OT: Officer Crowley

Joyeuse · Post #161 » by **Joyeuse** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:55 pm

sam_I_am wrote:Gates has potentially ruined all credibility he has as an expert on race with his behavior.

Gates is an expert on literature, not on racial profiling, so I'm not sure this is even relevant to his academic work. Just saying.

Parasite · Post #162 » by **Parasite** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 5:15 pm

sam_I_am wrote: Kudos to Obama for admitting his mistake and behaving in a conciliatory way last night.

Honestly, you Obama fanboys are disgusting. He admitted no mistake and was hardly "concilatory". Everybody I know, and I mean EVERYBODY thinks Obama is a jackass over this and they're right. I am so glad I don't live in New England with you whack-job far lefters.

To everyone defending Gates, it is my personal hope and wish that the police DO NOT respond when you call them in a time of need. And if they do, and follow proper procedure and you start raving like a lunatic, I hope they beat the stupid out of you.

Fencer reregistered · Post #163 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:23 pm

goulardi wrote:

He was arrested for disorderly conduct. And he should have been.

Not according to the Massachusetts Supreme Court.

Fencer reregistered · Post #164 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:25 pm

goulardi wrote:
Fencer reregistered wrote:I'm appalled at how many people -- not necessarily in this thread -- think the cop was following "proper procedure" by arresting Gates for a crime he did not commit.

What do you think he arrested him for?

Actions that, according to the Massachusetts Supreme Court, were not illegal under the law in question.

Fencer reregistered · Post #165 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:26 pm

sam_I_am wrote:
Fencer reregistered wrote:
sam_I_am wrote:
And it is already established that Professor Gates was not charged with committing any crime. An officer can arrest somebody and bring them to court and if it is not a crime those charges will be dropped as they were.

He was arrested because the cop was claiming he had committed a crime. Period. That's why there were charges to drop.

The police were called to the scene for an attempted burglary. Since starting this thread it has been reported that Gates' house was burglarized before and there were many recent in neighborhood - I don't know if that is true or not. But in any event, Officer Crowley was dispatched to investigate a possible burglary.

Officer Crowley arrested Professor Gates for disorderly conduct that was interfering with his investigation. It sounds like the investigation should have lasted 5 minutes and would have ended. However, for some crazy reason, Professor Gates automatically assumed he was in danger when officer asked him to step out and show ID. He then behaved in a way that led the officer to arrest him in order to complete what should have been a 5-10 minute ordeal. Due to arresting Professor Gates, it instead took 4 hours to complete an investigation that determined no crime was committed - not only in regards to possible burglary but also to disorderly conduct.

That is what happens in a fair state in a great country. There was no brutality. There was no real harm committed to Professor Gates by the officer. And he left the station with his rights and his record intact.

Was he embarrassed? Yes. Does he feel humiliated unfairly? Obviously so. Was he in part responsible for that because of paranoid and uncooperative behavior? Undeniably. Could Officer Crowley have handled this situation professionally and with more savvy to avoid this ridiculous incident? Without question.

But I still say no crime was committed. No charges were made. Both Crowley and Gates have hurt their own stellar reputation by behaving obnoxiously. Gates has potentially ruined all credibility he has as an expert on race with his behavior.

So the officer arrested Gates who did not commit a crime. That has to happen sometimes. No officer can do their job if they only arrest people who definitely committed a crime. In this instance, the officer felt the need to arrest in order to finish his investigation. And even if you think he was wrong to do so like the president, the officer simply made a decision. And our system allows for those decisions to be made and corrected later as happened in this case.

Sorry, but your logic doesn't hold up. The police don't have the right to put somebody in handcuffs and charge them with a crime they didn't commit, just to get them out of the way for a few minutes.

Fencer reregistered · Post #166 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:28 pm

Parasite wrote:
sam_I_am wrote: Kudos to Obama for admitting his mistake and behaving in a conciliatory way last night.

Honestly, you Obama fanboys are disgusting. He admitted no mistake and was hardly "concilatory". Everybody I know, and I mean EVERYBODY thinks Obama is a jackass over this and they're right. I am so glad I don't live in New England with you whack-job far lefters.

To everyone defending Gates, it is my personal hope and wish that the police DO NOT respond when you call them in a time of need. And if they do, and follow proper procedure and you start raving like a lunatic, I hope they beat the stupid out of you.

Some of us believe the Constitution should be obeyed.

I'm sorry there are people like you who believe otherwise.

You and your friends probably supported our torture of foreign captives as well.

Post #167 » by **Celtics_Champs** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 6:31 pm

Gates: Don't touch me, I'm gonna get the president on the phone. He's my friend, obama is gonna help me.

Crowley: Lol, yeah, sure buddy. obama and you are like PB and J :roll:

---- a couple days later -----

Crowley: Oh ****

Fencer reregistered · Post #168 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 7:18 pm

Celtics_Champs wrote:Gates: Don't touch me, I'm gonna get the president on the phone. He's my friend, obama is gonna help me.

Crowley: Lol, yeah, sure buddy. obama and you are like PB and J

---- a couple days later -----

Crowley: Oh ****

I admit it -- I laughed.

Kefa461 · Post #169 » by **Kefa461** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:11 pm

"With contempt of cop, you get loud and nasty and show scorn for a law enforcement officer, but a police officer can't go out and lock you up for disorderly conduct because you were disrespectful toward them." The First Amendment allows you to say pretty much anything to the police. "You could tell them to go f--k themselves," says Shane, "and that's fine."

Like Shane, there are plenty of cops and ex-cops who think Gates' behavior didn't warrant the disorderly conduct charge, and there are those, like Nolan, who feel it did.

"Police pride themselves on resolving issues, and 99% of the time it occurs without arrests happening," says Nolan. "You are not going to win any accolades bringing in anyone for a street disturbance. It's a waste of time because in order to bring this situation to a conclusion, you've got hours of paperwork ahead of you."

"You do it because you have no other tool at your disposal," he says of disorderly conduct. "There really isn't any other choice."

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article ... 77,00.html

It's like I posted a bunch of pages earlier......most Cops just walk this **** off...it's not worth the time nor the effort.....it's done because the cop got pissed off and the other cops could not or did not calm him down.

8-)

ps.....sometimes.....it's not who's right or wrong.....it's what's practical.

mrautobahn · Post #170 » by **mrautobahn** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 8:22 pm

It's OK now... Everybody is going to the WH to have a beer... and talk things over...

Andrew McCeltic · Post #171 » by **Andrew McCeltic** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:44 pm

Didn't something like this already happen on The West Wing?

wigglestrue · Post #172 » by **wigglestrue** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:39 pm

Gates is a pretentious tw*t with a Napolean complex (used to serve him at a coffeehouse), I'm sure he acted like a complete tool, but that doesn't excuse a cop from arresting a man on his own property for merely acting like a complete tool, total overreaction there. Hope that Obama's teaching moment happens, a successful airing-of-grievances over beer at the WH would probably be the highlight of his administration so far.

goulardi · Post #173 » by **goulardi** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:00 am

Anyway, the black officer was there and saw it happen and refused to stop it, so if he said Crowley failed to act appropriately that would have been a strange incongruity. As far as I'm aware, all three of the police officers thought they were acting in an appropriate manner in arresting Gates. But according to the Massachusetts courts' interpretation of the law, they should not have arrested Gates because he did not commit any crime.

Or in other words they thought Crowley was justified in doing what he did.

goulardi · Post #174 » by **goulardi** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:04 am

Some of us believe the Constitution should be obeyed.

I'm sorry there are people like you who believe otherwise.

You and your friends probably supported our torture of foreign captives as well.[/quote]

And you think someone should take you seriously? Ridiculous statement.

Parasite · Post #175 » by **Parasite** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 3:12 am

Fencer reregistered wrote:
Parasite wrote:
sam_I_am wrote: Kudos to Obama for admitting his mistake and behaving in a conciliatory way last night.

Honestly, you Obama fanboys are disgusting. He admitted no mistake and was hardly "concilatory". Everybody I know, and I mean EVERYBODY thinks Obama is a jackass over this and they're right. I am so glad I don't live in New England with you whack-job far lefters.

To everyone defending Gates, it is my personal hope and wish that the police DO NOT respond when you call them in a time of need. And if they do, and follow proper procedure and you start raving like a lunatic, I hope they beat the stupid out of you.

Some of us believe the Constitution should be obeyed.

I'm sorry there are people like you who believe otherwise.

You and your friends probably supported our torture of foreign captives as well.

Puhhhhlease. Get over yourself. You must have a raging guilt complex. Indoctrinated in a university would be my guess.

Fencer reregistered · Post #176 » by **Fencer reregistered** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 4:03 am

Parasite wrote:
Puhhhhlease. Get over yourself. You must have a raging guilt complex. Indoctrinated in a university would be my guess.

Actually, I was indoctrinated by parents who were Nazi refugees. My father was tortured in a quasi-concentration camp. I oppose torture quite vehemently.

Many of my relatives were taken away by the Gestapo. I also oppose abuses of police power.

Nothing nearly as bad as Nazism will ever happen in this country. But the REASON it won't happen is that many distinct steps of loss of liberty would have to be gone through to get there, and people will fight them each step of the way. Well, the very mild abuse of police power Gates and many others (of all races) suffer in similar circumstances is a very early step, and one that should be fought.

sox839 · Post #177 » by **sox839** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:32 am

the person on the blog who made the reference about the constitution perhaps you should tell that to the polictians who break the constitutional laws on a daily basis. Officer Crowley did his job he warned the professor three times outside the house and he still wouldn't stop his behavior. Professor Gates escalated the situation by following the officer out of the house and continuing to yell at him. If Officer Crowley was so wrong why hasn't he been disciplined by the department or fired. The police chief backs him. I hope they release the radio transmissions and the 911 call to the public so this can be cleared up either way. I can understand people being upset but this is not racial profiling a call was made of a burgulary in progress. If a black person was stopped for a brake light and then the white police pulled him out of the car and searched it and there was no probable cause to do it then that is racial profiling and those officers should be fired. Also the Dallas officer who stopped the football player ryan moats at the hospital when his mother in law was dying was wrong and was rightfully fired. Also perhaps people should do some reading from 1995 to 2000' cincinnati had a huge problem with idiot police officers they killed 13 black people in the course of their arrest and the widespread abuse continues to this day read about at the aclu website. I am so sick of hearing how Boston is the most racist city it has problems but it has greatly improved race relations and it is not the most racist city in America.

sox839 · Post #178 » by **sox839** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:17 am

Smokinggun.com has the police report of officer crowley and officer figueroa. Professor Gates was rightfully arrested for disorderly conduct and he was arrested outside his home not inside as has been stated by bloggers on this and several other sites. The officer told him to stop gave him several warnings while outside the house. He continued tumultous behavior in front of the public. What more do you want the cop to do he was tolerant in that he warned him several times but Professor Gates continued with his rant.

Joyeuse · Post #179 » by **Joyeuse** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:14 pm

goulardi wrote:Or in other words they thought Crowley was justified in doing what he did.

Yes. I made that very clear. The police probably thought they were justified in arresting Gates. However, to the extent that we have been able to determine based on Spin Move's law experience and the Massachusetts courts' interpretation of the law, they should not have arrested Gates. That makes it a teachable moment.

goulardi · Post #180 » by **goulardi** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 2:38 pm

Joyeuse wrote:
goulardi wrote:Or in other words they thought Crowley was justified in doing what he did.

Yes. I made that very clear. The police probably thought they were justified in arresting Gates. However, to the extent that we have been able to determine based on Spin Move's law experience and the Massachusetts courts' interpretation of the law, they should not have arrested Gates. That makes it a teachable moment.

No. You didn't make it clear. You tried to muddle it up with some idiotic congruous statements. Gates actions make it a teachable moment as well.