White Cop vs Black Scholar

[Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by Kae

According to the report:

After the officer had the id in his hand and knew he was affiliated with Harvard, he called the university police. Then he radioed his findings to the ECC and prepared to leave. Gates then asked again for his name, he tried to give it to him when Gates started calling him a racist officer. This happened twice. The third time he told him he was going outside and would answer any further questions out there. Due to Gates yelling and the acoustics in the house making it worse he couldn't communicate with the ECC inside, so he went outside. He warned Gates twice that his behavior was out of hand before he was arrested. He had the handcuffs removed from behind his back and handcuffed him in front because they were hurting him. He also went in and got his cane for him to walk with. He then asked him if he would like them to secure his front door. Interestingly enough he told the officer that the door was unsecurable because of a previous break in attempt. A maintenance man from Harvard showed up that Gates was familiar with so the officer asked if he would be comfortable with that man securing his door. Gates agreed to this. Gates then requested that he be transported to the station in a police cruiser.

And reports are ALWAYS truth, right?

[n david]

Police may release 911 tapes and police transmissions...

I hope they do. If they do and it turns out the scholar wasn't being so scholarly, then he and the President have an apology to give.

Gates, 58, a world-renowned scholar and documentary filmmaker on black history, allegedly ranted to police at his Ware Street home, “This is what happens to black men in America!” and “You don’t know who you’re messing with!” in addition to verbally dragging Crowley’s mother into the fray.

Seriously!? A "world-renowned scholar and documentary filmmaker on black history" resorting to yo momma insults? If that's true, I hope the police radio caught it. What a great role model for the youth.

Monkeyman - I know there are bad officers out there, but all reports show this cop to be a decent man who's being smeared by this scholar and the President. If the officer had problems in the past, I'd be a little more skeptical of him ... but he hasn't.

If a video or other reports came out suggesting the cop acted in a racist manner, then by all means, the cop should be suspended and the scholar made right.

However, should the reports be true and complete with evidence from the police transmissions ... then the scholar has some explaining to do and anyone who reads his writings or watches his documentaries should think twice about what he claims.

source

[franklyn4]

Originally Posted by coadie

I saw a snapshot of several cops and the criminal. The black cop was in front of the black perpretator. I wonder if this comes to trial and the cops find he is not going to win a civil judgement, if the black cop is black enough to witness against a black miscreant.

Huh? When did the professor become the perpetrator and a miscreant? And please tell me why are you questioning the other black cop's character when he isnt even apart of this? What do you mean by if the black cop "is black enough"?

Your comments are defaming the professor and the black cop and other posters name calling of the professor are not called for and certainly not christ-like.

[coadie]

Originally Posted by franklyn4

Huh? When did the professor become the perpetrator and a miscreant? And please tell me why are you questioning the other black cop's character when he isnt even apart of this? What do you mean by if the black cop "is black enough"?

Your comments are defaming the professor and the black cop and other posters name calling of the professor are not called for and certainly not christ-like.

Not at all. In studying human behavior and the offshoots of sociology we examine these as in your case with prejudice. If someone wants to go the route of 'victumhood" they must early on establish a heirarchy of victumization. Ann coulter describes this very well. Example, Single moms are victums of dead beat dads. Stretch that into some cultural unfareness and then it goes into rights and society paying for the bad deeds that hurt a victum.

Now you just smeared me by reason of claiming I smeared the prof. Having been a prof and having hired and fired proffs, I am incredibly aware of the dynamics. I have been an employer of a black HARVARD Phd.
Be carefull. Expressing observation of human behavior is not defamation of character.
Telling us cops "acted stupidly" is defamatory.. Even more so since Obama did not observe the behavior of the cops.

Now I will ask a racist question. Can anyone name a single

Lecturer in Afro-American Studies That is not black?

I visited Africa and found the northern states were Arabs. where my family owned and ran a school and ministry for 50 years.
South Africa is to a very large extent white. My NCAA tennis champ friend was from there. Are these professorial slots of a racial nature or cultural and geographic in design?
From my observations, these teaching slots are more about America and less about the fine continent of Africa and ALL of it's diverse peoples.

The police sergeant who arrested Harvard University Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. last week in his own home may be considering a defamation lawsuit against Gates who has implied his arrest was racially motivated

.

I suspect some claim he isn't qualified evah to be able to teach the following.

Alan McDonald, who represents Sgt. James Crowley, said the veteran cop who teaches a racial profiling class for rookie police officers has not ruled out filing a defamation of character or libel lawsuit.

[Pragmatist]

Originally Posted by Monkeyman

I have been racially profiled by police twice, once involving a gun, it does exist, trust me. And I am not a card player, but if I told the story, some here would automatically side with the police.
No one here knows the truth but those involved, one is lying, of course, YOU all know who it is, lol.

I have no doubt that profiling happens, and that there are unethical policemen. In this particular case, however, it seems to me that Gates acted inappropriately.

[coadie]

Originally Posted by Pragmatist

I have no doubt that profiling happens, and that there are unethical policemen. In this particular case, however, it seems to me that Gates acted inappropriately.

Born that way. When of of my kids was an infant, he really liked my brothers beard. Then it became an attraction to men with beards.

[Truthseeker]

My wife and I were talking about this last night. The main problem is most eveyone is bias with few being objective. Does racism happen? yep. Does racial profiling happen? yep. We have experienced housing discrimination when looking for a house to rent, so junk happens.

But the problem is many take sides on these issues without knowing the facts. Many black people are quick to jump on the racial profiling band wagon, while whites are quick to dismiss it. At times one is wrong and is right. I do know many will pull the race card presumptiously.

From what I know if the man would have been white he would have been taken downtown. The man lost control following the officer to his car being disruptive. It's not like the cop would have given that a free pass to a white man. I don't think they should have dropped the charges, but it becomes politics in these type things, my guess is the black mayor put some pressure on them.

I hope we come to the day when we just investigate facts and go on that alone.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by tstew

There are many levels to this story

a. President Obama: In my opinion, President Obama is going to have to get better at recognizing that he no longer has the latitude to simply speak as a normal person or a friend. His every word carries a significance that is staggeringly complex.

b. Race: I think it is very possible (obviously not provable) that race did play a role in the initial call when the professor was trying to get into his own front door. It also possibly played into the way the police initially approached the professor and in how they responded to him being obviously upset and disrespectful to them.

c. The Professor: I don't have any doubt that he became upset. He probably behaved innappropriately, he probably was not respectful to the officers. The officer said he arrested him because he bacame loud and tumultuous.

d. The Arrest: I just don't think that even being loud and tumultuous in your own house (assuming its true) is reason enough in this case to handcuff and arrest. That is scary to me. I think that cooler heads should have recognized that the officers were mistaken, and had accosted a frustrated, innocent man who in addition to just returning home was trying to arrange for the repair of his door (I would be aggravated whether the police showed up or not). At that point they should have even been willing to endure a tongue-lashing, apologize and leave.

The things that I have read indicate that he showed both his license and his Harvard ID. At that point the cops should have known that they were mistaken and were harrassing an innocent man. I've seen good cops endure tongue-lashings from people who were not even as innocent. I've also seen some who over-estimate their position.

They knew that their call was not from someone who was intimately acquainted with what was happening. If someone had called and said "there's somebody on my porch trying to break into my house" it would be different.

From what I heard, the man followed the man from his house harrassing the cop. Once the man left his house to follow the cop then he broke the law and should be charged. IF THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. they have witnesses watching and two I seen interviewed said Gates was out of line. I would like to know the thoughts of black cop that was there.

[aegsm76]

"Can I see your ID".
"Yes Sir, here it is".
Thank you Sir, sorry for the trouble, one of your neighbors reported a burglary in progress".
"I understand, you are just doing your job".
"Thanks and have a good evening".
Door shuts, police car pulls away.

[DividedThigh]

but that is not what happened, i think it all comes down to what i tell my kids all the time, stop running your mouth, lol