Henry Louis Gates Arrested in his own home - Page 4 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Iowa_Flames_Fan · 07-23-2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfotiu

You know what, I can. I had a beligerent, highly principled, old uncle (white), who got himself arrested on the streets of Edmonton. I can't remember what he was doing, but it was not much, but the cops asked for him to show his id. He thought it was wrong to be asked for ID, and went on and on until they arrested him.

I guess I have a hard time imagining it. The equivalent would be if your uncle, rather than being arrested for being belligerent on the streets, was arrested on the porch of his own house even though he did show his ID. If you watch Gates' interview with Soledad O'Brien it tells a pretty damning story, actually--the whole incident happened very quickly, and the arrest happened before Gates had much of a chance to be belligerent at all. He was arrested the moment he stepped out of his house.

He is also 5'7 and 150 pounds, walks with a cane and is elderly. How belligerent could he be? If he looks like he wants to hit you, you can get away by walking away a little faster. Which is what the cop should have done once Gates proved he was in his own house.

Kool Keef · 07-23-2009, 09:32 AM

Here is a link to a pdf version of the "police report".

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police%2...s%20arrest.PDF

I don't know what amnation.com is or even if it's real, but here it is for what it's worth.

missdpuck · 07-23-2009, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nfotiu

You know what, I can. I had a beligerent, highly principled, old uncle (white), who got himself arrested on the streets of Edmonton. I can't remember what he was doing, but it was not much, but the cops asked for him to show his id. He thought it was wrong to be asked for ID, and went on and on until they arrested him.

The thing is if it happened to a white person it would be less likely to make the news. That's my opinion anyway.

jolinar of malkshor · 07-23-2009, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Due diligence is definitely important, I agree. However, he did provide ID, and based on the available evidence never seems to have left his own porch, in spite of a police report that claims that he followed the cops out to their car.

Look, I am not in favour of either parties. But just because the picture of him shows him coming out of the house, doesn't mean he didn't follow the police to his car and then they went back into the house after that event.

I don't have enough information to say who is right and who is wrong, if I were to decide on the limited info presented I would probably say that the police didn't need to do what they did.

MelBridgeman · 07-23-2009, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

It happened in the middle of the day, jofm. There are photos of Gates being arrested and led in handcuffs out the front door of his own house.

Which is why the police's story about him following them out and making a disturbance out in the street doesn't really hold a lot of water in my opinion.

You keep brining up this point to discredit a police report. Just because they arrested him in his house doesn't mean he didn't originally follow them outside. Maybe they let him go back to get his keys?

Or gave him a few chances to shutup and go back into his house and he just kept shootin his mouth off.

Racial profiling is not a good thing, but neither is using the race card when there is no need.

Refusing to talk to the police, then refusing to show ID and then carrying on with the officers is NOT a smart thing to do...officers did their job end of story.

I think it is unfort that Obama actually took a side here. Shame on him.

jolinar of malkshor · 07-23-2009, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

He is also 5'7 and 150 pounds, walks with a cane and is elderly. How belligerent could he be? If he looks like he wants to hit you, you can get away by walking away a little faster. Which is what the cop should have done once Gates proved he was in his own house.

IFF can you at least try and appear that you are somewhat non-biased. Like I said, it appears that police went overboard, but it is not hard for someone to be verbally belligerent no matter how old and what size one is.

Boblobla · 07-23-2009, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

You keep brining up this point to discredit a police report. Just because they arrested him in his house doesn't mean he didn't originally follow them outside. Maybe they let him go back to get his keys?

Or gave him a few chances to shutup and go back into his house and he just kept shootin his mouth off.

Racial profiling is not a good thing, but niether is using the race card when there is no need.

Refusing to talk to the police, then refusing to show ID and then carrying on with the officers is NOT a smart thing to do...officers did their job end of story.

I think it is unfort that Obama actually took a side here. Shame on him.

I agree 100% with this statement minus the spelling mistake.

MelBridgeman · 07-23-2009, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I agree 100% with this statement minus the spelling mistake.

what? I before E except after C is wrong?

missdpuck · 07-23-2009, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

what? I before E except after C is wrong?

We've been........HAD. Lied to all these years

jolinar of malkshor · 07-23-2009, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelBridgeman

what? I before E except after C is wrong?

Except for when it says eh, as in neighbor and weigh.

Although, I am hardly one to complain about spelling, some of my posts I have to edit 3 or 4 times after I post it because I don't pay attention when I am typing them.

missdpuck · 07-23-2009, 10:01 AM

Neither= "nayther"? Nieds, Neids?

Boblobla · 07-23-2009, 10:09 AM

I use Mozilla so it tells me when I spell stuff wrong. Doesn't do SFA to help with my terribad grammar though.

Rerun · 07-23-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kool Keef

Here is a link to a pdf version of the "police report".

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police%2...s%20arrest.PDF

I don't know what amnation.com is or even if it's real, but here it is for what it's worth.

After reading this it looks like Gates has a huge chip on his shoulder and was looking for a fight.

I blame this whole episode on Gates. It appears that the police officer acted in a thoroughly professional manner. The same cannot be said for Gates.

Boblobla · 07-23-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rerun

After reading this it looks like Gates has a huge chip on his shoulder and was looking for a fight.

I blame this whole episode on Gates. It appears that the police officer acted in a thoroughly professional manner. The same cannot be said for Gates.

You sir are clearly a racist.

Azure · 07-23-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

Roll your eyes all you want, but Obama involving himself in a police issue is completely pathetic.

There are ways to deal with this....ways that don't involve the POTUS getting involved.

Azure · 07-23-2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iowa_Flames_Fan

After the charges had already been dropped. So yeah--that merits a

on at least two levels. Obama isn't some omnipotent antichrist. He's one politician. If the charges had even a little merit they would have stood up regardless of his comments.

No, he's the POTUS, and there is no need to go on national TV to vilify what was probably a huge mistake by a police officer.

If anything, what Obama did has made the situation 10x worse.

Boblobla · 07-23-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure

No, he's the POTUS, and there is no need to go on national TV to vilify what was probably a huge mistake by a police officer.

If anything, what Obama did has made the situation 10x worse.

BLASPHEMER, Obama can do no wrong.

Azure · 07-23-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

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.

Two things. The cops responded to a disturbance that was called in. Its not their fault that Gates' house was the reported place.

Secondly, what exactly warranted the response by Gates? The cops came to his house, LIKE THEY WERE ORDERED TO DO, and told him about the reported break-in. If Gates would have respectfully shown the cops ID, told him he was the owner, and explained why someone might have reported a possible break-in(I dropped my keys, and had to fool around with the lock a bit)....none of this would have happened. But he didn't.

And he ended up at the police station for 4 hours until the cops had everything sorted out.

The only problem I had here with the actions of the cops, is that they obviously didn't do a background check on the owner of the house. Or, whoever dispatched them didn't do a background check either. Otherwise, far as I'm concerned, they did what they were supposed to do.

God forbid there had been a break-in, or if they hadn't asked whoever answered the door for ID, you'd say the cops didn't properly investigate and do THEIR JOB.

You can't have it both ways.

Azure · 07-23-2009, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowperson

A sympathetic portrait of the officer involved in the Boston Globe yesterday:

When Sergeant James M. Crowley climbed the front steps of Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house last week and unexpectedly placed himself in international headlines, it was not the first time he had a memorable encounter in the line of duty with a prominent black man. Nearly 16 years ago, as a Brandeis University police officer, Crowley desperately tried to save the life of Reggie Lewis after the Boston Celtics star collapsed while practicing in the school gym.

“It bothers him terribly that he couldn’t save him,’’ Crowley’s 74-year-old mother, Verina Crowley, said yesterday, speaking of her son and the famous basketball player.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/mas...ont_apologize/

Cowperson

Such a racist individual.

God damn him.

Azure · 07-23-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatso

In any event, the phone call in my opinion is crucial to determining the police officer's state of mind in attending to the house. Can't make any claims about his behaviour without that in mind.

Except the police officers that respond don't hear the phone call.

The dispatcher tells them where to go.