Cambridge Police racial issue.

[hool10]

You had to have heard of this drama fest that is going on. Before it was bad, then Obama had to talk about the issue but it didn't even pertain to the healthcare issue! Obama even made a stupid statement by saying that the Cambridge Police department acted "stupidly". Good job Obama on shooting your mouth off like Bush. :hmph:

Ok this is a quick summary for those of you who don't know. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/23/police-officer-obama-butt-arrest/
A "supposedly" high ranking Harvard professor who teaches African-American history had a huge temper tantrum. The door to his house got jammed so what he did was bust in the door to his house. You would think to call AAA or something right? So someone saw this and saw it as an obvious robbery and called the police. When the police came he was in his house and they thought they caught a robbery suspect. He showed his Harvard ID card and drivers license but the cops still asked him him for being a retard to come with them. So at this point he said that the officers were racist and like a real prick "had no idea who they were messing with." So after yelling about it was un-just because he was black and having a huge tantrum and resisting arrest, they arrested him. They dropped the charges but now we are getting stupid statements from this guy:

He and I both raised the question of if he had been a white professor, whether this kind of thing would have happened to him, that they arrested him without any corroborating evidence,” said S. Allen Counter, a Harvard Medical School professor who spoke with Gates about the incident Friday. “I am deeply concerned about the way he was treated, and called him to express my deepest sadness and sympathy.

This is what happens to black men in America." When Crowley tried to calm him down, Gates shouted, "You don't know who you're messing with.

<<Black cop (cops were racist though, lol) wishing the guy would stfu.

QQ moar.

I'm just waiting for Obama to put pressure or Al Sharpton to get them all fired. I normally don't defend cops too much but I'm siding with the cops on this one. Henry Louis Gates Jr is the one who is racist and there are no African-Americans. There are Africans and Americans, they are not both. That's like saying I'm "Irish-American" and if you don't I'll call you racist.

 

[Raziaar]

<<Black cop (cops were racist though, lol) wishing the guy would stfu.

QQ moar.

Minorly NSFW. N word used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t89gYubt76U

 

[No Limit]

Well, first of you got the story totally messed up. Not sure if its because you read fox news or because you just dont pay attention.

What happened was they came to his door and asked for ID. He said this was because of racism but then provided the id. After the cops knew he was who he said he was he got agitated and started calling the cops names. From one story I heard he asked for one of the cops badge numbers, they refused to give it to him. Was he right to do this? No, he was kind of being a douche bag. His beef should have been with the neighbor, not the cops. But the cops have no right to arrest someone because that person called them racist or jerks. It's a free country, if I want to tell the cop that he's an asshole I have the right to do that. As Obama said arresting someone because they werent nice to you is a stupid thing to do.

And what the hell do you mean by "supposedly". Are you implying that this is a lie?

 

[No Limit]

Minorly NSFW. N word used.

I forgot how much I ****ing loved that movie. I think the last time I saw it was in middle school.

 

[No Limit]

One more comment I wanted to add. Anyone find that picture with the black guy in front a little odd? It just seems when the department knew this might turn in to a racial issue they called the first black cop they could find to show up for the cameras. Only 10% of Cambridge is black, yet there is the black cop (probably one of the few in the department) standing out in the foreground.

 

[Absinthe]

Clearly Obama is out to crush whitey. And we all know he's ****ing Al Sharpton in the ass.

Way to be alarmist, bro. Let's compare him to Bush more.

 

[Insano]

It's a free country, if I want to tell the cop that he's an asshole I have the right to do that.

You're not. It is an offence and it will get you arrested.

 

[No Limit]

You're not. It is an offence and it will get you arrested.

Says who? Last time I checked this wasn't nazi germany.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

To Prof. Gates: Go be a douchebag somewhere else. And shame on the neighbors for calling the police because a black man forced an entry into his own home, not knowing he was their neighbor (though I guess it could have been a random passer-by)

Says who? Last time I checked this wasn't nazi germany.

Last time I checked this wasn't an entirely free country either. You can be arrested for just about any reason (but released when there's no charges), but generally you won't get the treatment unless you're doing something to deserve it. I'm glad I grew out of my belligerence toward police. Be glad we have them.

 

[No Limit]

Last time I checked this wasn't an entirely free country either. You can be arrested for just about any reason (but released when there's no charges), but generally you won't get the treatment unless you're doing something to deserve it. I'm glad I grew out of my belligerence toward police. Be glad we have them.

I'm under the impression that there must be probable cause to arrest someone. You need to arrest them on charges, which they did here. They arrested him on disorderly conduct.

Edit: From wiki:

An example of this doctrine being tested is Sorrell v. McGuigan (4th Cir. 2002). A police officer detained the plaintiff based on the description of a suspect who had committed a robbery nearby, and proceeded to do a simple search for weapons. The witness who reported the robbery arrived at the scene and stated the plaintiff was the wrong person. However, the officer still arrested the plaintiff for possession of a concealed weapon, a 3" folding knife. In Maryland, non-automatic folding knives are not considered weapons under state law regardless of their length, and the lack of length limit had been upheld multiple times in the state supreme court. However, the officer erroneously believed the knife to be a weapon. The plaintiff was never prosecuted as there was technically no crime, and sued the police officer for false arrest. The officer's qualified immunity was denied by the court, and this decision was upheld in the US Court of Appeals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_arrest

 

[hool10]

You go telling off the cop the next time you get pulled over No Limit and see what happens. Guy is gonna taser your butt instead of cooperating with a police officer. They got a call for the dumbass breaking into his own home. Then he comes out with "do you know who I am", etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE

Cops don't know who the hell you are, don't like making house calls, and certainly don't know if he had a weapon.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

Alright I guess was wrong about the false arrest thing. "Disorderly conduct" is a nice catch-all if they need to do something about you being a douchebag to the police though.

 

[Krynn72]

You go telling off the cop the next time you get pulled over No Limit and see what happens. Guy is gonna taser your butt instead of cooperating with a police officer. They got a call for the dumbass breaking into his own home. Then he comes out with "do you know who I am", etc.

So you're alright with people being arrested for those reasons?

This is just as ridiculous as the 17 year old girl getting arrested for swearing while on a 911 call.

 

[jet_porkins]

The neighbors were right to the call the cops. I sure as heck don't know all of my neighbors, and if I saw someone trying to bash in a door I'd probably call the police.

 

[Yorick]

A few notes.

- The police were called for someone breaking in and the professor refused to produce evidence that it was in fact his home, and was belligerent towards the officers, saying the only reason they came to check this out was because he was black. Someone is breaking into a house. Won't prove it's theirs. Then gets verbally abusive about being questioned? Protocol says you take them away for being a ****ing moron, if nothing else.

- The professor teaches a black history course, and very much has the mindset of "White people owe me because my ancestors were slaves"

- The cop in question teaches a goddamn racial profiling course at the Academy.

- Obama saying the Cambridge Police were acting "stupidly" while admitting he didn't have all the facts was a really big mistake on his part.

What happened was they came to his door and asked for ID. He said this was because of racism but then provided the id. After the cops knew he was who he said he was he got agitated and started calling the cops names. From one story I heard he asked for one of the cops badge numbers, they refused to give it to him. Was he right to do this? No, he was kind of being a douche bag. His beef should have been with the neighbor, not the cops. But the cops have no right to arrest someone because that person called them racist or jerks. It's a free country, if I want to tell the cop that he's an asshole I have the right to do that. As Obama said arresting someone because they werent nice to you is a stupid thing to do.

I know someone who knows the cop in question. That is not the story I heard.

You have the right to free speech. You also have the right to be punished for that right. The right to bear arms doesn't mean you can walk around with a gun shooting people up left and right. The right to assembly doesn't mean you can necessarily get away with having a NAMBLA meeting in town square.

 

[15357]

@No Limit

First of all, you should be arrested for even looking at the police with your unworthy, unclean eyes.

Secondly, please put your hands on the yellow circles. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

[hool10]

@No Limit

First of all, you should be arrested for even looking at the police with your unworthy, unclean eyes.

Secondly, please put your hands on the yellow circles. Thank you for your cooperation.

Bah don't get into this Mr. mosh pit in the parliament! The whole 911 call thing was illegal now but like I said before, I usually don't defend cops.

When you are greeted with a cop(s) you do what they say. You don't start yelling at them, calling them racist, trying to not get arrested. Whenever you meet a cop, you should follow what they say but you have a right to remain silent. If this Gates guy really thought it was racial profiling he would have shut-up and got arrested, then call his friend Al Sharpton to sue them. No instead he put on a show for the media.

Then I mean you get this everywhere as well. It's our culture that if you even sneeze near these racist people they will sue you. A lot of times I really feel sympathy for cops as well. They are the ones that have to go into the projects and break up fights. They are the ones that have to pull over a sketchy person and might get shot, not to mention hit by a car. They are the ones who respond first on the scene. The last thing they need is a Harvard dickhead spewing his rights and saying they are racist.

Let me pose this question to you No Limit: Would Gates have a better case if he kept his hole shut and hired an attorney to talk for him?

 

[No Limit]

I love the mindset that you guys have around here. Put race aside. What some of you are advocating is that someone can be arrested in their own home (the prictures we have prove he was in his own home) for being an asshole to the cop. You really don't appreciate the rights you're supposed to have in this country.

Protocol says you take them away for being a ****ing moron, if nothing else.

Show me in the law where a cop has the right to do that. What I seem to be getting from you is the cops have the right to ignore the law if they don't like the people they are dealing with.

The police were called for someone breaking in and the professor refused to produce evidence

No, he in fact did produce the evidance.

I know someone who knows the cop in question. That is not the story I heard.

Well I heard a different story. Right now this is one guys version against another guys version. Thats why the argument of how much of a dick this guy was isn't applicable to wether or not you can be arrested in your own home for being a dick to a cop.

The professor teaches a black history course, and very much has the mindset of "White people owe me because my ancestors were slaves"

The professor teaches a black history course because thats the only way to learn about black history. Did the regular text books you read out of teach you about black history? No. Outside of a very few sections (slavery and the civil rights movement) black history is not taught in our history classes, white history is.

You go telling off the cop the next time you get pulled over No Limit and see what happens. Guy is gonna taser your butt instead of cooperating with a police officer. They got a call for the dumbass breaking into his own home. Then he comes out with "do you know who I am", etc.

You have absolutely no idea how the law in this country works if you think a cop can taser you and then arrest you for being a dick to him. This guy fully cooperated with the police by providing them with proof that he lived there. Sure, he was being a dick throughout this. Is it smart to be a dick to a cop? Of course not. But you completely miss the point if you think you can get arrested for that. Show me in the law where it says that.

 

[CptStern]

@No Limit

First of all, you should be arrested for even looking at the police with your unworthy, unclean eyes.

Secondly, please put your hands on the yellow circles. Thank you for your cooperation.

oh Numbers, you and your wet dreams/fantasies about fascist police states. is it the authority you're attracted to or just men in uniform in general?

 

[hool10]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0_gFOIJZpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XSe9ifE-aM

Yeah even though it's funny to make fun of Cosby, the guy speaks the truth every time. As for resisting arrest:

Resisting an arrest is a misdemeanor. It is also a misdemeanor to interfere with an officer while he is engaged in official duties. Resisting arrest typically comes in the form of an arrestee physically struggling with an officer as he tries to place on handcuffs, or when the arrestee struggles as he is being placed in a patrol car or jail cell.

Interfering with the duties of an officer typically occurs when a person attempts to physically restrain an officer to prevent the arrest of another, or when a person is verbally abusive or taunting an officer as he is engaged in his duties.

Did you know that you can be arrested for not taking a DUI test? By not taking it it will show that you refused it and making it look like you were drunk. Why not take the test when you know you are not drunk? The officer doesn't know you are drunk if you refuse to take the test so they have to arrest you. I'm just googling stuff so I'm not an avid FOX news viewer though if that makes a difference.

 

[No Limit]

Did you know that you can be arrested for not taking a DUI test? By not taking it it will show that you refused it and making it look like you were drunk. Why not take the test when you know you are not drunk? The officer doesn't know you are drunk if you refuse to take the test so they have to arrest you. I'm just googling stuff so I'm not an avid FOX news viewer though if that makes a difference.

But hool, you keep making shit up. He did not resist arrest. He did not obstruct a police officer. If he did either of those things he would be charged for it. Instead he was charged for disorderly conduct inside of his own home. From what I read today the law states that to charge someone with disorderly conduct they need to be in a public place.

So you can try to pretend that Cosby or Juan Williams are some kind of authority on this, they aren't. And race has nothing to do with wether or not it was appropriate to charge him with disorderly conduct. The evidance seems to show that it was not appropriate, in the words of Barack Obama it was stupid.

 

[Eejit]

Did you know that you can be arrested for not taking a DUI test? By not taking it it will show that you refused it and making it look like you were drunk. Why not take the test when you know you are not drunk? The officer doesn't know you are drunk if you refuse to take the test so they have to arrest you. I'm just googling stuff so I'm not an avid FOX news viewer though if that makes a difference.

Only if you've given them cause to suspect you of drunk driving, if you're pulled over for Driving While Being Black and asked to take a DUI test that would constitute an illegal search.

 

[hool10]

Only if you've given them cause to suspect you of drunk driving, if you're pulled over for Driving While Being Black and asked to take a DUI test that would constitute an illegal search.

Yeah then that is illegal but the guy did resist arrest according to the police report:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

They dropped that charge though so disorderly conduct appears as a cause of arrest. The police report also shows a random women saw 2 black males trying to wedge into a door. I don't know about you but if I saw that, I would certainly call the police especially if it was broken into previously!

 

[Eejit]

How can you not recognise your neighbours at all?

 

[No Limit]

Yeah then that is illegal but the guy did resist arrest according to the police report:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

They dropped that charge though so disorderly conduct appears as a cause of arrest. The police report also shows a random women saw 2 black males trying to wedge into a door. I don't know about you but if I saw that, I would certainly call the police especially if it was broken into previously!

There is nothing in there that says he resisted arrest. Where do you get this stuff from? The cop might have said he was trying to resist at the first attempt to place the hand cuffs (the office could be lying, probably is since he didnt charge him with this) but that doesnt constitute resisting arrest.

 

[No Limit]

How can you not recognise your neighbours at all?

Especially if your neighbor is the only black dude in the entire neighborhood.

 

[Raziaar]

Cops do not have the right to not be offended, just as we do not. It doesn't matter if the guy was yelling at them from his own home. Once they determined he was in his own home and it was not a crime in progress, they should have left.

End of story.

 

[Eejit]

Especially if your neighbor is the only black dude in the entire neighborhood.

Well you know, they all look alike!

 

[hool10]

How can you not recognise your neighbours at all?

Didn't I just say it was a random women walking by his house and not a person in the neighborhood?

Cops do not have the right to not be offended, just as we do not. It doesn't matter if the guy was yelling at them from his own home. Once they determined he was in his own home and it was not a crime in progress, they should have left.

End of story.

Yeah and frat parties are ok. You people seriously need to back-up your own statements and read/see the evidence I have put out including the police log. I'm done here.

 

[No Limit]

Didn't I just say it was a random women walking by his house and not a person in the neighborhood?

Yeah and frat parties are ok. You people seriously need to back-up your own statements and read/see the evidence I have put out including the police log. I'm done here.

I not only read the police log you posted but also responded to it. Saying you're done here doesn't mean you are right . How do you connect this to a frat party? Frat parties aren't illegal, the noise and disturbance associated with them is.

 

[Gargantou]

Is it just me or is it ironic how, when Bush was President, all these Republicans kept saying it was oh so unpatriotic to criticize the current President, but when a Democrat comes to power, they take every single chance they get to attack him?

 

[Absinthe]

Even if what you've done is nothing wrong, resisting arrest creates a situation in which officers are justified. These things can be settled later by the justice system. When has acting like a prick to a police officer ever benefited anybody's situation? There's a common thread that runs through these topics, whether it's the "Don't taze me bro!" kid, the naked wizard, or the multitude of others.

In some of these cases, I think the original reason for apprehending the person was justified. Others, not so much. But what's true in all these cases is that the person being arrested is an obnoxious, belligerent ass digging himself into a hole. Breaking into your own home may not be a crime, but resisting arrest is.

 

[Krynn72]

A few notes.

- The police were called for someone breaking in and the professor refused to produce evidence that it was in fact his home, and was belligerent towards the officers, saying the only reason they came to check this out was because he was black. Someone is breaking into a house. Won't prove it's theirs.

Except he did prove it was his.

Then gets verbally abusive about being questioned? Protocol says you take them away for being a ****ing moron, if nothing else.

Major WHAT?! Thats stupid. Stupidhead.

- The professor teaches a black history course, and very much has the mindset of "White people owe me because my ancestors were slaves"

Thinking other people are racist when they're not isnt an arrestable offense.

- The cop in question teaches a goddamn racial profiling course at the Academy.

I would hope that most people understand that, despite mr harvard's claims, this isnt a race issue. Of course, most people dont realize that, even in spite of the racism issue, the cops were still in the wrong to arrest him.

- Obama saying the Cambridge Police were acting "stupidly" while admitting he didn't have all the facts was a really big mistake on his part.

Very much agreed.

I know someone who knows the cop in question. That is not the story I heard.

Friend of a friend you say? Forgive me if I remain skeptical.

You have the right to free speech. You also have the right to be punished for that right.

Second Major WHAT?! Thats stupid. Stupidhead.

The right to bear arms doesn't mean you can walk around with a gun shooting people up left and right.

The second amendment doesnt say you're allowed to shoot people up left and right. It says you're allowed to own firearms.

The right to assembly doesn't mean you can necessarily get away with having a NAMBLA meeting in town square.

Legally speaking, yes it does.


Bitch you just got multi-quoted.

 

[No Limit]

In some of these cases, I think the original reason for apprehending the person was justified. Others, not so much. But what's true in all these cases is that the person being arrested is an obnoxious, belligerent ass digging himself into a hole. Breaking into your own home may not be a crime, but resisting arrest is.

But he wasn't resisting arrest. And the argument continues to be why was he being placed under arrest in the first place?

 

[Some_God]

But he wasn't resisting arrest. And the argument continues to be why was he being placed under arrest in the first place?

For disorderly conduct. BAM! :thumbs:

On Thursday July 16, 2009, Henry Gates, Jr., of Ware Street, Cambridge, MA) was placed under arrest at Ware Street, after being observed exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior, in a public place, directed at a uniformed police officer who was present investigating a report of a crime in progress. These actions on the behalf of Gates served no legitimate purpose and caused citizens passing by this location to stop and take notice while appearing surprised and alarmed.

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 20Ware 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 th at 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 stan ding 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 igno red 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.

 

[Krynn72]

Disorderly conduct and Disturbing the Peace are such bullshit blanket charges.

 

[Kinslayer]

Disorderly conduct and Disturbing the Peace are such bullshit blanket charges.

Except the officer warned him he was being disorderly and would have to be arrested if he didn't calm down several times, but the professor was a huge jackass and kept yelling.

Seriously. All he had to do was come out on the porch, show him his ID, and then the cop would leave. The professor is a ****ing idiot.

That being said, perhaps arresting him wasn't the best course of action. It was a completely valid and absolutely justified action - but perhaps not the best one. The best one would be to leave, and then if he kept yelling and the neighbors started to complain, to come back and THEN arrest him. Of course, we can argue about this all we want; we have all the time in the world to think about it. When someone keeps yelling at you in an enclosed, hard-walled environment (loud as shit), continues yelling at you when you exit, and then STILL yells at you when you tell him to calm down, you've gotta be getting pissed. I don't care if your will is made of iron, you're going to be at least feeling a little bit pissed.

 

[Krynn72]

I disagree completely. Harmless yelling and angry shouting is not good cause for arresting someone. Ever. Especially after they already learned that no crime was committed. If they had simply left his home when it was over nothing would have happened. He wasnt hurting anything by being upset.

 

[jet_porkins]

I perceive Gates as a man who quickly wants to jump to the race card whenever there is a remote chance that there could be some racial undertones.

I don't see anything racial about this. Gates bashes his door down, cop shows up to investigate a possible break-in reported by a neighbor, Gates immediately calls the cop a racist on sight. Something's wrong here...

 

[dfc05]

I think both were at fault to some extent. Disorderly conduct is a legitimate arrestable offense (people have been arrested for less extreme conduct). I'm not saying that it's a good reason to arrest someone, just that it's legitimate.

In any case, Obama shouldn't have mentioned it. Not his problem to deal with.