REUTERS/Molly Riley
GIBBS: About an ongoing discussion racial issues in this country, I think because of who he is as president and because its obvious these issues are still very raw in our society, I think he believes that he can help bring these type of teachable moments to the forefront, allow our dialogue to take over and communicate better with each other and make society a little bit better because of it.
The tape of the 911 call was released. Something I’m sure President Obama was hoping wouldn’t happen, and whose effect he wished to deflect through charm and beer diplomacy. But unless professor Gates apologizes and president Obama apologizes, the teachable moment is lost to them. And progress in race relations will be retarded, thanks to these two knee-jerkers.
Apparently Crowley, Gates, and the “post-racial” president Obama will have their beer at the White House, 6pm Thursday. Maybe they can invite Whalen as well, given how her name’s been slandered through the mud with charges of racism.
So what was the teachable moment, here? Anyone? I want to hear what you, the reader, learned from all this.
(Don’t forget to calibrate your words carefully, now….)
One teachable moment for me is this: Those carrying racial chips on their shoulders will knee-jerk responses prematurely and see racism where it’s not present. The consequence of that is, it inflames others and promotes racial tension and disharmony. Gates and Obama both occupy positions of leadership and clout. When they cry “racism”, they have sycophant followers and those who are reverse racists who will only be inflamed into perpetuating the “cycle of racism”.
Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton have already weighed in on this, “stupidly”, btw.
Sharpton:
Looking for the video of Farrakhan dredging up American slavery…
Per the Chris Rock Show doing a parody on what black people should do when police officers approaches them anywhere.
When a Police Officer Approaches you:
1. Use Common Sense
2. Be Polite
3. Shut the F*** Up
and you will avoid having your ass arrested or getting beat down….
Seems like that is the teachable moment ladies and gentleman courtesy of a NON-RACIST APPROACH that is applicable to all people of each skin tone & gender.
Teachable moment? When liberals admit that the real racists in this country are usually the ones screaming the loudest about racism.
I learned that if you have friends that hold positions of power, it doesn’t really matter what the facts are.
Teachable moment? Never elect someone who shoots off his mouth without knowing all the facts to be the Leader of the Free World!
What a great way to calm tensions by offering Gates & Cowley to go over to the White House for a beer. This will make it less likely Gates will sue etc. Sure – and Whalen should be invited too – particularly when she has disputed Cowley’s report that she identified the suspected intruders as Black. No doubt all parties including Obama – let things get out of hand over a relatively small incident based on a reasonable mistaken assumption.
But of course this won’t satisfy some – it’s gotta be win 100% where one person did everything right and everyone else was totally wrong. *sigh*
The teachable moment is no matter what facts are revealed a political split remains in the way these facts are interpreted.
Also, Obama’s snobbish, high school behavior has divided the public and created unnecessary racial tension in a situation that had nothing to do with race. Never thought twice before he degraded the police, never thought once about telling Gates that his remarks were unbecoming for a man of his stature. Look for a “nevermind” as he brushes it all away, leaving the Cambridge community to sort it all out.
Whelan and Crowley will unnecessarily have to repair their reputations, members of that community will still want to believe the worst, Gates won’t care.
We also learned the president puts race ahead of ‘we the people,’ took him several days to figure out how his careless, off-the-cuff, presidential statement exposed him.
Just found this:
Barack’s Teachable Moment:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/07/baracks_teachable_moment.html
Here’s some more teachable gravely important moments, http://stopthepresses2.blogspot.com/search/label/Racial
I honestly do not see anything “teachable” about this. What I do see is a feeble attempt to get this swept under the carpet with no apologies offered and an Obama photo op moment. The facts do not support any charge of racial profiling on the part of the Cambridge PD. They do support Gates attempting to play the race card and Obama exposing his bias.
I would no more sit down with Gates & Obama for a beer than I would place flowers on Saddam Hussein’s grave.
This is from Hot Air, you should watch it GaffaUK.
Cambridge Cops Defend Fellow Officer
What about the guy who was with Gates? Why hasn’t he been identified and asked fo rhis version, after all he is probably an eyewitness that could back up Skippy’s account?
The teachable moment in this folly is that obama is a complete dunce, and without his electronic binkie will in all likelihood say something appallingly stupid.
Like the Cambridge police acted stupidly.
Total. Vapid. Idiotic. Putz.
This is not about race nor BO’s racism.
This is Axelrod (via Sweet) changing the subject, and Alinsky-style, churning up ACORN-types, and allowing wayward Dems to observe BO’s manipulation of the masses, in threatening the Dems when they return to their districts this summer.
BO’s numbers are tanking. This “crisis” will (1) distract everyone from BO’s numbers, (2) utilize age-old methods to incite ACORN-types to support BO stronger than ever, regardless of his failed policies, and most importantly, (3) let Dems know that their constituents will be “rile-up” when the Dems go home this summer.
Axelrod and BO are so arrogant that they failed to foresee negative blowback from those intentionally-blind supporters who thought BO was post-racial, an intellectual, etc. The scales are falling from the eyes of those previously in denial.
The whole BO response is to remind America that BO is still The One. Plain and simple. Forget the details of the incident, they are irrelevant outside of Cambridge. MA.
Gates sits on the Board of ProPublica–a George Soros funded entity.
you would think a harvard educated professor would be smarter. this all boils down to the ‘don’t you know who i am’ scenario.
That photo of O’Bluster…
…is he the reincarnation of Mussolini, or is he just “channeling” him?
Too bad Obie is ignant of history, or he would know how his ilk end up…
http://italy.indymedia.org/uploads/2002/03/mussolini_c.1945.jpg
LA Times:
Huh?! And “wtf?!”
If this is a “teachable moment” and to be “taken advantage of” and used as a springboard for race relations/racial profiling, the lessons should cut both ways and be learned by those on both sides. This includes Shelton…this includes Gates; this includes President Obama. They should look themselves in the mirror and reflect on their own prejudicial views as well.
Here’s some really good perspective to munch on, too by Jonathan Zimmerman when firebrands like Farrakhan want to froth about police officers in America and think GatesGate ties in with America’s slavery past:
Teachable moment… hmmm … I guess it’s that if we are approached by a policeman, verbally assault him, immediately cry racism and then have a beer with Obama and laugh about how racist others are?
@Wordsmith said: “If this is a “teachable moment” and to be “taken advantage of” and used as a springboard for race relations/racial profiling, the lessons should cut both ways and be learned by those on both sides. This includes Shelton…this includes Gates; this includes President Obama. They should look themselves in the mirror and reflect on their own prejudicial views as well. “
When did you EVER see a “teachable moment” from liberals be fair minded in the presentation of both sides of a problem?
What they mean by all that goobledegook is that this is another excellent opportunity for them to engage in another round of liberal brainwashing.
When are libs EVER held to account for their own actions? And why should they? They have a ready made excuse for their misbehavior.
If they successfully paint the cop as a racist, then their own behavior won’t be examined.
And of course they have plenty of allies in the “news” media ready to slant the story in just that manner.
Another teachable moment is to many of the posters in FA who assumed the initial reports of “two black men” with back packs breaking into the house. They used that line to give probable cause to the police in their invectives. Truth be known, the 911 caller did not say black men were breaking in.
Gates was wrong for being a loud mouth.
The police were wrong for asking him to come outside (ostensibly to have a reason to arrest him).
Obama was wrong for calling the police stupid.
FA commenters were wrong for accepting as fact the initial reports (like Obama, they did not have the facts and opened up their mouths).
So all of those who used the description of “two black men” as part of their responding that a police officer had ample probable cause… you all need to correct the record.
Well here is the teachable moment for me… a lady(s) called 911 because of a suspected break in. The dispatch gathered all the details and sent a unit out. Now here is the kicker (read slowly)….. the DISPATCH sent A UNIT out to investigate. This unit could have been white, black, yellow, green or blue. However on the off chance that the officer was white, the problem all of a sudden becomes a matter of race. If the officer was black? Well, what would have happened then? Would the black officer have acted differently given the situation? I.E. left the scene because they understand that black people usually bust down their front door to get in. Its cultural. White people just don’t understand. I doubt it. We just wouldn’t have heard about it.
Funny when stuff makes news. Teachable moments just become a platforms for the tired voices we are sick of hearing. Like the kid at school that thinks everyone (including the world) hate them, we give less and less credit to every out cry.. especially ones like this that hold no water. Pick something legit and go with that.
GaffaUK just proves the point, that when the left is wrong it all of a sudden becomes a matter of percentage ‘right’. If the left is wrong, they concede to a draw and point out some kind of mundane detail like ‘some people can’t accept that everyone did something wrong’. Or they involve a third party and blame it on them (the old lady). Don’t forget, whether the caller is racist or not, that is inconsequential. The law has a process it is required to follow or it doesn’t work. I.E. cases will get thrown out. If the officer acted racist, that is different.
Seriously, stop blaming the caller or the old lady! I think it was great she was watching the neighborhood closely enough to call the police at something suspicious. I would have thanked her. The left doesn’t thank her, they call her racist. Way to go idiots, die on every hill for your worthless cause and all of a sudden no one is willing to die on any. Like the legitimate ones. Like watching out for your neighbor.
Given the circumstances, I would have done the same thing as the officer. Now we know better… when a black man apparently breaks into a house, watch out law enforcement, a lawsuit is coming your way if you are white. The black community keeps shooting themselves in the foot with situations like this.
ehhh, post caught in spam
@blast: Whether it was the description of two black men or not they had more then enough reasonable cause to detain both men AND sweep the house without a warrant. They could of been white, black, asian or purple….matters not. The call came out as a possible burglary now call, two men seen forcing entry into the house. Obama, Gates and your kind will lose this one legally if they keep trying to pursue the line that the police were wrong.
[edit] sorry for the repost
Just saw this on Drudge. Looks like BO lost at least one supporter on the Cambridge Police force:
Cambridge cops support Crowley*
(hope the link works…)
[Courtesy embed - Aye]
Well, your example is rediculious… if you listened to the 911 call you would hear the caller describe a much more passive means of entry vs. “bust”(ing) the door down.
BULL! The police do not have the right to sweep the house without a warrant when the occupant was able to identify himself. Maybe you want cops walking around your house any time they sense “probable cause”, but I would never want police to have that much power.
I think this whole issue is out of hand, Gates should have shown his ID and that should have been that. He obviously was manic and pissed and shot his mouth off…. I then think the police officer asked the ranting man to step out of his house, so he could arrest him for disorderly conduct. Both were wrong. Period. Once Gates was identified, the cops should have left, they had no business at the house any longer.
You wait until cops decide to invade the home of a tea bagger, etc. Probable cause expanded to fit their needs and walk in and look around. The 911 caller did not even know if it was truly a break in…
So that is probable cause to search without a warrant, an unidentified cell phone caller vs. the man who had identification of living there. What happens if someone calls the cops to your house?
Your mistaken Blast. They don’t even need the “probable cause,” this met the lower threshold of reasonable cause. A sweep of that house for burglary’s and anyone hurt or hiding was and is fully justified. Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make it true.
Man, blast knows everything.
/You/ don’t get the point. Much more passive? Apparently the cop didn’t think so, nor did the lady calling. She said she didn’t know, but they did push through the screen and the door. It was enough to warrant concern. Plus, you miss the point to pick out a semantic. Great job! You know exactly how to win an argument. Avoid the facts and make points out of non-issues.
Blast, I think you have Curt cornered in your logic. Just to make sure though, I would really appreciate your references to actual law, not what you find fair/not fair. Plus its not like Curt knows anything about law enforcement.
Blasted digs a hole, and keeps on digging. Too funny. Oh and BTW,
For those who refuse to belive gates is racist or a race pimp, I say look at this.
http://www.littlegreenfootballs2.com/2009/07/27/%e2%80%9cracist-white-institutions%e2%80%9d-by-henry-gates/
“Racist White Institutions” by Henry Gates.
But wait, there’s more!
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104938
“Meet the man at center of Obama’s race controversy
Gates immortalized communist, linked to radical black activists”
Thanks Aye, for the link. Guess I need a embedding videos 101 class.
blast, you must be off your nuts to be arguing with Curt about what constitutes either PC or reasonable cause. Surely you cannot be that clueless as to his career.
The “two black men” was media disinformation. Hard to tell with these bozos anymore what’s really happening since they don’t wait for facts. But don’t be blaming the FA commenters for what the news says. As Curt points out, race didn’t matter… tho if the media reports were true, to *not* check out a black man who refuses to produce ID is just ludicrous PC insanity. Crimes get solved BY profiling… and profiling often includes race.
The one totally at fault here is Gates, and only Gates. Frankly, the a’hole should have been pleased his neighbors were looking out for his digs. He needed only to explain what ever was happening, as the police were there to protect his property. And the next time he “states” he owns the house, he should offer up his ID to prove it.
But nooooo…. Gates is another defective human filled with hate…. a black man first, American second kind of guy just like that other a’hole that sits in our Oval Office. This ugly man Gates lives to incite hate and divide via race categories, and is being paid to teach that exact version of “social justice” in our universities.
Damn am I glad to be an old broad, because I, for one, am not impressed with “the future of America” college grads. The more I learn about their professors… i.e. that race baiting, chip on his shoulder bigot, Gates… the more I understand why they are not only unimpressive, but why they will silently go to slaughter and yield their liberty.
A sweep of his house??? I understand the difference between probably cause and reasonable cause, and the vast wiggle room in between. Once Gates was determined to be lawfully in his house, the game was up — the police should have left. They were there to investigate a report of two men “pushing a door in”. Breaking into your own home, and being an asshole in your own home is not a crime last time I checked. There is no doubt, and I have said it over and over again, Gates was wrong, but I think the officer was wrong as well. No doubt Gates got under the officer’s skin… if you are a cop you know the whole reason for inviting Gates to step outside was a pretext to arresting him for being obnoxious. I don’t think race was the officer’s motivation to arrest Gates, he arrested Gates for being an asshole.
Actually, I posted the actual fact (words used) and your comment was wrong by saying bust(ing) down the door. So you avoid facts and instead use words that convey a false meaning, making non-issues into issues.
Perhaps, blast, you are missing the obvious. According to the USA report, Gates refused to show his ID…. verified by an attending officer who witnessed the exchange, and also… BTW… happens to be Hispanic. I say this because now we’re so all fired consumed with race, thanks to Obama – our so called “post-racial” POTUS – making it an issue over and over. But when you lead as a black President instead of an American President, this is what happens.
Gates has him own story…starring as the victim, of course.
The NY Times story on the 24th also states he was belligerent and refused to show his ID at first requests. There is absolutely no doubt this man was doing his best to hinder an investigation that was being conducted to protect his sorry ass and possessions.
Frankly, I don’t blame the officer one bit for arresting someone who was uncooperative. Therein lies the irony. Had there genuinely been a robbery, Gates would have been just as quick to whine they didn’t show up to protect a black neighborhood. It’s always something when one lives with that mentality of bigotry.
Frankly I hope Gates does sue, and that Crowley takes him to the cleaners for every personal possession and piece of real estate he owns. He’s scum, and I don’t want him teaching our children his hate, and passing on his attitude towards America’s law enforcement officers. This is not what our kids should be learning. On the whole, officers are out there to “protect and serve” (but not be our body guards) in the case of incidents.
And *you* should be concerned about that too. Gates is no better than a madrassa teaching jihad, IMHO. Frankly he should be removed as the worst example of one who instructs America’s youth. Fat chance of that, tho.
Sigh….your being thickheaded. If you knew the difference between RC and PC then don’t throw around the silly “probable cause” arguments that so many people who know nothing about the law throw around. They most definitely did have RC to enter that house for a quick search and to physically detain the two men until everything could be verified, you can argue this point all you want to but your wrong.
Oh really? Thats what we do eh? Your just being a cop-hating ignorant fool with this line of arguments. If the cop was inside the house, as he had every right to be, and Gates started interfering with his investigation he could of arrested him inside the house also. Being outside or inside mattered not.
@Curt: That moonbat BlASSt only wants the police around when something bad happens to him! Otherwise, he treats them with the same liberal contempt that is so evidently on display in this sorry racebaiting episode.
blast, until the person being asked for identification presents it, the RC continues. It was a potential crime in progress until Gates provided valid identification to the Officer. That is the law and a legitimate procedure in every State in the Union. It was reasonable for the Officer to ask for it and it was unreasonable for Gates not to provide it.
Until Gates provided identification nothing was “clear” or evident that Gates did in fact belong there. There was no abuse of authority and for you to suggest there was just illustrates your personal issues and a lack or rational thought or sound judgment. Gates was offered the opportunity to provide ID and get resolution but instead went off on a racist rant and behaved like a total horses ass. His behavior was irresponsible and irrational. The Officers showed a great deal of restraint while Gates performed like a racist middle aged punk. Period.
Had the Officers left with real intruders in the home and Gates tied up and gagged you would still be carping. Gates took the opportunity to do some race baiting and what is worse yet the Kenyan Pretender in Chief took the opportunity to expose his own bias which was less than Presidential.
Would I meet Gates & Obama anywhere for a beer? NO!
I do not drink with folks that I do not respect. I don’t socialize with folks that insult me or come off condescending. Gates & Obama are guilty of both so far. If Apologies are deserved Gates and Obama need to make them to the Officers and the Cambridge PD. Period.
@waiting for karma:
It’s all a case of political inbreeding, with all the negatives that entails w/r/t intelligence, and performance.
@Mike’s America:
Sounded like he wanted to focus on the concerned citizen, in order to discourage anyone from reporting anything to the police. You don’t suppose that’s in his “professional” interest, do you?
Greetings:
I would just like to comment on the use of the “teachable moment” descriptor. When I first came upon this reference it meant that the student was intellectually open and available for a transmission of information from a teacher.
Now, or in President Obama’s use, it seems to me to mean when the teacher believes that an information transmission, from the teacher to the student, is necessary or appropriate.
This may be a subtle difference to many, but, to me, it emphasizes that the teacher’s agenda and state of mind, not the student’s, is the controlling aspect. This, again, to me, is not a “teachable moment”; I would describe it as a “dictate-able moment”.
“Nuance.” I guess.
11B40, “teachable moment” is a condescending term and inappropriate. I find it ironic that it was spoken and so denigrating in it’s use. Obama lecturing on anything is absurd. His associations with racists, marxists, criminals like Rezko, Ayres and bigots like Wright speak volumes about his lack of character and judgment. He has nothing to teach me of any value and I would not waste any of my time with him.
I think Curt said it first; the officers should have detained Gates immediately, led him outside and swept the house. I’m not a police officer, but I would have wanted to rule out the possibility that someone had broken in with Gates there and had him under duress.
If it were me, I would have immediately identified myself, asked the officer to take a look around to make sure no one had broken in, thanked him or her and my neighbor.
And finally, as Curt alluded to earlier, here is where Obama’s teachable moment is going to take us. If you’re a white neighbor and someone breaks into a black or other minority neighbors house, go back to watching TV and forget it happened. Otherwise the Daily Kos will be calling you a racists and the President will identify the whole incident you started as stupid. And if you’re a police officer, and someone does call in a break-in, just yell from the front porch to see if the person inside lives there. If they say yes or ask you, “why, cause I’m a black man,” good enough, write it up as a mistake and roll to something important.
Thanks for the schooling blast, I think we understand now.
Gee blasted, not a comment on the articles proving me right about gates, I’m shocked. (sarcasm)
Gates IS a racist/race pimp. Rather than admit that you’d rather tell a law enforcement veteran you know the law better than he does. Now you’re just trolling.
Guess I’ll have to add anti-LE to your “description.”
I think this teaches us how to get a free beer.*
If you aren’t white and if you are thristy
1. Go outside your house and start acting if you are trying to break in.
2. Continue this until someone spots you and calls the cops
3. When the cops turn be as uncooperative as you can and start yelling about racial profiling.
4. Eventually show them the ID but continue to piss the cops off until they arrest you.
5. Once behind bars just wait until the media & blogs start reporting this and the Presidents call the cops action stupid.
6. Continue to wait until the President offers you and the cops a beer and throws in a trip to the Whitehouse.
If you are white and thristy
1. Either dress up as a cop or better still find a white cop who is also thirsty
2. Drive around until you see a suspicious black person outside their own door
3. Go in and talk to them as if they are trying to break in and wait until they start getting upset and yelling at you about racial profiling.
4. If the person goes inside – make sure you demand they go outside and then arrest them for breaching the peace
5. Once the guy is behind bars just wait until the media & blogs start reporting this and the Presidents call your actions stupid.
6. Continue to wait until the President offers you and the guy you arrested a beer and throws in a trip to the Whitehouse.
* Not guaranteed to work
Ladies – interested in being an instant celebrity?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsTg0MQQ73Q
Probably
I don’t disagree… I said once his identity was established the police should have left. They are the professionals… not the irate asshole screaming inside the house. I am not saying Gates was in the right in any step of this, but I do believe the police should have just left and chalked it up to another dipshit loudmouth.
Police can arrest you however they want… but he did ask Gates to come out front, why was that? Gates did provide this ID, if he did not present it when asked, the police did have a right to take him into custody pending their investigation, but he did comply before that happened, they did know he was a tenant at that location. I think there are good police and bad police. Some guys should be given better training, and some should be given the boot… and many should be given bonuses for the great work (thankless at times). But the difference between Gates (a loudmouth) and the police office who took him in, was the badge, gun and handcuffs. That is an awesome power and could be wiled improperly. Hindsight is 20/20, we are all looking at these bits and pieces filtered through multiple sources. Many folks here based their arguments on the initial 911 call describing 2 black men… which was in the police report. The 911 call did not mention that… it does beg to question many of the details.
I have stated from the beginning I thought Gates was wrong for his actions, I believe the officer was wrong (and they DID drop the charges) and I thought Obama was wrong too… What do you want??? Do I have to suppress my opinion to conform to what everyone here posts or I am somehow not for the police? I think the officer acted in the old fashioned “human nature”… the loud mouth asshole pissed him off, so he invited him outside to arrest him. Made for a better case than arresting him inside the house after he was already determined to be a resident. You don’t think the officer might have had that motivation? You have never heard of that type of behavior before (meaning the police officers)?
Gaffa’s favorite conservative thinker offers another lesson from Obama’s “teachable moment”:
@Wordsmith
Sowell is not my favourite conservative – as he claims he isn’t one – but he could be in the running as my favourite libertarian…;)
http://www.salon.com/books/int/1999/11/10/sowell/index1.html
A teachable moment:
When you get locked out of your house to get yourself back inside don’t start bashing at and trying to break the door down, pop round to the neighbor and ask to borrow a step stool, break the smallest downstairs window and climb in its cheaper to replace the glass than it is to have the door frame mended and the lock replaced and its less painful on the shoulder…. plus the cops may not show up.
.
@blast:
1. Sgt. Crowley said he asked him to step outside because his radio transmission was cutting out in the house. When listening to the tapes, note that 52 isn’t responding, contact resumes when he’s on the porch.
2. Gates provided an ID without an address on it.
BTW, all the officers at the scene support Sgt. Crowley, they said he followed proper procedure. Lucia Whelan witnessed what happened when the officers and Gates came outside and even she supports Sgt. Crowley and thought Gates deserved to be arrested.
@Missy: I did post the full police report. Funny how the racebaiters and lib apologists cannot be bothered to read it.
No one has challenged the corroborated facts, witnessed by multiple citizens, in that report.
Here is a different perspective than what you are saying Curt. I’m not personally saying you are wrong, but Judge Andrew Napolitano on Fox news made the case that the arrest was improper.
http://216.87.173.33/media/2009/0907/fox_sb_napolitano_gates_090727a.flv
Hopefully the link works.
Ron H.
Well darnit I think I provided a bad link. Let me try this again.
http://www.mofopolitics.com/2009/07/29/video-fox-news-judge-andrew-napolitano-gates-arrest-violated-the-federal-constitution/
Ron H.
Wordsmith:
Oh and just to clarify my position Wordsmith. I in no way think officer Crowley was making race an issue. I think Gates definitely was, and Gates also should have been more respectful to Officer Crowley. Obama should have just kept his big mouth shut. Having said all of that, I think Gates shouldn’t have been arrested because last time I checked, being a racist asshole isn’t a crime.
And the charges were dropped which means the arrest didn’t have any merit.
Just my two cents gents!
Ron H.
Not so cut and dried, Ron. Even under federal law, searches without warrants are legal with probable cause. In 2007, a federal Oregon District judge ruled that two provisions of the Patriot Act were “… unconstitutional because they allow search warrants to be issued without a showing of probable cause. This also happens daily all over the nation with traffic stops as well. Plus, if you invite them in, or give them permission, they may also search without a warrant.
The only one who determines if there was legal probable cause is a judge. An officer acts in good faith based on the law enforcement realm he knows. The one arrested can contest that officer’s reasoning of probable cause in a courtroom. That’s the way the system works.
Gates’ behavior was the cause of this. He did not cooperate to clear up who he was until late in the game, nor explain why he and his limo driver were forcing the entry door. Instead he threatened the officer (suspicious activity in itself, considering) and postured. Were someone holding a family member inside hostage, what better way to drive a cop away than by racial accusations and abuse?
Curt is entirely correct that this kind of behavior doesn’t exactly make an officer sure that there isn’t someone inside with sights trained on him in case he misspeaks. So the officer was, IMHO, correct to push the issue. As far as the arrest? The man impeded a police response… oddly enough meant to protect that a’hole’s property… and he should have been grateful that the officers checked on him and his property. He should have also wandered over and thanked the neighbors that called 911, as they also were trying to protect his property. But nooooooo….. this first class bigot wanted to make a scene. Frankly, arrest is too good for him as a person, if questionable under law.
I watched the video segment, but Napolitano missed two things… he said he read the police report but did not comment that the officer still had ample probable cause (which is allowed without a search warrant or permission or witnessing). And the second was a biggie since it relates to the first…. Napolitano also stated the officers didn’t know if they had the right house.
Apparently, Napolitano came up short on his homework before analyzing, because that’s not possible. As you can see with Curt’s link to the 911 call transcript two days ago, they had not only the address of the home – 17 Ware Street – but the color the home was painted. Therefore Napolitano was only slightly better than the Big Zero in giving his opinion without being in possession of the facts.
Mata
Good response and I certainly can’t argue with any of your points. I do believe the officer was acting in good faith and that Gates was being a dick. I guess my point is that if Gates was breaking the law, which usually results in an arrest, then why were the charges dropped? The obvious answer was that Gates wasn’t breaking the law, but rather acting like a giant racist jerk-off.
I think you guys are confusing the overriding issue here, and that is if Gates broke the law and deserved to be arrested then why were the charges dropped? Don’t you usually arrest someone only when a crime is committed?
No charges = no crime
That was my point.
Ron H.
Charges being dropped are not clear cut evidence of “no crime”. There are many avenues where charges are “dropped”.
And the “over riding issue” of Gate’s arrest being warranted and legitimate is one for the courts to decide, not the public. But frankly, Gates holds no monopoly on arrest via charges he contests are unreasonable… and that includes people of ALL races. That a’hole can get in line to complain about false arrests. We’ve got bigger issues than Gate’s stirring up race riots for attention and fame.
@ Ron H.
Hardly. DA’s dropped charges all the time, even knowing a crime has been committed.
Completely false. In my experience DA’s routinely drop cases if it isn’t a slam dunk win for them. A better win percentage gives them better odd’s of higher office ie. becoming a judge or moving on up to head DA. Believe me, it pisses many people off when you know someone is guilty but charges are never filed due to politics.
Whatever Napolitono believes is up to him. But the arrest is based on the Officer’s judgement at the time. If he believed Gates was impeding him in his duties then the arrest is lawful.
Bingo Mata!
These are the kind of issues that drive me crazy because you can bet your ass if that cop had just gone on his way without requesting ID and forcing the issue when Gates became belligerent AND there had been a legitimate burglary he would of been hung out to dry as a Racist…doesn’t care about the black man enough to do his job with due diligence.
Sheesh: