OT: Officer Crowley

[theman]

It doesn't really matter if Gates is retelling the story in his favor or not. Rodney King may have been all **** up on PCP, but it still doesn't give the police the right to hit him with a batton while he's clearly subdued.

As far as Obama making race the issue, race was the issue in this before Obama answered the reporter's question. He addressed the very real problems of racism and our police force in a general way because that's what this story (whether or not race had anything to do with it) brought to the fore. If people want to pretend race is no longer an issue by quoting a couple of bigots that like to call black people monkeys, fine. But it doesn't make it so.

Gates, not Crowley, put race into the situation. Whites get arrest for similar actions all the time.

When?

Husband and wife arrested

http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/archive/18195/

Statesboro Police Arrests
Janee S. Sellers, 20, Georgia Avenue — disorderly conduct.
Shakuria Mem'jaw Smith, 20, Waters Avenue, Savannah — disorderly conduct.
Charles Justin Moore, 22, Lanier Drive — disorderly conduct, public intoxication, criminal trespass.

Chalexis Andrea Herrington, 19, Jeanette Drive — reckless conduct,
Katoya Shanell London, 22, Williams Road — reckless conduct.

SHENNANIGANS — A man who had left owing Dos Primos a $28 bill was arrested after becoming unruly when he ran up a $37 bill here, since his credit card was denied at both places.

William Brian Anderson, 50, Ephesus Church Road, Register — disorderly conduct.

French Fry Grandma



Man Arrested for yelling

Over the weekend, Officer Jimmy Woods was dispatched to a disturbance call in the 400 block of Sewell Street. Officer Woods contacted a 50-year-old white male who was yelling obscenities at his neighbors.

http://www.wlwt.com/cnn-news/17589970/detail.html

A Middletown woman is accused of being disorderly in public -- while wearing a cow suit.

You see, this is not about race. It is about classic. Dr. Gates is a member of the ELITE class. The law does not apply to him.

Do you need another example? Who remembers this?

http://www.universalhub.com/crime/20090329-wellesley_woman_charged_with_runn.html

Wellesley stock broker Margaret Greer, 57, faces charges of assault and battery on a police officer and assault with a dangerous weapon following the Sunday evening incident, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

How many years did Mrs. Greer get for hitting a police man with her car?

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/05/wellesley_money.html

East Boston District Court Judge Roberto Ronquillo Jr. continued the case without a finding and ordered Greer to write a letter of apology to Wildgrube, perform community service, and remain on probation for six months. If Greer completes those conditions and does not get into trouble while on probation, the case will be dismissed in six months.

You see in Massachusetts it's all about who you know.

[GuyClinch]

NO HE DIDN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO IT WASN'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You telling me a called break in isn't probable cause for a guy to come out of the house? That's kinda hard to believe. I'd say it's impossible to believe.

As for cursing and swearing at a cop - won't get you arrested. You go try it. Tell me how it works out. I dare ya.

[Andrew McCeltic]

It's been claimed as well that some drug laws are skewed to be harder on possession or sale of supposedly "black", or urban, or inner-city drugs -

[sully00]

Not statistically arrests and even convictions fall along the percentages. African Americans commit about 20% of the crime.

Are you factoring in the kinds of crimes they committed? The laws are pretty harsh on drug crimes which alot of unhappy people resort too. So thats not "institutional racism. Its just bad laws.

Why not try reading my post?

[aboubata]

what does the Law say?

Per http://www.slate.com/id/2223379/ , it says the behavior has to rise to the level of inciting a riot or something similar to be arrestable.

so this "official site" says

Behavior that might cause a riot. Massachusetts courts have limited the definition of disorderly conduct to: fighting or threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior, or creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition for no legitimate purpose other than to cause public annoyance or alarm

If you and prof Gates want the police to only interfere when the streets are being trashed and property damaged, then you both should serve as volunteers in a place like Hampton Beach or Dorchester (black and white) and just wait until after a fight start before trying to stop it.

[sully00]

You don't know that. No one can confirm that. How can you accept the officer's version of events and not the professor's version of events?

The same way you can only accept the professor's version, and not the officer's.

Have you read anything I have posted?

I stated again and again I think that both men leave out the parts that make them look bad. I think you get all the bad parts from each others statements.

I think that Gates overreacted to a cop doing his job. At the same time Crowley could have done more to change the tone of the situation especially after he realized he was talking to the resident of the house, who clearly was offended at being perceived as a burglar.

It was foolish for Gates to threaten the officer with a complaint and call him a racist, by his own statement he was scared.

But in the end it comes down to the fact that Sgt Crowley only did one thing really wrong, he arrested a man for some other reason than breaking the law. And if that person did not have the cashe and influence that Gates does we would have never known about it.

[Joyeuse]

Ummmmm I'm not sure how a lone, unarmed 60-year-old professor presumably loudly insulting a police officer from his own porch without making any physical threats constitutes a "hazardous or physically offensive condition for no legitimate purpose other than to cause public annoyance or alarm".

[TommyPoints]

Well, I find it hard to believe that it was necessary to arrest Gates. With that being said the Officer was there to help and had the right and responsibility to investigate. Therefore I feel absolutely no sympathy for Gates at all. If you are going to act like a jackass then you get what you deserve.

I've been in a similar situation involving my car. I was patient because I understood why the cop was suspicious and took a few minutes of my time to clear it up. Then the cop went on his way and I personally felt happy to know that people were looking out for us.

[aboubata]

Ummmmm I'm not sure how a lone, unarmed 60-year-old professor presumably loudly insulting a police officer from his own porch without making any physical threats constitutes a "hazardous or physically offensive condition for no legitimate purpose other than to cause public annoyance or alarm".

You know what it is? I forgot that he is in harvard, they don't have enough black students (those racist).
It is already a public annoyance, god knows what could have happened if Gates kept on screaming and accusing the officer with racism. A few guys starting to take Gates side and before you know it this could have been a public annoyance or alarm.

[Celtic Esquire]

I think both parties overreacted, but last time I checked being a jerk INSIDE your own home isn't an arrestable offense.

If some cop came into my house and started hassling me after I showed him ID proving to him that this was my house, I'd sure as hell yell at him to get the hell out.

[Kefa461]

Howsabout them Celtics.........

It's the off-season. I actually like reading Celtics fans views on the world outside the green.

Well today is your lucky day........

[jfs1000d]

You know what I find mildly amusing? This fight is the classic manifestation of "White Working, lower class" verses an upwardly mobile black man.

Not that it is to say that Gates and Crowley were any part of it, but the typical black preachers are on the black guys side and the typical white working class outfits (unions, pro-cops groups) are on the officers side.

Obama least support is from the Crowley demographic, which is working class white males.

This was entirely predictable.

We should all read another Harvard professors take on race in US history in Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States. Class and race conflict between working class and poorer whites and blacks is always at a raging level in this country as they fight for the same resources. It has since the country was founded.

Cops are the very definition of blue collar working class. They are people of the neighborhood. Gates is black, no matter how he dresses, where he teaches or the income and company he keeps. I surmise Gates didn't enjoyed being treated like a "black guy burglar."

This conflict is hundreds of years old. As this happens, all the bankers on wall street and societies elite hum along and continue to exploit us for profit.

Just food for thought.

[Joyeuse]

You know what it is? I forgot that he is in harvard, they don't have enough black students (those racist).

Not really sure what this means or what your point is here? Are you attributing the view that there aren't enough black students at Harvard to Professor Gates? Seems kind of off topic.

It is already a public annoyance, god knows what could have happened if Gates kept on screaming and accusing the officer with racism. A few guys starting to take Gates side and before you know it this could have been a public annoyance or alarm.

So, in other words, you approve of giving police extremely broad leeway in re-interpreting the Massachusetts Supreme Court's interpretation of a law as a way to get around the unconstitutionality of the vagueness of the original law, so that police can arrest elderly men protesting their treatment by the police, on vague suspicions of the very small off-chance that these statements of protest could result in people on the street agreeing with him and thus becoming a public annoyance even though that STILL doesn't qualify as "hazardous or physically offensive condition" and STILL has "legitimate purpose other than causing public annoyance or alarm" because it is a spontaneous political protest. Gotcha.

[Dirty Water]

this dude reminds me of the professor in

[sweatdog]

....... Verbally abusing a police officer that was there to serve and protect him is the defining fact of this situation. Although I appreciate it, I refuse to let all these nook and cranny arguments cloud the fact that if you flex on a good cop trying to do his job you deserve to have a very bad day. That is the bottom line, and it should be.

If the officer really had no reason to make the arrest, then he will be punished, correct? The department would simply HAVE TO take disciplinary action. And that will follow the pending investigation.

[Fencer reregistered]

You telling me a called break in isn't probable cause for a guy to come out of the house? That's kinda hard to believe. I'd say it's impossible to believe.

Never said that.

As for cursing and swearing at a cop - won't get you arrested. You go try it. Tell me how it works out. I dare ya.

Well, you're right that many cops in this country are imperfect. Some, however, are cognizant of the Constitution.

On the whole, you're right that it would be unwise to take one's chances.

Gates was wrong to think this was race-specific. This kind of unconstitutional treatment is doled out to people of all colors.

[Fencer reregistered]

It's been claimed as well that some drug laws are skewed to be harder on possession or sale of supposedly "black", or urban, or inner-city drugs -

E.g., the threshold for a felony in crack is like 1/10th or 1/100th the felony amount for cocaine.

[Fencer reregistered]

If you and prof Gates want the police to only interfere when the streets are being trashed and property damaged, then you both should serve as volunteers in a place like Hampton Beach or Dorchester (black and white) and just wait until after a fight start before trying to stop it.

Are you seriously suggesting there was a danger of a general fight breaking out in this case??

[Fencer reregistered]

You know what it is? I forgot that he is in harvard, they don't have enough black students (those racist).
It is already a public annoyance, god knows what could have happened if Gates kept on screaming and accusing the officer with racism. A few guys starting to take Gates side and before you know it this could have been a public annoyance or alarm.

Do you spend a lot of time on residential streets in Cambridge?

[x34truth34x]

It's absolutely amazing how most of you can be shocked!!! absolutely shocked!!!! that black players don't want to play here.

Even ignoring the clear racial bias in arresting the professor some of the comments in here are hilarious and just shows how backward this area still is. Yes dennis and callahan!!! such great guys! They know what they are talking about, not racists at all!! Oh wait you mean to tell me they have a history of racist comments including the Gorilla on the bus scandal?

If you don't think racial profiling exists you're crazy