense. Someone appears to be breaking in, a neighbor calls, police respond. To that Obama said, "So far, so good." Obama had no problem with the call or the police responding. That's what's supposed to happen.

If there were some meat to the original charges, why did Cambridge police need to drop them? Ever think about that?

Furthermore, ANY of us would be miffed to be harrassed in our own homes - black, white, green or purple. I'd be annoyed, and I'm white as snow.

Most importantly, Obama did not call this a case of racism. He admitted that Gates is his friend and he said that "apart and aside from" this incident, we know that minorities are profiled disproportionately by law enforcement. "Apart and aside from," was a MAJOR qualification that the people in this discussion have conveniently ignored.

Let the police arrest YOU in YOUR own home, and see what names YOU have to call the arresting officers.

It's STUPID to paint all police with the same brush (which Obama did not) - and it's STUPID to take a couple of Obama's words completely out of context and run with it like it's the end of the world. Give it a rest. He's our president. We dealt with 8 years of oligarchical neo-cons. Now it's time YOU deal with someone who is NOT.

I'm sure you all will have fun with these for weeks, months and, perhaps, YEARS to come. Have a blast. I will not be entertaining you with this, the birth certificate delusions or any other non-issues with which you think Americans should waste their times. Except for this post, of course.

Racism IS alive and well and I can see it every racists rear their ugly heads to make mountains out of molehills.

Of course, if you switch the situation and pretend this guy was white - wearing the same clothes, etc., as Mr. Gates, it's doubtful he would've been arrested.

It's also doubtful he would have been beligerent. A cop asks for my ID, I say "Yes, sir" hand it to him, and then wait for further instructions.

Fred, white people aren't belligerent?????????? Wow...just, wow.

I would have showed my ID (if allowed to place my hands in my bag), but probably would have had some sarcastic words like, "I live here and I don't have anything worthy of stealing from myself. Don't you have any real crimes to handle?"

I am guessing that if Sgt. Crowley doesn't get fired or suspended for this act then the obama acorn brigade (official whitehouse thugs) will be out protesting and threatening the police department employees. If a police officer doesn't know who you are and you are inside a house suspected of being burglarized then you had better show identification, just like anyone human being would think was reasonable. obama and the professor are both arrogant elitist that really don't have time for things like the law that applies to the little people. too bad for obama and his 'special' friend, get over it!

Fred, white people aren't belligerent?????????? Wow...just, wow.

To cops? Well, I guess the white trash that gets arrested on shows like Cops and Bad Boys, but they get arrested for it. I think there's a huge disparity in how whites and blacks see cops, and how they respond to them. And I know there are lots of cases where white cops overstepped their authority and profiled, no dnying that. But I also think that has resulted in blacks who HAVEN'T done anything wrong, taking offense to white cops acting with any sort of authority toward them, while whites generally accept that the cop's in charge and play nice.

Instead of being grateful for the cops looking out for his property, Mr. Gates was no doubt outraged that they wouldn't take him at his word, and abused the cop, and in turn, the cop arrested him. If I get beligerent to a cop, I would expect to be arrested, Mr. Gates didn't. Either that, or he hoped he would be, so he could make all this big scene out of it.

Now, if he had ID that established that he lieved there, then the cop should have immediately walked away. But if he became beligerent before he showed his ID, or if his ID didn't show that adress on it, then the cop is in the right. Because, it is the cops job to make sure that place wasn't being broken into.

Original police report (before retracted and redacted) tell us Gates was asked to show his ID while still at his home, and did so.

http://bluemassgroup.com/diary/16303/media-coverup-in-prof-gates-arrest

I would imagine one would have to be ordered or allowed to do such a thing, because these armed cops don't want "suspects" reaching into their bags or pockets.

They knew who they were arresting and where he lived. I guess it all seemed STUPID to the Cambridge police, after the fact, which is why they dropped the charges.

So if it WAS stupid, why can't we CALL IT STUPID?????

The only way for President Obama to get out of this one is to apologize to the police officer for his comment... after all, he apologizes to other countries for...

Fred, you're displaying bigotry. Lots of it. To recap: Gates isn't poor trash, but he's black, which explains his mouthing off. If a white person were to do it, they'd be "white trash." It is never possible for a well-to-do white person, facing arrest in his own home, to have some negative words for arresting officers. NEVER! Right?

I hate to break it to you, but not everyone and everything falls neatly into perfect little boxes. Cops can do great things and, because they're human, cops can do bad things. Deal with it.

ellen -- do you mean to say obama IS an american citizen

OMG no way

have you PERSONALLY seen the birth certificate

i for one believe 6-Pack Satan Palin -- that undereducated self-serving lying inappropriately sexual hypocrite -- when she says he's not and that he's a terrorist

BTW what charity did her clothes go to?

sorry i could not resist......

Original police report (before retracted and redacted) tell us Gates was asked to show his ID while still at his home, and did so.

He showed his Harvard ID, which I doubt has an adress on it. If it does, then the cop should have recognized it and walked away. If it doesn't, it is his duty to make sure the person lives there before leaving the scene. That's what he's hired to do. For all he knew, it could have been one professor breaking into another's to steal his work. Or else, if the cop was wrong here, then all any burglar has to do upon getting caught breaking into a house or store, is to flash some ID that makes them sound important, and the cop has to leave him alone. That wouldn't be good for the crime rate. Now, I get that Mr. Gates was tired from his trip, and he probably wanted to go to sleep, but there are better ways to accomplish that than to be beligerent while you wait for the Harvard police to show up so they can verify if this guy lives there or not.

And, if cops can't arrest anyone for being beligerent, then the streets of LA, D.C., Baltimore, Detroit, etc.. will look a lot different, because you can bet every punk on the stret will think it's a good time to abuse himself a cop, cops will quit, and then we'll have ourselves a real good time. Here's a suggestion, don't get beligerent with cops.

right you are Fred -- and obama is NOT an American citizen -- you're right about that too. got your thinking cap on today do ya?

elederly white male CEOs and elderly white male Yale educated Harvard Professors are NEVER arrogant. only the black ones get uppity

-- that TOTALLY explains why only the black ones get arrested! Gee thanks Fred!

This comment by Peter-500676 was collapsed by the community:

The President was asked what he thought and he told the reporter. We all have opinions and I'm white, and 70 years old. I guess the Prez could have been more diplomatic but, hey, he's seen this discrimination crap in his own life, so who's to blame him for speaking an honest opinion. I happen to agree with him, and by the way, he qualified his opinion. He said Gates was his friend and he might be biased, plus that his opinion was based on the facts that he and everybody had access to. The guy was arrested in his own home after his identity was no longer in question because he demanded identification of the officer, which by the way, was his right under the law. So, yes, he acted stupidly.

How is a comment collapsed by the community?

Why was the above comment collapsed?

I think someone has acted stupidly?

I would have showed my ID (if allowed to place my hands in my bag),but probably would have had some sarcastic words like, "I live here and I don't have anything worthy of stealing from myself. Don't you have any real crimes to handle?"

Why do feel the need to do that, Ellen? I don't. The guy's protecting the public. Doing his job. Do you turn to your doctor when he takes out your tonsils and say, "You better not have taken out my kidney instead."? You're starting out adversarial. It's a bad start.

Obviously I was not at the scene so I am not absolutely 100% sure of the facts. However I would like to point to the now-famous picture of Mr Gates in Handcuffs, which I beleive is in front of his house. It's pretty interesting that Mr Gates is calling racism (actually from the picture it looks more like he is screaming racism) yet there is an African American police office in the foreground of the picture. By Mr Gates crying racism he is apparently accusing a fellow African American, who just happens to be a police officer, of being a racist.

Mr Gates should have been appreciative that the officers were there to protect his house and community by investigating suspicous activity. It just so happened to be the owner of the house that was trying to break in. Officers had to secure the area for their own safety, which may have meant hand cuffing the suspicous person, prior listening.

right you are Fred -- and obama is NOT an American citizen -- you're right about that too. got your thinking cap on today do ya?

Never said that. Are you responding to someone else?

elederly white male CEOs and elderly white male Yale educated Harvard Professors are NEVER arrogant.

They're the most arrogant pricks on the face of the Earth, but I'm willing to bet most of them get a little humility in them when a cop asks for some ID, particularly after they've broken into a home, whether it's theirs or not. And, if they get beligerent, I'm willing to bet they expect to get hauled away.

that TOTALLY explains why only the black ones get arrested! Gee thanks Fred!

You say that as if this happens all the time. I think I would have heard of it, if there were black professors getting arrested every day for breaking into their own homes and getting beligerent.

Mr. Gates was most likely acting badly. It seems to me that he was upset over the fact that the police were there on a call about a break in.

Because you own the place does not reliquish you from the responsibility to show i.d. Just because you show id doesnt prove you own the place. And you must still act properly. If your disorderly, even if you own the place, you will be arrested. White, Black, Pink or Purple. All the same. Even if your the presidents friend.

I think we need to have Obama and the police involved sit down together, and they can discuss who got 10 points on their college entrance exam handed to them. Who do you think it was.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Is it so hard to believe that this guy was deliberately taunting the officer without reason? (Well, a good reason?)

It's fairly obvious to me the guy has a chip on his shoulder, and the timing was perfect for him to make a stink in the name of "the black man".

If I'm being verbally abused, I might take matters into my own "hands".

But if a cop is being verbally abused, you can bet he's gonna have the last laugh!

That's the way it is for all of us.

Sorry Mr. Gates, but I don't have one ounce of sympathy for you and your "cause".

What does Mr. Gates teach at Harvard again?

dianlarkin:

Take your meds, sit in a dark corner and shut the f up! You are the moron. You've always been ashamed of your race!? Every race has done bad things and made mistakes. And there are black, brown, red, and yellows racists - not just whites!

And blacks get arrested, just like any other color, when they commit crimes. You might want to look at the demographics of the American prison system - blacks commit crimes in a higher proportion of their population than whites. Oh yeah, I know, it's because the white man has kept them down - right, lol!

People with your metality, giving people excuses and justifications - that is what keeps people down!

Now the WHite House has "qualified " the remark. I guess that makes it OK. This will be non news in a couple days, since it's our liberal President; however, I've seen some articles on MSNBC I couldn't believe they printed, that were not kind to him. No more cheerleading?

I would also like to hear Obama apologize to the Officer, not have the White House spokesman spin it into something else.

I would also like to hear Obama apologize to the Officer,

I think he should just let it go. For all we know, the cop could have been in the wrong. I think Mr. Gates got beligerent, and I don't want our cops not to be allowed to people who abuse them, because that's all they'd get is abuse, and nobody would want the job (hardly anyone wants it now). And I don;t want the police thinking they can arrest people for no good reason. So, I think in this case, a stalemate where everyone goes away and is on notice is healthy.

Fred, I would probably have something sarcastic to say if I were tired from a long trip which ended with being locked out of my own home. Then again, it would depend on the attitude the cops gave ME when arriving at my home. There's a definite argument to be made for dealing with this situation calmly. You prove you live there and the cops go away. And you thank them because if it HAD been a burglar, you'd appreciate their help.

On the other hand, if the cops arrived with an attitude, or interrupted you as you tried to prove you lived there, even you, oh holy white non-trash, might be a little irked.

I wasn't there. All I know is that, at the end of the day, the cops arrested a man for breaking into his own home. And that's stupid.

Hopeful American: you should hope that your own delusions become true. Minorities aren't just arrested after committing crimes. It is not just a case of people getting what they deserve. They are PROFILED disproportionately. If you look affluent and white and drive a Lincoln Navigator, the picture looks perfect. If you're black, you're more likely to raise suspicions that you've stolen the vehicle and it's more likely that police will find a reason to pull you over.

Stop getting your "facts" from right-wing blogs and Faux News, and do some real research into actual statistics.

The only people who get apologies from the President are the dictators and tyrants of other countries.

I think Mr. Gates just needed some attention. He's probably a lonely old man looking to make his mark on the world before he dies.

Mr. Gates, I present you with your "15 minutes"! Congrats!

even you, oh holy white non-trash, might be a little irked

Holy? No, just self-restrained and respectful of the law. Yeah, I might be irked, but I would have to be really drunk before I mouthed off to a cop. It stems from fear of getting the crap kicked out of me and a respect for the job they do. If you don't fear getting the crap kicked out of you or respect the job they do, then go ahead and feel free to be as snippy as you like. You'll get arrested and add to the statistics that say the cops profile because blacks get arrested more than whites. (And, please, don't start on me about profiling, because I acknowledge it happens)

If Grant was white this wouldn't be news. If the Sgt was black this wouldn't be news.

Obama needs to remember when in Politics you can not have friends. He declared Grant his friend, then opted to vent HIS opinion of a situation he clearly stated he didn't have all the facts.

He lost my respect (again) when he worded his opinion against the Police in Cambridge. He may have spoke about Health-care Reform but what is everyone discussing? His "stupidly" remark.

The SGT doesn't owe Grant an apology for doing his job. Grant owes the SGT an apology for running his name through the mud and making a NATIONAL scene.

Obnoxious.

I see a twenty year old driving a Navigator or Escalade, I'm suspicious regardless of their race.

I'd be interested to see what percentage of twenty year olds driving one of those SUVs, actually acquired them "legally".

You can't tell me a twenty year old black kid driving a $60,000 SUV through one of the poorest sections of town, shouldn't draw suspicion, I don't care how "affluent" he may look.

There's a fairly obvious distinction between profiling and common sense.

Odumbo never seems to know the whole facts on anything..yet he thinks everyone else is the stupid ones.....What a pompous dumbass windbag.I have cows out here more qualified to be president than this jerk

dianlarkini -- Sounds like a lot of people don't like you very much here. Logic speaks for itself where your genes originated from... here... lets break this down for you why Mr. Gates went to jail. 1. Officer asks... can I see your ID? 2. Gates says RACISM!!! No!! I won't show you my ID. 3. Cop probably thinks Gates is lying about being the owner so as a precaution arrests Gates for being overly bearing, rude, and failing to present identification to the police officer.
REALLY HARD TO UNDERSTAND ISN'T IT???? REALLY REALLY HARD... IQ = 5 for you.

Mike123-1232559

This guy is awesome... his ranting not only almost made me fall asleep but not a single thing he said made a bit of sense. Another flaming democrat with his theories of officers lying.. obviously you cannot read. He failed to comply with the officers requests and was irate and was arrested. Pretty simple really. Some of you have skulls so thick their is hardly any room for brains.

Folks... these types of people are who are destroying America. Voting for morons similar to themselves. Bringing people in who destroy our economy and run up debts our children will be paying for. Not protecting our country.... but filling their own political agenda. They think that Bush is to be blamed for everything under the sun. Everyone sure supported him when a plane ran into a tower. But when it came to seeking out terror and destroying those responsible for it .... no no no... thats bad... lets let terrorists run around and blow up our buildings then we can just give them a hug and maybe even send them some money so that they can do it again.... I'm so tired of these people with no common sense. This country is going down the drain because the MAJORITY of this country has no common sense. Ironically it really isn't common. That is why Obama was elected because the people in this country are pushing towards a socialist reform. And Obama is their leader.

Yeah, I'm not surprised the president commented without knowing the facts. That's the way he governs too. He's ok with supporting legislation passed by a congress that doesn't know what's in the bills and he's ok with signing them. This is the best that America has to offer? I think not.

No no i think the pres. was merely stating that the initial "call" to the police was for B&E and then clarified that he lived there& ended up getting arrested for disorderly conduct(he was in his own home he can act disorderly all he wants. Yeah and another thing that pisses me off about this is... Read More that the police report said he was shouting (Gates)in a puplic place,HE WAS IN HIS HOME, a private place...See police report on MSN.com) he was stating that part was "stupidly".

Of course it will be heated on both sides, but dis. conduct? Come on now!!

http://nalert.blogspot.com/2009/07/white-folks-will-riot-pastor-manning.html

dianlarkin

"right you are Fred -- and obama is NOT an American citizen -- you're right about that too. got your thinking cap on today do ya?

elederly white male CEOs and elderly white male Yale educated Harvard Professors are NEVER arrogant. only the black ones get uppity

-- that TOTALLY explains why only the black ones get arrested! Gee thanks Fred!"

DO YOU EVER WATCH THE NEWS?? How many black CEO's have been arrested in the last year? How many? Now how many white CEO's have been arrested??? A considerable number!!! Dont' be arrogant please please just don't..... you were probably standing next to Gates during this whole thing jumping up and down clapping your hands together screaming "Racism" "Racism" "Black man being violated"... good grief...... do the world a favor and just jump out of the gene pool... SERIOUSLY!!

smart1-1233050

No no i think the pres. was merely stating that the initial "call" to the police was for B&E and then clarified that he lived there& ended up getting arrested for disorderly conduct(he was in his own home he can act disorderly all he wants. Yeah and another thing that pisses me off about this is... Read More that the police report said he was shouting (Gates)in a puplic place,HE WAS IN HIS HOME, a private place...See police report on MSN.com) he was stating that part was "stupidly".

Of course it will be heated on both sides, but dis. conduct? Come on now!!

...... HOW DID HE KNOW HE WAS IN HIS OWN HOME???? SERIOUSLY.... HE WOULD NOT PRESENT AN ID AND GAVE THE OFFICER TROUBLE... SO TOUGH TO UNDERSTAND???? GENIUS????? A+++++++++++ A+++++++++ A+++++++

Let's see Massachusetts has a Black Governor and Cambridge has a Black Mayor and the college town has a problem with Racial Profiling? Governor Patrick said he was troubled and upset over the incident and Mayor Simmons said she spoke with Gates and apologized for the City. Last night the President, who is also, even though he is bi-racial, calls himself Black wades into the fray and, for the most part calls, the arresting officer Stupid! According to the police report the arresting officer wasn't the only officer on the scene, officer Figueroa was there as well. This officer supported Officer Crowley's version of what happened as evidenced by the police report.

Let's see the officer, Crowley, is an 11 year veteran of the Cambridge force. He has never been cited for anything but exemptlary service by those he serves with and his commanders. It has now come out that he is not only an expert in racial profiling but was hand picked by the former Police Commissioner, Ronny Watson, who is also Black to teach a racial profiling course at the police academy that teaches "about different cultures that officers could encounter in their community “and how you don’t want to single people out because of their ethnic background or the culture they come from,”.

Now today, president Obama's head of janitorial who's charged with cleaning up after him, Robert Gibbs, comes out to say the President wasn't calling the officer Stupid!

Let's see by tomorrow, we should see Al Sharpton in front of the Apollo Theater saying I told you so, whitey is still trying to keep the black man down. Followed by a Jesse Jackson news conference in front of his Rainbow Push Coalition office trying to one up the Reverend Al for who is the most relevant in the Black community. Finally followed by the NAACP filing a law suite on behalf of Mr. Gates to have all white officers on the Cambridge force suspended or fired, well, because they're white.

Did I leave anything out? Yes I did. For a president who said that he was going to unite a divided country he has done noting but driven a greater wedge between the classes and along with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem to be stoking the fires of racism in America and the media is bringing the matches. If we aren't careful, it's scary to consider, but we could see blood spilled in the streets of American in an all out class war. Sad thing for us, there are many around the world who are wishing it will happen. They are waiting for us to tear our country apart from the inside out so all they have to do is be patient, set and watch and not have to fire a round or spend a dime.

This was snipped from the original police report issued. It was posted here in this thread:

"...As I turned and faced the door, I could see an older black male standing in the foyer of {} Ware Street. I made this observation through the glass paned front door. As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied "no I will not". He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was "Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police" and that I was "investigating a report of a break in progress" at the residence. While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed "why, because I'm a black man in America?". I then asked Gates if there was anyone else in the residence. While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer. I assured Gates that I was responding to a citizen's call to the Cambridge Police and that the caller was outside as we spoke."

The DA would be looking at this report for evidence of a crime being committed and for the probable cause that was the motivation for the officer to act. If you read it carefully, you will find neither...and such failing would compel the DA NOT to prosecute. In essense:

The police officer's only direct observation upon arrival on the scene was Dr. Gates inside the foyer of his own home--not a crime, nor activity that consitutes probable cause.

The officer explained his presence (quite proper) and asked Dr. Gates to step outside so that the officer could explain why he was called to Dr. Gates residence. Although the officers actions at this point are quite proper and defensible, it is also equally proper and defensible for Dr. Gates NOT to step outside onto the porch. Dr. Gates was in his own home and, not being the suspect of a crime (based up previously established probable cause) Dr. Gates had every right to not only refuse the police officers' request; Dr. Gates would be fully within his rights to ask the officer to leave Dr. Gates porch and property.

There is no 'failure to comply' when no lawful order is given.

I defend the cop, under the principle of community policing, to want to speak to Dr. Gates, on Dr. Gates porch, to explain why the officer was there and why he might want to investigate. On the other hand, absent a crime, the cop should have chalked Dr. Gates' interaction as one of misunderstanding why the cop was even there (in spite of Dr. Gates' characterization of it) and simply left, after firmly establishing that the original caller was wrong.

Let's face it; being a cop is a 'rough gig.' Most of us have jobs where our interaction runs the gamut from highly positive to deeply negative but....In my 58 years, I've never had a cop pull be over to congratulate me on my driving. When one directly asks me to do something, it's never something I would voluntarily do. In short, most cops know full well that, if they are talking to a citizen and it is at the officer's insistance, the "interaction" has a great potential to turn into a "confrontation", even if there was no initial intent to be confrontative. Given how things tend to 'roll' between cops and the citzenry, I would think that the typical experienced police office knows when to 'take a hint' and 'boogey on down the road.'

I'm bored the different HUGE DIFFERENCE is that the white CEOs you refer to are ACTUAL CRIMINALS and Gates was arrested AT MOST for being arrogant (with good reason in his own home) -- quit it -- are you really pretending that the case of criminal CEOs is 'just like' this instance? try this one -- name one WHITE elderly Yale educated Harvard Professor arrested in his own home after flying back from China for?? what? arrogance? being in a bad mood? not being happy being harassed by the cops?? name one white man in that position and do not pick an axe murderer or ponzi scheme player this time

your pretense, all of you, is demeanaing even to yourselves

berry mountain and all others (most everyone on this site today) trying to hide racism behind soically acceptable and not-so-socially-acceptable parrot speak, your insufferable self-righteousness is offensive and irrelevant other than to assert your white supremacy--

guess what -- just like you i've worked REALLY hard since i was 15 too - never been arrested - etc. etc. -- put myself thru college and law school etc. etc. -- just like most people on the planet in fact

and i really think that probably it's a safe bet that Yale educated Harvard Professor Dr. Gates (do you have a Ph.D. berrymountain -- no? didn't think so) on his way back from China (have you been to China berrymountain?) has not been arrested very often and has also worked REALLY hard all his life just like you --

what exactly is your point?

Hopeful American to ellen's response to you I would add -- do not curse at people

and imbored (you really should not advertise that you're bored it makes you look, you know, boring, unable to cultivate a life?) that's ok if a lot of people on this blog do not like me that in fact its PERFECT -- this is one blog i do NOT want to be in the majority on and do not care to be popular on

have a nice day -- don't get arrested b/c either we live in a police state where the police can arrest you as they please or we live in a racist state where black Ph.D's get arrested in their own homes for no reason and the entire white nation rushes in fear to defend the arresters -- which is it? neither are very attractive to me

My parents always told me that if I ever got pulled over by the police, to roll the windows down in the car; keep both my hands on the wheel and to answer all the questions yes, sir, nor sir; yes, ma'am, no, ma'am. They told me to never get out of the car unless asked and to never argue or back talk. They told me court was the place to do that. I do not have a PHD nor did my parents, but it is the same thing I told my own children when they were old enough to drive. Yes, I am white and yes, I have been pulled over and yes, some police officers have been somewhat rude. Some of the rude officers were even black. Were they profiling or being racists? No, they were doing their jobs. Mr. Gates and Mr. President owe us all an apology

Bright President - you wouldn't know one obviously you were asleep while idiot Bush was president - do the human race a favor and go back to bed. Obama, nor anyone in the past or the future will topple Bush as the dumbest president ever.

I hope Obama puts more thought into his national health plan than he did in his stupid comment about how the police acted. Another case of open mouth and insert foot.

Who gives a crap? He called someone stupid.

Looking at the ferociousness of these comments, one would assume he was going around murdering puppies.

Get a life people.

Our President's comments to me show racism on his part. That is not what we need running our country a spendthrift racist. He needs to go back to being a community organizer where he can not do as much harm as he is now.

does obama think we are so gullable and stupid to believe everything he says. this is just another case of his lips moving before he has the facts. What a dolt.

Well "ITS" finally here, we all knew "IT" was coming!

for all of you naysayer this is so simple the Sargent taught race relations but when he is on the street he acts like most cops and bullies and pushes people and is surprised when people speak back to him and take offence at his actions.

I was in an incident a while back and the cop screamed in my face , I looked at him and he could see that I was disgusted with his actions so later he kinda apologized and said that that was how he was trained.

I told him that it was rude and guarantee that he would receive as little cooperation as possible with that attitude.

Nuts! The Cambridge PD has the fox in charge of the chicken coop with Crowley teaching about racial sensitivity. Between a cop and someone in their own home, the presumption and all deference must got to the resident against the invader.

routine Ginny. Too many non-minorities have experienced this sort of thing for it to be written of as 'just another black man doing what black men do'.

Agreed completely. Obama is so quick to jump onto the race bandwagon, but cannot take 5 minutes to investigate the true events that occurred. I would hope the sergeant would ask for ID to ensure that the unknown person (at the time) did indeed live in the home in question. It's called job performance and community safety, NOT racial profiling!

Of course the police sergeant is going to be concerned and suspicious when Gates erupts for no reason and becomes irate without provocation. From what I have read, nothing was done wrong here, protocol was followed. Therefore, Gates seems to be looking for a reason to scream "racial profiling", and looking for an avenue to get publicity. So sad that he and our President want to regress our country in this way.

I saw some apologies today - but not one from the individual who should apologize to the police and the University!

OHHHH NOOO!! Could it be a bit of his socialist, racist mentor Rev. Wright came out today??? Could it be the dictator in chief got involved with something that he doesn't know the facts on AND something that's none of his business?

I'm happy that while trying to exterminate the middle class, he's got time to go over each and every police action throughout our country. What a worker bee!!!!

Obama, your racism is showing~

Obama, your racism is showing~

Yep. He starts a Class War and now he is well on his way to sparking a Race War.

Divide and Conquer, anyone?

He conducts himself like a "TRUE THUG IN WASHINGTON".....He probably ruined it for a next black president........HOW SAD.....

I totally agree with president obama ,when you always see it first hand that hispanics and blacks are mainly the targets of most nypd officers like presinct 52 in the Bronx New York how innocent people get manhandled, verbally, physically abused and wrongfully arrested because of their skin tone, and most of these cops abuse the power that they are given it's sad that police haven't changed at all in time, what they need to do is focus on what is corrupting this country other then innocent bystanders

Not surprised that the man who gave us meaning for the term 'Obamination" was quick to jump in and besmirch the actions of a man who has done more than most to diminish racial injustice just because he was White, while immediately standing up for a Black who has a habit of trying to stir up racial tension - all without knowing the facts.

How many others are going to get off easily for things they are charged with, just because they are Black or because they are a friend of Obama? I noticed that at least one of his friends in the Black Panthers has recently gotten off easily for the crime of threatening (with a weapon) Whites who showed up at voting booths.

Can someone please tell Obama that many people can have friends who aren't racists, terrorists, or criminals? Perhaps he can't - most decent people probably wouldn't want to be friends with someone who manipulates and lies as a way of life. Maybe he will have to remain content with his current situation - having only racists, anti-American terrorists, criminals & other lawyers as friends. And with the adoration from those that voted for him who enjoy the company of the above-mentioned type of low-lifes.

who cares what obama said. He was exercising his right. He felt that way so he said it. You all really think that it hurt him "deeply" Hell no! He wanted some media attention and thats exactly what he got this story has been dragging on for way longer that it should have. It should of been dropped after the first day...um maybe as America we can stop scrutinizing the president and start caring more about what is happening in our troubled cities and town. Such as maybe the gang violence, rapes, robberies, mall shootings, college shootings, the homeless, abused children and women, and foster kids in the system with nowhere to call home. THIS STORY HAS GONE ON LONGER THAN THE STORY ABOUT JAMIE FOX'S RADIO SHOW IN WHICH THEY CALLED MILEY CYRUS A WHITE BITCH. America wouldnt be such a bad place if we as average Americans started giving a @!$%# about what really matters and in-turn did something about it to help fix it.

Just thought my last sentence in #1.251 might be misconstrued by some. I did not mean all those that voted for him, just those that did so because they like the sort of people whom Obama calls friends. A lot of good people also voted for him - many just because they believed his words & hoped for a better future for our country.

Studhorse....The left goes on and on calling Palin stupid.....Obamas gaff was many times more stupid than anything I heard from Palin. Of course you want to get it over. I think much of the world learned a lot more about how Obama thinks....and doesnt think. Of course Obama has his right to speak his mind...and we all have the right to evaluate it.

I think this is clearly divided based on race. I am sorry, but after hearing the 911 call and hearing that the caller never said there were 2 black males, but that there were two males. Funny, how black was automaticly assumed when it was never mentioned by the caller.

Ok, so first this high-brow said he understood that if he stepped outside he'd be in trouble because 'whitey come to get im'. Then after he got upset, he did exactly what he said he shouldn't have done. Gee, I'd like to be in his class. Another do what I say, not what I do type of teacher.

However, even in the best case scenario where the professor is a complete ivory-tower jerk (hmm, is there any other kind of ivory-tower academician of any color?), I think that cop needs to be working at Burger King, not on our tax dollars. I mean when a two-dollar cop can't outthink a racist collegiate, it's time to move on to another career.

Actually, I think all police need to be 24x7 with a live video camera recordings, just to keep them thinking that their mom's watching them. Best use of tax dollars towards law enforcement and tort reform ever.

Bottom line here is that two wrongs don't make a right, they make two stupid people making poor decisions, nothing more, nothing less.

I like the idea of 24-7 tv momitor with officers..it would have been interesting to have this particular item on tape...to see just what did go on...but since the professor was black...he is of course correct in whatever he says and the officers have to be wrong...even the black officer that was there...he had to be wrong also...

I wouldn't, especially when the President says you acted stupidly? Not even knowing the facts? Why is he even commenting on this?

Our President is even a racist. Imagine that.

If a suspect calls you racist it is because they want to cause you to say something bad. That makes them the racist for saying it. Mr. Gates should have went to jail.

Stellar logic. Stellar Grammar

There is no verb in either of your sentences.

Evidently, the governor and mayor are just as stupid.

Jlrby - You are a racist CLOWN. You want to keep using the word redneck thinking that because derogitory words hurt your delicate ego that redneck will hurt the rest of us.

Redneck was a term used to denote farmers. The mountain people referred to farmers as rednecks because they had sunburns. Farmers built this country and made it viable so that it could grow into the great country it is today. You need to do something with your life that increases your self-worth so that you don't need to call people names in order to feel better about yourself.

Signed - Proud to be a redneck!!!

I would not be proud if I were. The term is also used to denote stupidity when it comes to race relations. Get an education. There are many connotations for some terms. I am white and redncks are not my cu of tea either.

dacincykid - Any word can be used in a multitude of ways. If you are so delicate that a word hurts you then you should stay in the house with the windows closed the television off and away from your computer.

In my life, the people I have known as rednecks were the hardest working people I have ever known. They start early in the morning and work till late at night. Jlrby has called me a redneck before and I am still proud to be known as such. I start early in the morning. I own my own company. I have a college degree and I make my own way.

The problem with Jlrby is that he thinks that the word hurts "rednecks" and my point was that they could care less what he calls white people. In fact in general any white person above the age of 12 could care less what some racist jackass calls them.

I graduated with honors with a B.S. in Administration of Justice and am now begining a highly ranked Masters in Public Administration program because I wanted to become a federal investigator but stories like this are making me very wary. We have become such a stuck-up nation that prizes the weak, the lazy and the criminals that I'm begining to think one of those boring monotonous cubicle jobs is the only way to play it safe these days. This nation would rather conform to a Marxist society where everyone is equal regardless of accomplishments, intelligence and work ethic. We'd rather push down the strong to equal ourselves to the weak. No child left behind, welfare, amnesty for illegal aliens, etc. Affirmative action isn't removing racism, it's upholding it. Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would not stand for such a bureaucratic method of enforcing equality. The content of your character was the ideal not the content of your bodily structure and skin tone. Why is this professor held in such high regard? Are we to be so amazed that when a minority achieves a high position he or she is to be immune from criticism? Why do you people turn a blind eye to things such as the reverse-discrimination case in Connecticut? Is it guilt? Blacks, Hispanics, Asians and Whites all commit crimes, make mistakes and should be held accountable for their actions.

Here is what you people need to do: take a step outside of your world and reevaluate everything. Criticize everything and don't take anything as truth. This includes religion, politics, etc.

True wisdom is knowing you know nothing.

rawdave don't you have a business to run? go away you insulting racist redneck. REDNECK means IGNORANT in today's jargon. If you are ok being totally ignorant of anthing useful -- and you appear to be -- good for you. go away.

platonic politics your speech would be RIGHT ON except it forgets the truth

gates is far from the only professor at harvard routinely guilty of being arrogant

yet he's the only one who got arrested.

HELLO

Being arrogant isn't against the law, not complying with law enforcement officials is.

This comment by Peter-500676 was collapsed by the community:

The President was asked what he thought and he told the reporter. We all have opinions and I'm white, and 70 years old. I guess the Prez could have been more diplomatic but, hey, he's seen this discrimination crap in his own life, so who's to blame him for speaking an honest opinion. I happen to agree with him, and by the way, he qualified his opinion. He said Gates was his friend and he might be biased, plus that his opinion was based on the facts that he and everybody had access to. The guy was arrested in his own home after his identity was no longer in question because he demanded identification of the officer, which by the way, was his right under the law. So, yes, he acted stupidly.

How is a comment collapsed by the community?

Why was the above comment collapsed?

I think someone has acted stupidly?

You can hide your racism -- your shocking racism -- under whatever seolf-righteous seemingly socially acceptable platitides you wish to hide it under it's still showing.

as rick BH says -- wait until they're standing in YOUR living room -- you people don't get it. you are not gay black or hispanic so you refuse to see it AND you blame the victims. Frankly I don't care how arrogant the man was ALL Yale educated Harvard Professors are arrogant -- and -- this must be the 10th time I've said it -- no white ones get arrested on the porches of their own homes for no reason HELLO quit pretending.

Just look at the picture with the officers leading him out. He still has his BIG MOUTH OPEN. Shut it the #&$%@ UP!!!!!!

Stop your people of your race to from giving you a bad rap and then you wont get judged by their standard. If you get hit every day by a certain type person and then the sixth day adifferent person comes in you are going to asume you are going to get hit again, clean up the reputation of your people and you will not be blamed for what they do.

foursmith that is so ridiculous under the circumstances -- ok they showed up to investigate a possible break in fiar enough -- the problem is that they ended up arresting the acknowledged resident your example is ludicrous --

the pretense and lengths you people will go to in order to justify your blatant and appalling racism is like a joke except it's sad and horrible

What if a meteor had struck and killed all of them in the instant they were arresting Dr. Gates what then Mr. Obama?

how many of you are "Christians" again?

They arrested him for being belligerent, not for breaking into his own home. If he had complied to their requests for ID in a civilized manner, we wouldn't be discussing this. Why do you think someone is "racist" for having an opinion that is opposite yours? That is the exact problem with our country these days. People can't agree to disagree without belittling the other person.

he did provide his id -- he in fact provided two

Don't call us rednecks stupid. We did NOT vote barack Hussein Ubama in as president; that makes us smarter than a non-redneck Ubama voter.

Ubama is to Usama like Obama was to Osama

You're a bleaming idiot dude. The right has once again found anything they can to give this president a bad name. This country is so disgustingly racist that when some white cop gets slammed because he was being a racist, the whole country goes in an uproar. To me most white cops are racist. Plain and simple. Most of them are republican too. See a trend? I do. I am so completely sick of all this attacking Obama. He is a damn fine president. He has achieved more in this past 6 months or so then Bush did his whole entire term! The troops are already out of Iraq. He just has a tiny bit over there right now. Most of them are coming home or will be coming in the next year or so most likely even sooner than that. The economy is making a massive turn around as we speak. Ford just reported a 2.3 billion profit for it's last quarter. They will most likely take over GMs spot. Racism is alive and well in this country, especially when it comes to cops. Where were all of you when those cops were fired for beating the crap our of that guy that was knocked out from being thrown from a van during a police chase. Cops need slammed every second we can because for as much good they do, they also can be quite crooked. Obama is about ready to tackle one of the big special interest killers, Health care reform. The right and special interest are responsible for this country being left in the hell whole from the Bush administration.

But he couldn't act in a responsible, civilized manner to police officers (one of whom is black) responding to a reported possible break-in at his house.

It was reported in the news that there had been break-ins in this area recently.

Gates claimed the "rogue police officer" entered his home without his permission. Ok, so now if you're a police officer in this neighborhood you now have to ask permission from a potential burglar to enter?!?!?!

The officers had every right, in fact duty to obtain proper id. I know that Gates showed his ID but it should not have been accompanied with the belligerence. A little common courtesy goes a long way.

Any RESONABLE person would have recognized the officers were just doing their job and thanked them for responding and looking out for his property. There was absolutely no need to get belligerent with the officers and push this into a confrontation. And to then demand an apology from this officer is asinine.

If I were the officer, I would have to think long and hard about responding to any distress call from this address in the future. However, the policemen won't do that. You see, they are professional and do their job, even when they have to protect ungrateful people.

Only Mr Obama would speak out on a story he hadn't even got the facts on. Making it sound racist, in order to stir up hate and dissention. Looks like its pie in his face, but that's about normal for someone who hates America, doesn't read bills he is trying to pass...then realizes his health bill is going into the garbage, so he says it's fine to wait till the fall. What about the 13 million illegals in this country that won't have free health care on the backs of the tax payer. Can't wait till 2010, 2012.

Lack of maturity from both parties.

It does not surprise me that our current President would comment on an event, that he himself admitted to have not witnessed. The story of the day should have been, how do you connect the dots? Our president tells congress, this is what I want, deliver. Ask him what is going on? I can't tell you, because I have not been there. Why won't someone just say it; Mr. President, you are stupid!

This is the most rediculous arguement in the history of all mankind. If I locked myself out of my house and had to do something abnormal to get in I would hope that if my neighbors saw me from a distance and they didnt recognize me, they would call the police. In fact I would go to their house and personally thank them for it. When the police arrived, I think common sense would dictate that I know what the situation appeared to be from an outside viewer and I would comply with all of there commands. Especially providing I.D. I would then THANK THEM for doing there job and APOLOGIZE for having wasted their time because of my own stupidity locking myself out. It doesn't matter how long I was away from home or how tired I was.

This professor wants to believe all white people (and apparently black cops as well) are racist. He wants to paint himself to be the next Rosa Parks but it just isn't the case. Instead he makes himself look like a jerk. Of course the police dropped the charges... it isn't because they are wrong, its just to small a charge to have to deal with the negative publicity that has been attached to it.

The charges were probably dropped due to political pressure - he is a friend of the president, you know.

Obama needs to get some better friends, ones that aren't racist. With friends like Professor Gates and Reverend Wright, who needs the KKK to destroy racial harmony

Absolutely correct, Tami (#2.1).

A U.S. President talking down to the people that are charged with his own protection?

O's remark clearly gives 'Stupid' a whole new perspective.

I am sorry but so what, this guys was asked for his ID in his own home...

I am not AffricanAmerican, Nor Mexican, or from the middle east... I am white, And I have been asked by the Police in my own home to show my ID also, And I was the one who called them!

They do that to make sure who they are dealing with. they dont know who is who for the most part when they get called somewhere, Just because I am white didnt mean to the cops I called out, That I wasnt the bad guy! and it really doesnt make any difference what color your skin is. If the cops dont know who you are, they should treat everyone as a possible suspect till they know your not, after all they have wives, kids and homes they want to return to also. If you were an Cop ( and I am not a cop ) you would make sure who you were dealing with too. Why? Because you want to make it home. You want to live.

I say to everyone, big deal, so you got pulled over, so the cops acted like you were the bad guy till they found out you were not, And if you were the bad guy, well then dont do what you did to get caught if you dont like how the Police treat you... Wow He/She asked me for My ID too

So dont tell me because your not a certain color you have to deal with the Police, WE ALL DO, no matter what color we are.

I hope that doesnt offend anyone, I am sure it will...

Thanks Everyone, I hope this finds you and your loved ones Safe and in Good Health

Harold

so that make it ok forhim to be a facisist racist!

He was on a power tip plain and simple.

Yea! He teaches other cops what to do to defend themselves when they get caught profiling.

Just anothe Mark Furhman.

I am white. When I set of the alarm on my house. after having been on vaction. The white sheriff's showed up as they should have. They didn't ask me any questions or even check my I.D. aparently it was obviouse I lived there.

He really puts his life on the line checking evidence and teaaching other cops how to Testilie.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

Weak ass Berreck Ob a ma should have a federal investigation of the Dept. Just on G. P.

Obama warned before commenting that he was bias in his opinion as Gates was a friend. He then proceeds to defend Gates without knowing the details. He should have had no comment, as the commenting was a stupid act by someone who should know better, the president is always under scrutiny. Not because he's black though. Well, he may think so it seems.

Spelling police: amok - not amuck

The message from the Cambridge Police department is never own up to your mistakes, defend yourself before defending the constitutional rights of the people you are suppose to serve.

Mr Gates is a racist pure and simple. The officer questioned him and Mr. Gates called the officer a racist and some other things. Mr. Gates was never treated any differently then any other suspect upon approach. Mr Gates slanderous remarks about this officer should have sent him to jail. Mr Gates slanderous remarks in public about this officer should get him sued. This is a HUGE problem for law enforcement in the United States. When confronted with possible consequences suspects like Gates will use race to inflame a response or manipulate. This is what the media needs to focus on because it is the officers that are becoming victims in a society where the assumption is with the person crying wolf. I wish the news would ask officers how THEY feel about this instead of listening to bigots like Gates who when in the wrong will terrorize this distinguished officer and his family and label him as a racist when the fact is Gates is the racist. Media everywhere show Mr Gates for what he is a upity professor who uses his color to slander this true American officer.

dianlarkin - Please go back to your crack induced stupor.

wag - what you insist upon referring to as racism is in effect realism.

We all have an onboard computer that s highly efficient. It has allowed our species to survive what other species haven't. What some call instinct is actually that magnificent computer doing it's job and processing all of the input we receive.

It isn't racism to come to conclusions based upon that input. If you want peoples perceptions to change then it is up to you to change them. If you insist upon strutting around with an entitlement attitude by virtue of the fact that you are black then you will be responded to accordingly. Not because you are black, but because of the way you interact and present yourself as an individual with an attitude. If that attitude is cultural in scope then that perception becomes the norm.

That's why I travel overseas out of season so that I am treated as an individual and not stereotyped as an "Ugly American". I have to admit I have been appalled at the sheer arrogance and ignorance of many Americans abroad whose behavior I have witnessed. The sterotypical American abroad has been earned, unfortunately, as has the stereotypical black with a chip on their shoulder.

I have an example of perception that crosses racial barriers. I urge you to be honest.

If you encounter an old white man you have never seen before dressed in overalls you will automatically come to certain conclusions about that man and treat him accordingly. When you are made aware that he is one of the richest men in America - Sam Walton, who DID dress like that when not working - your perceptions change as does the way you interact with him.

The situation of Gates and Obama's knee jerk reaction in defending him and taking the opportunity to enflame based upon the input received into his onboard computer, by virtue of 20 years in Mr. Wrights church, only serves to deepen the divide. It is A Tale of two Opportunists.

What makes it sad is that the President played the race card as well. And worse, he was considering that belligerent for a position in his administration -- a man who refused to show his ID to the police after he broke the lock to get in.

What scares me is the "created racism" of the incident. If racism is dying out, there are people who will simply make it up so they can continue to have race based advantages over whites.

The City of Cambridge dropped the charges. Doesn't that register with you morons that there was no reason to arrest him in the first place?

Dont you read the paper? The Governor of the State and the Mayor of the city are both black. Is it any wonder that the charges were dropped?

The City of Cambridge dropped the charges. Doesn't that register with you morons that there was no reason to arrest him in the first place?

What registers, after the remarks made last night, is political pressure.

It was a press conference. Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun Times asked him the question. Given that myself and Ms Sweet know of President Obama's expertise on working with anti-racial profiling legislation in Illinois while he was an Illinois lawmaker he more than likely was aware of City of Cambridge, MA vs Henry Gates Jr. and could offer an opinion. If people properly understood disorderly conduct statue is not meant to cover situations that do not take place in public maybe they would understand why the charges were stupid to begin with. The only reason people are taking sides against Gates is because he's voiced his opinion that the charges against him and how he was treated were racially motivated.

Consider this, You've just ended a 16+ hour flight from China. How would you feel if you're in house and a cop starts harassing you? Come on folk get real. When the cops arrested him they'd established that it wasn't a burglary. Yet they handcuff the man. Take him out of his home to the station to book him, fingerprint him, mugshot him of a misdemeanor charge. Do you get it? If Gates pissed them off why didn't they just leave? Instead they instigated situation to the Nth degree which looks to me they wanted to punish Gates and make him suffer. This is something I'd expect from South Park's Eric Cartman because someone didn't respect their authority. In my opinion Gates has every right to believe he was treated unfairly.

The Cambridge police officer is not the only stupido out there, John-----you show your a-- too in your stupid comment.

No Kokayi, thousands of cases are dropped daily in courts all over the country. DA's offices have limited resources and a murder case, sexual assault etc take precedence over some race baiting elitist showing his butt.

No John, It wasn't the DA that dropped the charges. According to AP reports the "Police dismissed the charges Tuesday."

The DA usually tries to plea bargin for a lower rulling but it usually does not will not cancel an arrest before it goes to court because it more likely they would win if the defendant doesn't show up in court. If the charges are dismissed it only if the defendant shows up in court.

It's you and the police who has got this twisted and caught with your pants down around your ankles looking for soap to wash your nasty behinds.

kokayi - don't act like obama and weigh in on a topic without all the well-established facts.

they handcuff the man. Take him out of his home

They didn't handcuff him and take him out of his home. He followed the police out, all the while taunting them about their ID and badge number, and he was arrested outside and cuffed there.

Referring to obama's insight to the racial issues - he more than likely was aware- obama admits he didn't know all the facts (contradicts your support) yet he still chose to weigh in on the issue. To me, it is an obvious display of immaturity and lack of professionalism. A politician through and through. Has to have an input despite a lock of knowledge (can't keep their mouths shut).

Hey kok - the charges were dropped for the same reason blacks are allowed to sue Dennys for slow service and criminals like Rodney King are allowed to sue for getting roughed up while on a crack high. Political correctness and the fear of being called a racist have created a society that has no backbone and caves to pressure like this. To the militant blacks, We are BOB (bend over backwards) to accomodate them. Am I racist if I dislike you, not for skin color but for the horrible attitude you display and the dysfunctional lifestyles you lead? The biggest problem is that so very few black folk will speak out and admit to how full of spit the Scholar and the muslim are.

The police cannot drop the charges once they have been filed moron... It is the prosecutor that determines the merits of the case.....

Obviously, then, there were no merits to arrest him...

Obama is entitled to his opinion of the facts presented, just as everyone here on this blog is...

Alot of people just didn't like Obama ANYWAY and were/are looking for any reason to talk negative about him...sad. Black man in office has you THIS riled up? If your really THAT upset about it, write your local congressmen and voice your issues there instead of here under a fake name...tell the congressmen how we Blacks pull the "race card" at every chance we get and how we get away with everything and are somehow "privileged" and how you as a white person is sick of it...That's all I've heard from "you people" in reading your posts...If your so unhappy with how America is now and you hate our PRESIDENT, then why don't YOU go back to EUROPE, IRELAND, or wherever the f**k!!!!

No, everything ISN'T about race...unfortunately this was.

If you are black, the race card is the way to go, Kate. We might as well learn to live with it and go about our lives. It's here to stay. My question today is....Why when the word minority is used does it mean black people? Why are blacks so self absorbed that they think only of themselves as minorities? What about Asians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Germans, Swedish, French, Russians, etc.? Why is life in this country always about blacks? C'mon all you black people, get the deck out and pull that ol' race card. I'll be very disappointed if you don't.

What a shame. Black first, American second, or maybe even third. I can't imagine what would be second, but I am sure it wouldn't be American. You make your race a joke - you do it to yourself. How about being an American. We would all blend better if no one was searching the deck for the race card.

Oh and by the way, I am Czech, German, Irish, English, and Native American. How's that for a minority? Now, where's my money.

I think the most ironic part about this is the picture of Gates being arrested. Anyone notice the big BLACK cop involved with arresting him?!

This is beyond stupid. The cops were responding to a call, asked him for ID and Gates not only refused to cooperate, he was also rude and acting like a jackass. Anyone who acts like this to an officer faces the possibility of being arrested, EVERYONE. All Gates had to do was to cooperate and thank the officers for making sure someone WASN'T breaking into his home! Simple and over with.

Why does everything have to be about race? The only reason he was arrested was because HE acted inappropriately. He put those cuffs on his wrists with his actions, nothing else.

Oh Brother Where Art Thou?

Geez! If you want to see racism and bigotry, all you have to do is read the majority of posts here. Sadly, racism and bigotry are alive and well in America, the offspring of ignorance.

First of all, President Obama did not bring up the subject; a member of the press corps asked him his opinion of the incident. The president prefaced his comments by saying that he knew Prof. Gates personally and therefore his opinions on the subject were, naturally, likely to be skewed. He also stated that it was his personal opinion that the officer acted stupidly.

Next: Gates was entitled to ask the officer for identification. Generally, police departments encourage people to ask for identification before letting any officer into their home.

The black officer at the arrest was not the senior officer and thus had no authority to affirm or condemn the arrest.

And who exactly is this woman who claims to be a neighbor but does not recognize the man trying to get into the home? Has she ever actually met Professor Gates? Does she live next door or three blocks and four streets away and only claims neighborhood status by virtue of walking her dog there every day? (It appears she may be the one who does not belong if she doesn't recognize her 'neighbor'.)

Now, lastly, consider your own state of mind had you been out of the country for three weeks; you are already tired and frustrated from your trip and its multitude of layovers across the world. Then, you get home to find no one is home and you have lost your keys! Your driver helps you get into the house and, by that time, his aid is the only up note of your day. Then some nosey busybody from who knows where decides that, because you are black and she is white and you are in "her" neighborhood, you must be up to no good.

Then a Cop comes banging on your door saying he is responding to a burglarly call and asks for your i.d. Now you are really pist! "No! I want to see your i.d." you tell him. Of course, at this point, the cop may well believe you don't belong in the house and threatens to arrest you if you don't show him any i.d. so you, reluctantly, comply and pull out your identification proving that you are who you say you are and you are the rightful owner of the home.

This story should end right there with the officer apologizing to you for the intrusion and promising to explain the mix-up to the 'neighbor'. But why, in Gates' case, didn't it? Well, there are two sides to every story - even with a police incident report. The officer, naturally, would want to put his best face on the incident downplaying any untoward behavior on his part while, simultaneously, making the suspected intruder behave in such a way as to justify his behavior. Most obvious is the fact that the officer did handle the situation badly. In any confrontational situation, the officer needs to be able to assess the situation and determine the threat level. Once he determined the Professor Gates was the rightful owner of the home and had every right to be there, the situation should have de-escalated. Instead, the officer saw fit to allow the situation to escalate.

Gates, likewise, would want to make his own conduct appear above reproach while skewing the officer's behavior in the more negative light. This, my friends, is human nature. We all do it. And, in hindsight, Gates probably wishes he had also handled the situation differently.

But the fact of the matter is, his arrest was totally unwarranted. Now, the next question here is: why is the officer so opposed to apologizing to Professor Gates? He doesn't have to admit racism or wrongdoing. A simple, "I am sorry for any undue stress or hardship this incident may have caused Professor Gates," would seem to fill the bill. He may even want to preface the comment by stressing the fact that he is not a racist and has always prided himself on striving to make fair, unbiased decisions in all of his work. His failure to acknowledge Gates' hardship and suffering only brings his racial attitudes into greater question. Like too many among the illiterati here, it may be he is a closet racist. Any time you use phrases like "those people" or "them" or classify everyone of any particular racial or ethnic background as doing or being something, you are being a racist and a bigot and you are propagating racist and bigoted mentality.

So what really bugs you? The fact that Obama is a Democrat and you are a Republican?
The fact that he is black and smarter than you?
The fact that he has achieved far more than you have and the best you can do is throw racial slurs and innuendo from behind your anonymous board i.d.?

All bigots are hereby invited to pack all of your discriminatory ideas into your carpetbags and throw them overboard. It's up to you to decide whether to hold on to them as they sink to the bottom of the ocean!

This comment by Peter-500676 was collapsed by the community:

The President was asked what he thought and he told the reporter. We all have opinions and I'm white, and 70 years old. I guess the Prez could have been more diplomatic but, hey, he's seen this discrimination crap in his own life, so who's to blame him for speaking an honest opinion. I happen to agree with him, and by the way, he qualified his opinion. He said Gates was his friend and he might be biased, plus that his opinion was based on the facts that he and everybody had access to. The guy was arrested in his own home after his identity was no longer in question because he demanded identification of the officer, which by the way, was his right under the law. So, yes, he acted stupidly.

How is a comment collapsed by the community?

Why was the above comment collapsed?

I think someone has acted stupidly.

RORY -- rodney king was "roughed up"?

Rodney King was sodomized so badly with a broom handle his teeth were broken and that was only one injustice done to him WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE

what is your point? it's ok for police to brutalize blacks who they say are drug addicts

when the cops shot that gentleman on his way home from a bachelor party and got off i was so sad, angry and ashamed -- this blog and the white supremacists on it make me feel the same way

-- I assumed the cops who shot someone 50 times would pay and he did not -- I assumed this blog would be all for Gates and it is not

i assumed sarah palin would be laughed off stage and she was not....

it's scary and sad

roughed up is being shoved around a little nary a scratch and all that NOT sodomized with broom handles!

Dika - what bugs me is your making excuses for Prof Gates not just intially answering the officer's request by telling him he lived there and had been locked out instead of screaming racist. You can be tired after a 16 hour flight or a 12 hour work day or frustrated that you just had a flat tire in the rain - you can still be civil. If he had intitially answered that he lived there and provided ID - end of story. I agree that I wonder about a "neighbor" who does not recognize her own neighbor but look at the possiblity that he never tried to know his neighbors so they don't recognize him. The officer did not need to apologize for the "intrusion". He was answering a call about a possible break in and was doing his job. That is not an intrusion. Gates would have been very unhappy with the police if there had been a break in while he was away and the police didn't respond to check that out. Methinks Gates has let his Harvard entitlement go to his head with his threats. The officer should have just given his name again and left but by that time Gates was not going to leave it alone. Both needed cooler heads but Gates started it by not answering the intital questions calmly.

Diane Larkin: You might want to check your facts prior to opening mouth or using a keyboard, just a suggestion, it would keep yuor embarrassment level lower. Rodney King was never sodomized or had any teeth broken nor recieved any serious injury requiring hospitalization. He was treated at Pacifica emergency room as per standard procedure for cuts/lacerations and bruising then released back into LAPD custody for booking. I have no clue what your talking about.

Dika,

Obama is HALF black and HALF white. How easily people seem to gloss over that little bit of information.

This is the difficult part: if a cop bangs on the door demanding to see ID, how do you if that cop is really a cop instead of a potential burglar himself? We've seen news reports of people pretending to be cops but when they let him in, he turned out to be rapist in disguise. How do you know?

So it is naturally the person inside the home would want to see some police ID. Then it gets into a shouting match of who is who. If it was a real cop, he can cite the guy for disorderly conduct or uncooperative behavior for not showing ID when asked by a peace officer.

Diane Larkin that is Abner Louima you are talking about. Rodney is the dumba** who was high on pcp and was repeatedly charging officers and still sued!!! Oh yeah all of the officers were acquitted

haha my bad 2 were convicted during a civil rights trial.

Mr Kokayi; you said the following:

...If people properly understood disorderly conduct statue is not meant to cover situations that do not take place in public maybe they would understand why the charges were stupid to begin with. The only reason people are taking sides against Gates is because he's voiced his opinion that the charges against him and how he was treated were racially motivated...

I an not a lawyer, but my job requires that I have a better than typical understanding of, at least, criminal statutes. You are absolutely correct. Disorderly conduct statutes are designed to control disturbances in a public place that disturb a substantial number of people in such a public place. In individual disturbed or annoyed would need to use a different law (in NY called "harrassment") to deal with "i don't like what you said to me."

In this case even Stevie Wonder would see that the officer was miffed at Dr. Gates response to the officer's order for Dr. Gates to leave the relative peace of his home to be interrogated by an officer--without Dr. Gates having at attorney present. Now, granted, that would make me angry and, as a sworn officer familiar with the law, I might go with harrassment, but even then I would anticipate that a DA actually reading the arrest report might not find any probable cause written in the report--I would then drop the case as unwinnable. That's what the DA did. And no matter what political pressure people think might have happened, the legally-required presumption of innocense, coupled with the DA having the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt, would mean that the DA simply could not prevail in a trial.

I find it interesting that, unlike many here, you remind us that constitutional rights are not birthrights to only white americans; they apply to everyone here--even "uppity" (i'll use the word that everyone seems to be thinking here) negroes at harvard.

Rodney King was sodomized so badly with a broom handle his teeth were broken and that was only one injustice done to him WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE

dianelarkin - your moral outrage should at least be linked to the correct facts. Rodney King was not soddomized by the police using a broom handle. Wrong city. Wrong case. Wrong side of the continent. Rodney King was the man whose beating was caught on video cameras and whose case ultimately provoked race riots in L.A.

The person you (may be) thinking of is Abner Louima. In his case 3 or more officers were ultimately convicted in the attack.

Interestingly (and sadly) enough, this is not the only sodomy by instrumentation case in New York. Last year two patrolmen were charged in a case involving a tatoo parlour worker who claimed to have been sodomized by both a baton and a hand-held radio attenna.

I share anybody's outrage at all of the above cases. But none of them deserve mentioning in the current context of Dr. Gates unfortunate arrest.

There was no neighbor......... and no initial dispatch record of a call.

I agree, the er...Mr Obama acted 'stupidly' last night during the news conference with the staged question. Then HE PLAYED THE RACE CARD.

This incident confirm my belief that prejudice and racism in this country will not go away because even a highly educated older black man can act like a child....not much different from one lowly educated white middle age woman that I met a few years ago in Youngstown.

It's not against the law to be a Pompous A hole other wise all of congress would be under arrest.

Stupid is as Stupid does.

Pelican there were 8 civilian witnesses including the next door neighbor. Even a cvil rights attorney said that last night on Fox and again in some of the online CNN articles. There was a dispatch. Obama played the race card and jumped in to this to protect his personal friend when he should have said "No comment!".

This cop is being railroaded by people like you. Are you paid by a 527 to plant this garbage?

Obama in defending his statement the next day, said with all the things going on with economy, wars, etc, he didn't think something like this should happen, and he specifically mentioned the arrest of Gates.

What shouldn't have happened is Obama's skinny, little racist self even commenting about his racist Professor friend's arrest until internal investigation complete.

In this case even Stevie Wonder would see that the officer was miffed at Dr. Gates response to the officer's order for Dr. Gates to leave the relative peace of his home to be interrogated by an officer--without Dr. Gates having at attorney present.

Keith D. Smith - Do you just close your eyes and make up "facts"to support your preconceived notions? In all the accounts I've read, the officer's initial and quite justifiable request, was for Dr. Gates to produce an ID proving he was the legal resident of the house. What followed was an apparently angry interchange between Officer Crowley and the Harvard professor; Stevie Wonder not being present, we only know what was said by the accounts of the two participants and those accounts differ.

Apparently an ID was produced, but Professor Gates chose to follow the officer out of the house, at which point he was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Neither you nor I were present when the arrest occurred.

• Why do you assume he was being subjected to unfair treatment?
• What would you expect a police officer to do when investigating a reported home break-in?
• If it was a break-in, and the police officer had accepted the loud claims of the person found in the house, who would be found liable for any damages or personal injury?

Diane Larkin that is Abner Louima you are talking about. Rodney is the dumba** who was high on pcp and was repeatedly charging officers and still sued!!! Oh yeah all of the officers were acquitted

Chris-K - That is only half-true. The officers were initially acquitted, but subsequently tried under a different statute, in a different jurisdiction and I believe two of them were found guilty of civil-rights violations.

I didn't agree with either the verdict or the decision to try these men twice. A calm, apolitical review of the video tape shows a large African American male who first repeatedly charges the officers, shaking off tazers, then, when brought to the ground, repeatedly refuses to comply with the officers requests. Under those circumstances it is hard to prove criminal intent on the part of the officers. They have a legal duty to restrain him. To actually wrestle with him on the ground would give the arrest subject opportunity to injure one or more of the police officers or even to grab one of their weapons.

Did they go to far, maybe, even probably. But probably is not equal to guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

My thoughts exactly. Look at the mess this country is in - most of it due to presidents, cabinet members and Supreme Court justices who were educate at Yale, Harvard and other Ivy League schools. After decades of being screwed, you'd think the American voter would wake up, but they continue to believe these elitists snobs are somehow better than people educated at public universities. They study the same material and pass the same tests.

Unfortunately, the POTUS played the race card tonight and I don't think there is any question of who he represents and it certainly is not me. I guess birds of a feather do stick together.

i'm beginning to wonder why everyone holds harvard up as a bastion for the intellectually superior

I would think that a letter of acceptence to Harvard would be a cause for distress for most clear thinking people.

Obama went to Harvard Law School where 25% of his class was minority, and about 70% were awarded honors upon graduation. Yet Obama has refused to show his grades. Interesting social experiment.

Obama's immediate pulling of the race card would get him fired if he were a cabinet head.

Sure would have in the past. But not in this Cabinet.

Heck, in this administration, you don't even have to pay your taxes. Nice law-abiding group we have leading the nation into ruin, isn't it?

Harvard is NOT a better school it is just more expensive. How many times have you seen a person brag about how much they paid for something? Remedial education at harvard costs a lot more than at a community college. The University of Wisconsin and Marquette University both have a law school. yet both of these colleges have graduates that can't pass a simple Bar examination. They are allowed to practice law without proving that they are competant. This is why the justice system is so screwed up. They don't know what they are doing. But they do know how to lie. If you get pulled over in Wisconsin and need an attorney ask if they went to a wisconsin law school. If they say Yes, get a different attorney.

This comment by Peter-500676 was collapsed by the community:

The President was asked what he thought and he told the reporter. We all have opinions and I'm white, and 70 years old. I guess the Prez could have been more diplomatic but, hey, he's seen this discrimination crap in his own life, so who's to blame him for speaking an honest opinion. I happen to agree with him, and by the way, he qualified his opinion. He said Gates was his friend and he might be biased, plus that his opinion was based on the facts that he and everybody had access to. The guy was arrested in his own home after his identity was no longer in question because he demanded identification of the officer, which by the way, was his right under the law. So, yes, he acted stupidly.

How is a comment collapsed by the community?

Why was the above comment collapsed?

I think someone has acted stupidly.

I am so appalled by the stupidity and bigotry on this blog today

Just because you all say you are right does not make you right!

i think it was Jim Baker, a chief of staff in a conservative republican white house who said (paraphrasing here)...'If you see something and you're not quite sure of what it is, but it looks like a duck and it acts like a duck and it quacks like a duck?...It's probably a duck!

I wholeheartedly agree that starting off by saying....'i don't have all the facts but.....' is shaky ground. But in this case.....It's a duck!

Middleclass #5,

Your final question is the most important item about this entire story ! Thanks !

All of them

Indeed, let's not forget that basically Obama has had positions given to him in life. He has never had to run a business, balance the books, and make decisions on his own. The trial-and-error of learning what it is to make decisions is something he will do in the White House.

bbagot,

How was the president given anything in his life. He worked hard and studied to get his two degrees. He came to Chicago and worked as a community organizer and attorney. Then he ran for the state senate, US senate and president of the US. Have you ever compaigned for office, do you know how much work is involved? I suspect you don't know what your talking about.

Talk about experience in business, the last president had a lot of experience with running businesses into the ground (even though he had been given everything that a rich privilged white boy could ask for). He was a failed alcoholic until he was in his forties, but according to people like you he was qualified to be president of the US. We are paying big time for his lack of knowledge and experience. By the way, trial and error is how everybody learns to make decisions and there is not one person in this country who has the experience of being president.

Whatever Gates said in his own home is protected under the First Amendment. The Cambridge cops abused the disorderly conduct charge to harass and punish the man. Police do it black people all the time. They dropped the charges because they would lose in court. Therefor, it plain and simple false arrest. Why can't you numbskulls see everything that has transpired here is the Cambridge Police fault. They screwed with the wrong black man this time and not they're going to pay dearly for kidnapping him from his home in handcuffs. I had to court to stand up for my rights against bogus police disorderly charges and I've won everytime because the cop was STUPID and thought they could get away with it because they were cops.

Hey Middleclass 961940, just to add a gloss to your post:

Now we know why he picked Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. Based on what we hear, they seem to have the same mindset.

Kokayi.............we will never know if the charges would have been thrown out of court since the ones in charge of the police department in boston dropped the charges..I am sure at the request of higher ups. It would have been interesting to have this go to court...and see just who would have won...there is nowhere in any statement by the media that the officers mistreated the professor in any way...nor used words of color against him..only the professor seems to have done that. It would appear that politics is a bit involved in this..or has inserted itself ...which is a shame..it has no place in it.

from middleclass - President, if he doesn't know all the facts, why offer an opinion? How many other decisions is he making without all the facts?

Quite a few decisions are being done by him without all the facts.

The president recently confessed he is "not familiar" with key provisions of the pending health care legislation.

Obama's embarrassing admission came during a conference call with left-leaning bloggers.

Obama urged the bloggers to continue pressuring Congress to pass health-care reform immediately. During that call, a blogger referenced an article in Investor's Business Daily indicating Section 102 of the House bill would "outlaw" private insurance.

"Is this true?" the blogger asked Obama. "Will people be able to keep their insurance and will insurers be able to write new policies even though H.R. 3200 is passed?"

The president's response on behalf of the legislation he is pushing through Congress: "You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about."

Jonh,

You obvious don't know what a lease is.

A lease is a contract conferring a right on one person (called a tenant or ) to possess property belonging to another person (called a landlord or ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lease

Learn how to read and interpret facts the way intelligent people do or at least learn how to better fake it. You're on Newsvine now. Get Smarter....

Ivan,

Look at the charge. The state has no right to charge anyone with disorderly conduct on private property. Disorderly conduct generally applies to public conduct. It is doubtful the City of Cambridge would have won. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disorderly_conduct#Interpretation for more info.

It was widely reported that the cop entered Gates home without his permission. Why did the cop follow Gate into his home when Gates sought documents to prove his right to occupy his home? I'm sure from Gate perpective the cop mistrusted him and entered his home because he didn't believe it was his home. Once he proved to the cop it was his home and the cop didn't automatically leave the cop was being an a--hole. You're welcome to have whatever opinion you chose. Just as Gates is capable of formulating his own opinions and acting upon them.

The police dropped the charges because the funked-up. The City of Cambridge will most likely be sued by Gates, lose and have to pay damages to Gates. The cop screwed up. It doesn't matter if it was racially motivated or not. CPD attempted to misuse the law and now they're going to be punished for their wrongdoings.

Koyaki:

From your comments:

It was widely reported that the cop entered Gates home without his permission. Why did the cop follow Gate into his home when Gates sought documents to prove his right to occupy his home?

Perhaps to secure the home, and be sure there weren't actual intruders inside? After all, that was what he was there to investigate!

kokayi, in one post you say "Whatever Gates said in his own home is protected under the First Amendment." Then in another post you blast JOhn by saying, "You obvious don't know what a lease is." (should be worded obviously btw).

First you say he owns the home, then you stress that he was leasing it. Maybe the officer was just like you and was having trouble verifying ownership of property.

Mistakes by officer and Gates. My interpretation is that officer initially doing his job and following procedures. Gates got pissed because tired from long trip and having to break into his own (leased) house and said some things that pissed off the officer. Both wound up acting like three year olds. Both should just state, it was misunderstanding and move on and Obama should apologize for sticking his nose into something he knew nothing about.

How many other decisions will BO make without facts?! ALL OF THEM! He signed a stimulus bill without reading it - like most of congress. No one knew what they were signing - it was just a "GITERDONE" by the stinking B.O. to show that he could accomplish something / anything in his short period of time in office. And the accompanying lie of no earmarks?!?! One or two slip by? Oh, okay....but 9000+?!?! Arrogant Liar!

Darrell,

Exactly why are you nitpicking over such a trivial issue. If you would have read the full entry at wikipedia you would understand. A lease is like a mortgage is a legal instrument used to transfer ownship from one party to another via the transfer of funds. Mortgage holder technically don't own there homes until it's paid off but are generally regard as the property's owners.

Gate's had ID that matched the location in question. Why did the cop need to go to the nth degree? What further proof was necessary? This is exactly the kind bending over backwards to justify the stupid actions of Sgt. Crowley.

Kokayi, the disorderly conduct was in public view. That is considered "in public." Just like you can't get naked on your front lawn.

The cop entered the residence of the burglary in progress, following the belligerant unidentified man (no photo ID yet) at the time. Cops don't have telepathy. After he did show ID, the cop left. While gates was acting racist. Clearly up to that point at least, the cop was just doing his job, and doing it very well, while the professor was verbally abusing over race, hence racist.

After the cop left the residence, the cop asked the racist man yelling in public to stop... more than once = disorderly conduct. Or is it ok for me to stand in my yard yelling racist comments at passing officers? Either way it's certainly not racism by the cop, you can argue the disorderly conduct charge, but it's not clear cut. It also isn't obvioulsy racist, I could see the situation going down the same with a cop arresting a white guy for yelling at cops in public.

Your automatic reaction to hate the white guy on the other hand...........

Also, regarding your comment abouth the nth degree. A few years ago I had mistyped the alarm code on my keypad at work. It's a large warehouse in a not so great part of town. Just after the alarm started to sound I pushed the code correctly, but an officer showed up anyways. I left the door open because I knew they would show up. The black officer entered the warehouse with his gun drawn and pointed at my face. After I told him I worked there he asked me to put my hands on my head. Not because he's a racist, but because cops don't have telepathy, I could have been lying! After I put my hands on my head and turned around, I told him to look at my ID sitting on my workstation, he did. He left after I thanked him for checking on the alarm. In that situation race did not play a factor. The moral of the story, cops are supposed to check ID's when they think there is a break in duh!

Bounty: good post but most of these odumbomaniacs allready have the die cast, the lady who saw someone forcing entry into a home was RACIST for calling the police. She should have known you only call the police on "other than black". The police repsonded to a 459 Hot Prowl ready to catch a felon in progress, so they were racist prior to arrival. Then when they observed a black male within the house they should have just walked off without checking it out making them double racist. If he had been a black male actually burglarizing this home the police should have helped him carry the goods out for him so as to not hurt his back. Common sense and reason are definatly out the window for these folks and our moron of a president who seems to think the police are stupid. So if you have any crimes in the future call bill ayers and he can come blow them up because thats NOT stupid, I guess.

The cop was RIGHT to enter without permission because he had probable cause in that the house was reported as a burglary.

The Prof was wrong to fly off the handle and throw in racism when the cop was just doing his job.

The cop was wrong for arresting him because he was ticked off at the prof being an idiot.

They were both wrong... the charges were dropped, and obviously the SGT. is not a racist... just made a mistake.

Can we move on now?

Probable cause cannot be hearsay. the officer saw nothing illegal and, in fact, had no probable cause whatsoever.

why is it so popular suddenly in this country to despise education

and why does anyone think that will serve america?

people with education are now 'elitist'

and this is a good thing? taking us in a good direction

right you all are DOWN WITH EDUCATION who needs it! not america!

Probable cause cannot be hearsay. the officer saw nothing illegal and, in fact, had no probable cause whatsoever.

Keith D. Smith - Hearsay would be a third party calling the police to relate that somebody they spoke to thought they saw something. In this case, a the witness called the Cambridge police directly. Since she has been identified in the media, I've no doubt that she properly identified herself.

From wikipedia: Hearsay is information gathered by Person A from Person B concerning some event, condition, or thing of which Person A had no direct experience.

If the police don't investigate such reports than they might as well disconnect their phones and hope an officer will always be present whenever a crime is committed.

Also, if the police had ignored the call, or failed to demand identification of the man found in the home and it was a burglar (or worse), they would (and should) be liable in civil courts for any damage or harm which ensued.

Obama making statements and judgements without having all all the facts about a local municipal police matter, that a world leader has no business being involved in, just goes to show that Obama is making decisions on national and foreign relation matters without having all the facts. Obama is either to lazy or to stupid to sort out the facts and how respond in a well thought out intellegant manner. Or he is both, just like Bush was.

Obama has many friends he defends, haven't you been watching the news for 2 years? Gates seems pretty mellow comparitively speaking. Did you know he had friends who were terrorists? ...and white haters? Is that OK? I guess so, he's our elected president.

reverend Wright, Professor Gates, Both Racist. both Friends of Obama.

Bill Ayers, Father Pfleger, both hate what america stands for, both friends of obama.

Is there a pattern here? I'll look into it more.

If he said no comment everybody would be mad as hell over no comment.

Roger Thacker - Re-read my posting - I gave an example of what he might have said. Saying you don't want to comment and explaining why makes all the difference.

If he said no comment everybody would be mad as hell over no comment.

Oh cut the crap. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to say " I don't know the facts", or even better, "It's a matter for the local police". His comment reveals his racist nature.

Tango -

You are right.

Yes indeed - he let slip that he is a racist. Oops!

And he used the opportunity to also coddle to the Hispanics (illegals) by including them by saying "...is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately..."

Future voters. He's definately an opportunist.

Get smarter...

Here's Obama position.

The Blueprint for Change:
Barack Obama's Plan for America

The Blueprint for Change: on Crime

Ban racial profiling & eliminate disparities in sentencing

AT A GLANCE

• Promote Fairness in the Criminal Justice System: Obama will work to ban racial profiling, eliminate disparities in criminal sentencing,

THE PROBLEM

• Disparities Continue to Plague Criminal Justice System: African Americans and Hispanics are more than twice as likely as whites to be searched, arrested, or subdued with force when stopped by police.