[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Well, sometimes charges are dropped because there's no evidence. If he was being such a disturbance, shouldn't there be some evidentiary proof of this? Neighbors, witnessing his behavior? The other police officer at the scene? Passersby? There are even photos of the arrest. Who knows--maybe there's even a video! If he was that big of a disturbance, shouldn't they be able to meet what must be a fairly lax legal standard of proof for that particular crime?

I'm guessing that whoever reviewed the file judged that Gates' reaction would be found to be in keeping with the context and circumstances he was placed under. My feeling is that rather than preparing their case against Gates, the Cambridge police department is now preparing their own defense in a lawsuit against them. Just a guess, though.

You could be right, but neither of us were there. I am just going to go by the police report, which IMO, is the only thing that can be taken at face value here. But that's just me. Charges have been dropped, and if this guy decides to sue, I'll just shake my head. Another example of how litigious this world really is.