Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by Marv:

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by kam77:

More and more evidence is mounting that Gates was indeed arrested for being an ass.

Your mama?

Yeah, i'd arrest him too.

How do we know he said that?

ask your mama.

All right, that's it smart ass! You're under arrest!

Posted by misterearl:

Diversity Training 101

Gates: "I'll speak with your mama outside."

rembee - the respectable Sargeant Crowley was totally unaware of the correct response, "oh yeah, well yo' momma is so fat..."

It was all downhill after that.

[Edited by - misterearl on 07-24-2009 12:46 PM]

Posted by misterearl:

Baseball

firefly - you understand sports and the role of officials, right? Like any good police officer the role of a baseball umpire is to officiate and mediate. Their job is to diffuse tension, not escalate it. Right?

Since none of us were in the house when the situation fell apart we can only read the police report, Gates' account -then take sides and speculate on how it went down.

I would submit that similar to ANY good baseball umpire, once the HLG ID was valid, Sgt Crowley's job is to walk away. Once a manager persists, provokes, threatens or uses profanity - the last resort is to have him tossed. The last resort.

As Crowley is the diversity instructor for the police department, I would not have taken much for him to see an opening to diffuse Gate's frustration and anger at his presence in his house.

This was obviously not some street thug or even a minor threat to his manhood. It was a road weary, grey haired, 5'7 (so there was NO physical threat) 58 year old with a cane, back home after a long trip who was in his OWN HOUSE ... and tired of being "sweated up" for nothing.

Stevie Wonder can see that much.

The "yo' momma is so fat..." response would have been perfect and immediately diffused the situation.

But that response would require some cultural expertise (and baseball umpire courage) not covered in the handbook.

So you agree that the cop wasnt being racist, and the escalation of the situation was down to Gates' perception of the cops atitude?

I think we all agree the cop could have conducted himself better. But to call it racism when it wasnt is hugely detrimental.

Posted by bitty41:

Posted by Nalod:


There is not one correct stance here.

I wonder if Gates was all pissed off cuz he was rocking in the 5 star Peninsula Hotel with a great room, flat panel tv with Pay-Per-Bukakke featuring Mrs TMS (the former Natashia Yi)in full surround sound Slap vision, and all the trimmings that come with being treated like royalty in a 5 star gig to thinking his lock was tampered with (whitey) and then some cop is not the bellman from the hotel looking to help him with his key and refresh his pillow mint but infact wants to know why he is standing in a house just broken into and why this old phucker is mouthing off to him like he is shyit?

He called for back up and they obviously talked about before arresting him.

Quick question, if an alleged perp is not cooperationg, acting irrational does the cop have to give him his name and number? Forget Gates is Gates here, but lets say the cop gives him his name and number and just walks away and Gates complains, and now the press is involved cuz not its the famous Mr. Gates does the cop have any leg to stand on? If arrested with witness' the cop has his paperwork which verifies within the law he had basis to investigate and arrest a man? So at that point was the man arrested because he was threating the Cop. Not physically mind you, but this guy Gates was going to use his "juice card" and slam this guy and the department? And if so, perhaps the most defensive act to verify was to bring him in. I mean when your shouting "do you know who I am???" is kind of a threat.

Yeah, cops are mad, arrogant and think they are above it but think about how much they are treated like shyit themselves.

This was a collision. Gates perspective is pretty much his reality and I can understand his rage. The cop has a conflicted duty to do his job and now deal with a shyit storm to which him and his collegues are not equipted to handle.

In hindsight it might appear that both parties were acting inappropriately.

There is one major component that you are missing here Nalod: There was no crime being committed anything else that happened after that fact was established is on the cop. Gates was in his home and on his porch all of which were private property. Would the cop have heard anything if he left the premises so all this so-called yelling would have been moot.

I think this really boils down to the conversation verbatum.

Perhaps gates lost it and would not shut the phuck up. Then its was he "a black ass/hole or a white/*******"? Or does race matter at this point. and Ass/hole is an ass/hole?

Posted by misterearl:

firefly - no where did I ever say Gates was arrested due to racial discrimination. Nowhere.

kam77 - yeah, you are correct. Henry Louis Gates fits the physical profile of a burglar mastermind. What is the name of his gang, "The Too Old Crew"?

gimme a break

Posted by sebstar:

Kam:

Just a correction, the cop asked Gates to come outside if he had any further issue.

Posted by misterearl:

WWBFD?

Q. SupremeCommander - so you're suggesting that arrests should not be made due to profiling?

A. I'm suggesting that for a police officer to feel threatened by an obviously frail, 5'7", greying man who uses a cane is a bit of a stretch. No matter how much trash was being talked. It's only words. There was no profanity. Did Gates make a (see Bobby Bonilla) move?

Verbally, I would guarantee that Officer Crowley has heard much worse than "yo momma".

What Would Barney Fife Do?

The Answerman with a complete side-step