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Conservative columnist/blogger Don Surber
I also know that there have been incidents of false reports of racism by police officers — the Tawana Brawley case, for one.
And you know what? Every time a case comes up involving racism and police, we hear about Tawana freaking Brawley from 22 years ago. Yes, she lied. Yes, Al Sharpton is a fool. But every single time, it’s always “remember Tawana Brawley”. That one screwjob of a case is simply not the get out of jail free card for racism that conservatives so often think it is.
Also, the stories about the officer in this case being involved in racial profiling supervision or that he performed resuscitation on a black NFL NBA player don’t have anything to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house. It’s the “some of my best friends are black” argument. No relevance.
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© 2000-2011 Oliver Willis
Reggie Lewis was in the NBA and he didn’t bring that up because he was black and he wanted to make a “some of my best friends are black” argument; he brought it up because he was accused of being a racist then too for not having saved Lewis’ life.
From the Boston Herald: “I wasn’t working on Reggie Lewis the basketball star. I wasn’t working on a black man. I was working on another human being,” Sgt. James Crowley, in an exclusive interview with the Herald, said of the forward’s fatal heart attack July 27, 1993, at age 27 during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.
It’s a date Crowley still can recite by rote — and he still recalls the pain he suffered when people back then questioned whether he had done enough to save the black athlete.
“Some people were saying ‘There’s the guy who killed Reggie Lewis’ afterward. I was broken-hearted. I cried for many nights,” he said.
I always come back with Abner Louima.
Even most cops shut the fuck up after thats brought up.
Uh huh. Trying to keep a star NBA player from dying on your employer’s floor means that you aren’t capable of racial bias. Brilliant.
Well, let’s see… taking a single instance of someone and applying it to the entire race of those involved… oh right, there’s actually a word for that. I believe it’s, you know, racism.
Yes, but what I’m talking about is how conservatives are using the prior case. As in “he tried to save that one guy’s life, so he can’t ever be racist ever”.
Oliver, you just pointed out that right-wingers are whining about an incident that occurred 22 years ago, and are surprised that they’re going to throw out how a dude’s not a racist because he decided to not let a black man die?
Man, these guys REALLY want another “Joe the Plumber,” don’t they? The first one worked out so well….
http://www.samefacts.com/archives/crime_control_/2009/07/nightmare_on_ware_street.php
I’m flat out disgusted with the argument that Gates should thank the officer for coming to investigate so quickly and so disappointed in so many people.
I guess they think since Obama was elected racism no longer exists.
Try explaining that to the secret service and the fact that he travels w/ a car nicknamed the “Beast”.
I’m also disappointed that so many white people don’t understand that there is a fundamental difference between the way that we are treated by police and minorities are.
And, oh, golly gee… why would an officer lie on his report? Hmmm…. I don’t know… You think the officers in the Rodney King case explained everything in their reports? Just one example of many…
By the way, August (if you happened to read this far…) it’s not just right-wingers. Sadly, I went toe-to-toe with a member of my own party last night who is perpetrating that whole Gates should thank the cop BS and saying Obama shouldn’t have commented. Just trying to get him to admit that this event would have gone completely different if it had happened to him, a white male, versus Gates was impossible.
Is Sgt. Crowley an outstanding police officer? Some folks say so, and if he is, that’s awesome. It’s also not relevant.
Does Alex Rodriguez have a great game every time out? Is every Julia Roberts movie an Oscar winner? Can Oliver Willis post up a sharp, witty, incisive post every single time?
(OK, maybe that last one is a bad example.)
A police officer–even a very good one–doesn’t make the right call every single time.
In this case, the Cambridge Police received a call of a possible break-in. At the time of the call, the police weren’t aware that one of the men involved was the owner of the house. However, experience would probably dictate that’s one of several possibilities. By the end of the incident, they have the home owner–an old and mildly disabled man–handcuffed to the window of a holding cell.
I don’t think that’s how the police wanted that to end up. The city of Cambridge and the police department dropped the charges against the homeowner pretty quickly and called the arrest “unfortunate and regrettable.”
Yeah, that’s just like the Tawana Brawley case, innit?
Yes, but what I’m talking about is how conservatives are using the prior case. As in “he tried to save that one guy’s life, so he can’t ever be racist ever”.
I haven’t seen that stated that way, but the fact that Crowley was called racist before in the Reggie Lewis’ death and how it affected him then may very well indeed have had a lot to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house, and being called a racist multiple times by him. I’ll agree that that the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Lewis is irrelevant as to whether he could ever commit a racist act again in his life, but I disagree with you that that incident is irrelevant to this case.
Don Surber wrote a very fair blog article, too. Especially the paragraph that he mentioned Tawana Brawley. The whole paragraph, that is.
the fact that Crowley was called racist before in the Reggie Lewis’ death and how it affected him then may very well indeed have had a lot to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house, and being called a racist multiple times by him.
I’m surprised at you, Dennis. Are you suggesting that Officer Crowley lied about the reasons for his decisions? That because of earlier events, he was somehow predisposed to act defensively when dealing with a black citizen?
Because that’s not what Sgt Crowley wrote in his report. Sgt. Crowley wrote that the arrest occurred because Gates was creating a public disturbance, not because Gates called him a racist.
Also: “middle of the day,” not “night.”
Don Surber wrote a very fair blog article, too.
Also.
Indeed. Because that’s just the kind of guy D-Surb is: Fair and Balanced.
So, here’s what Surber said:
“I’ve never been black and I’ve never lived in Massachusetts, so I don’t know. I do know that there are incidents of racism by police officers. I also know that there have been incidents of false reports of racism by police officers — the Tawana Brawley case, for one. We must be careful.
I’d like to hear the tapes.”
That’s not a whine, Pollack. And as I’ve shown, the relevance of his Reggie Lewis incident was not to show he couldn’t be a racist, but that he was accused of racism in that case too. If someone of importance to this case is saying that his trying to save his life proves he’s not racist, then you or Oliver should show us a quote where someone involved in the Gates case is saying that.
I don’t know that Crowley is a racist – maybe he’s just a dick – or maybe Gates was being a dick and Crowley overreacted. Until it’s proven otherwise, I’ll give the police officer the benefit of the doubt when it comes to racial motivation of his actions – but he’s an idiot if he didn’t see the potential for a black man being questioned about his right to be in his own house to perceive racial bias behind the interrogation.
Sure cops get a lot of shit for just doing their job job, but plenty of them can dish it out as well.
If Gates had just been some cranky old black man, few people would have heard about this – but if you’re going to arrest a high-profile individual like Prof. Gates – you better be sure it won’t come back to bite you in the ass. That a well known Harvard professor would get treated differently than say a retired public school teacher may not be fair – but that’s the way it works – regardless of race.
Here’s a thought: could the Brawley case have been brought to mind because of Al Sharpton’s prominent role in it, and his current attempts to insert himself into this case?
Here’s another thought: not only is there NO evidence of prior racism by this officer, but considerable indicators that he is NOT a racist.
Here’s a third thought: Obama said he didn’t know all the facts, BUT the cop acted stupidly. The core concept behind “prejudice” is “pre-judge,” and it seems pretty clear that Obama pre-judged this situation without sufficient facts.
J.
Oliver, Oliver, surely you know that one data point is all that’s needed in these cases. Tawana Brawley establishes for all time that all accusations of racism are fabricated, just as Jayson Blair establishes that all people hired under affirmative action programs are unqualified for their jobs. One data point is all you need when you wish to establish something bad about a non-white person.
I haven’t seen that stated that way, but the fact that Crowley was called racist before in the Reggie Lewis’ death and how it affected him then may very well indeed have had a lot to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house, and being called a racist multiple times by him.
Yeah, Dennis, it can see how that might have a lot to with how the officer responded to Gates: He took it personally and acted unprofessionally by arresting the guy. In other words, his actions were stupid.
Or do you see it some other way?
The core concept behind “prejudice” is “pre-judge,” and it seems pretty clear that Obama pre-judged this situation without sufficient facts.
Right. And without sufficient facts you support the idea that the Gates incident may be like the Brawley case just because Sharpton said something about it.
Okey dokey, Jay Tea.
Here’s a third thought…
Thanks for all the thoughts, but just fill it up with unleaded, please.
Quibbie, you answered a question yesterday I asked you in a very fair, eloquent and well-thought out reply that I appreciated, even though I may have disagreed with a few points. But you wrote about state of mind. I don’t know what his state of mind was, and I don’t know what Gates’ state of mind was, but Gates made the accusation very early on that Crowley was a racist. As more facts come out and we hear the tapes, or if either one of the two involved decides to file suit and it goes to a trial, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Reggie Lewis case is brought up as to what Crowley’s state of mind was and how it may affected his behavior after his being called a racist by Gates, since by his account as reported by the Boston Glove that I posted above, being called a racist then had a big impact on him. As to whether or not he lied about his report, I can’t say.
Just off the top of your head, if I asked you how many of the last ten posts of yours were solely to tell someone else their point was stupid and offered nothing in the way of a contribution, how many would you guess?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Reggie Lewis case is brought up as to what Crowley’s state of mind was and how it may affected his behavior after his being called a racist by Gates, since by his account as reported by the Boston Glove that I posted above, being called a racist then had a big impact on him.
Dennis, you do understand that this is not a winning point for the officer, right?
Also, the stories about the officer in this case being involved in racial profiling supervision or that he performed resuscitation on a black NFL NBA player don’t have anything to do with what happened the night he went to Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s house.
The story about Reggie Lewis, no. The part about him being a racial profiling expert, yes. It would be rather stupid for a man so well versed on the subject to actually you know, engage in that behavior.
As for Tawana Brawley, yes it is 22 years old, but is not the only time when people have lied about the actions of the police, but it is a high profile case that helps to remind others that yes, people often do lie about what the cops have done. There was another case in NYC some time ago where a cop in Washington Heights was accused of throwing a 16 year old kid out of a 3rd story window. Witnesses were on television swearing to God they saw the cop pick him up and throw him right out the window. Sharpton and other rabble rousers like him were getting ready and then the kid came clean at the hospital and confirmed the police account that he jumped out the window and that the cop never touched him or threatened him. The bottom line is: it happens.
And as I said elsewhere, Gates has gone on record to say that he didn’t yell at all (he claims he was too ill to be able to yell) the entire time this incident was going on. If radio transmissions show that he was indeed yelling, it means he lied. What then?
Just off the top of your head, if I asked you how many of the last ten posts of yours were solely to tell someone else their point was stupid and offered nothing in the way of a contribution, how many would you guess?
Zero (0). But that’s just a guess.
What’s your point? Take your time. Please explain in eloquent detail. I eagerly await your response.
It appears that we have a middle-aged black man, having grown up in a time of segregation and racial profiling, overreacting to a police officer asking what he was doing in his own home.
We also have a police officer, who has been through a very emotional incident in the past in which he was unjustly accused of racism, overreacting to being called a racist in front of several witnesses.
Can we call it square now, shake hands and be done with it?
Sadly, it appears as though neither side is willing to meet the other halfway.
Dennis, your post does let us get inside the head of the cop a bit better, but it hardly excuses his behavior.
Nobody at all thinks Gates was arrested for disturbing the peace. The cop invited him to continue the “conversation” out on the porch only so he could arrest him for disturbing the peace (Gates could have ranted all he wanted inside his home.)
This strikes me as a situation where nobody acquitted himself very well, but Crowley is the police officer who represents the public and therefore needed to show more restraint. I suspect you are right, Dennis, that Gates’s attacks brought back all that pain and embarrassment for him, and he made an emotional decision to humiliate Gates in return.
Man, you guys are a hoot defending Obama and Gates on this.
Obama reverted to Community Organizer, shot his mouth off, and is now getting creamed.
From President to Community Organizer in one question! Now that’s a first you guys can be really proud of!
Gates was just being Gates.
But don’t worry, no matter what happens he’ll have his position at Harvard where he will continue being……..Gates.
The cop invited him to continue the “conversation” out on the porch only so he could arrest him for disturbing the peace
That has not be definitively established. Gates claims Crowley arrested him the moment he walked out on his porch. Crowley says he was already walking away and Gates continued to scream and yell and that is when Crowley says he warned Gates twice that he was being disorderly.
And MP you make a good point. If Crowley was disturbed at being called a racist having had to deal with it before, then it’s fair to say he stretched the notion of behaving disorderly in order to justify the arrest.
However, what needs to be clear here is that Gates has accused Crowley of:
1. Racial profiling
2. Arresting Gates merely because he’s black.
The burden of proof here is on Gates, not Crowley.
Shorter joaquin: Why are Black People so uppity???
(Psst: the charges were dropped)
It would be rather stupid for a man so well versed on the subject to actually you know, engage in that behavior.
Yes, Jay, it would, wouldn’t it?
The burden of proof here is on Gates, not Crowley.
Aha. And just so we’re clear here, Gates is the black person, is that right? Just checking.
Southern Q: Can we call it square now, shake hands and be done with it?
Works for me.
Indeed: Aha. And just so we’re clear here, Gates is the black person, is that right? Just checking.
Yes, because it’s always the black person who is invariably the one picked on and misrepresented. Everyone knows it’s only whites who ever do anything wrong.
Indeed, let me know when you ever decide to write anything coherent and showing the slightest semblance of intelligence. I’ll make sure I give Ripley’s a call.
Twit.
Yes, indeed. Gates is Black and so is our President. You on the other hand are a ……………………;-)
Oh! Here is something that is hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAdpJexnm7c
The burden of proof, Jay, is on the cops. And you’re still an asshole.
Ah Jay, ever the apologist for the police.
Get real: Even the cops version of events has this as an illegal arrest. You’re just a scummy piece of shit that likes to see cops throw people against the wall.
The burden of proof, Jay, is on the cops. And you’re still an asshole.
You can call me all the names you want. Gates has made the accusations. It’s up to him to prove he was victim of racial profiling and arrested only because he’s black.
Get real: Even the cops version of events has this as an illegal arrest. You’re just a scummy piece of shit that likes to see cops throw people against the wall.
Zzzzzzz…
Gates has made the accusations. It’s up to him to prove he was victim of racial profiling and arrested only because he’s black.
Last time I checked, the charges were still dropped.
Out of his last ten posts here, 8 were to call another commenter stupid his only purpose for posting. Two were to actually make a point about the thread topic, and I was being generous because they were also demeaning to another poster.
That was before his last post to you, Jay, so now it’s 9-1, as the previous tenth post of his was passably contributory and it dropped off the last ten list.
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-303137
Racial Pimping.
Out of his last ten posts here, 8 were to call another commenter stupid his only purpose for posting.
Nice to know you’re keeping tabs. But bear in mind that someone had to call those insufferable dumbfucks stupid. I couldn’t rely on you to do it. (For example, there are irredeemably shit-all stupid wingnut dildo sheep still defending Sarah “Also” Palin and Rush “Let’s Face It: Obama is Black!” Limbaugh. Someone has to call them out for their utter dumbassery.)
You’re welcome.
Indeed: But bear in mind that someone had to call those insufferable dumbfucks stupid. I couldn’t rely on you to do it.
No, but we could rely on you to. Which really just goes to prove Dennis’s point, doesn’t it.
No, but we could rely on you to.
You’re welcome too. Also.
Newsie and Strowbridge haven’t been around the last coupla days, Indeed, so thank God we’ve got you to fill that void. Otherwise the other liberals here wouldn’t know what to think of us.
To be fair to America’s Anchorman, that should be Rush “Let’s Face It: Obama is Black and He’s Got a Chip on His Shoulder” Limbaugh.
Looks like Britney has become Indeed’s stalker.
Now that Obama has gone from President to Community Organizer/Race Card Dropper in a 60 second answer, how do you think the white-guilt, hand wringers that voted for Obama are feeling right now?
Those folks voted for Obama because with him in office, racial differences would be a thing of the past and harmony was but a vote away.
I’m sure they had the best intentions, but that mirage has been blown out of the water. I wonder how they feel?
Those folks voted for Obama because with him in office, racial differences would be a thing of the past and harmony was but a vote away.
We’re thinking that wingnuts are who we thought they were.
Indeed, are you one of those white-guilt hand wringers?
If you are, please understand that I feel for your situation and the huge conundrum you face.
Indeed, are you one of those white-guilt hand wringers?
No. Are you?
Tangentially on topic, watching the right-wing media rise up en masse to demand the president apologize (so they can score some sort of moral victory) has been extraordinarily embarrassing, even by their own standards.
Now add the obsessed media to the crowd nestled underneath the Obama bus.
Obama regrets ‘distraction’ of comment ‘obsession’
“President Obama regrets the distraction that his comments about a police incident in Cambridge, Mass., caused, according to a White House spokesman.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday that if the president knew “just how much of an overall distraction and obsession it would be, I think he would regret distracting [the media] with obsessions.”…..
Policemen, pediatricians and now the media all go under the Obama bus in just the last two days. Gadzooks.
joaquin: Those folks voted for Obama because with him in office, racial differences would be a thing of the past and harmony was but a vote away.,/i>
Yeah. That’s why we did it. Keep telling yourself that.
Dennis: and now the media all go under the Obama bus
WTF??
joaquin: Those folks voted for Obama because with him in office, racial differences would be a thing of the past and harmony was but a vote away.,/i>
Yeah. That’s why we did it. Keep telling yourself that.
Really, Sean? Racial harmony never crossed your mind? Interesting.
Those folks voted for Obama because with him in office, racial differences would be a thing of the past and harmony was but a vote away.
No, jackass, I voted for him because he was the best man for the job. The fact that he would also become our first black president was just a bonus.
I never expected racism in this country to disappear overnight. Did you?
I guess the lesson we’ve all learned here is that getting even beats getting mad, especially if the cops are involved. OTOH, by getting mad Gates has gotten a nationwide conversation going. But sadly, the wingnuts demonstrate once again that it’s all just a game to them.
No, I didn’t, but a lot did.
You’re surprised that a lot of Obama voters were white-guilt-ridden folks?
Actually Fred, what’s been learned/demonstrated is that once a community organizer, always a community organizer.
No, I didn’t, but a lot did.
You’re surprised that a lot of Obama voters were white-guilt-ridden folks?
That’s fascinating. I, for one, can’t wait for your detailed statistical analyses. I just hope you’re able to explain the highly technical econometrics to us in plain English.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Trying to tamp down an uproar over race, President Barack Obama said Friday he used an unfortunate choice of words in commenting on the arrest of black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and could have “calibrated those words differently.”
The president said he had telephoned the white policeman who arrested Gates, and he said the conversation confirmed his belief that the officer was a good man and an outstanding officer.
But added that the cop was still stupid ( I just added that. he!! he!! he!!)
joaquin,
You don’t make any sense. By that logic, once a sportscaster ways a sportscaster. Once an spoiled brat all-hat-no-cattle alcoholic with the only southern accent in his family…
joaquin: Really, Sean? Racial harmony never crossed your mind? Interesting.
Nope. Never did. I know it’s a favored talking point of the wingnuts such as yourself. Something you completely make up (not unlike the accusations that everyone voted for Oabama because we believe he’s “The One!”) so that you have something ridiculous to ridicule. Almost the very definition of straw man.
But, unlike those wingnuts (yourself included) who seem to lack much mental capacity than what it takes to come up with the simplistic Obama=One it never occurred to me that anyone would seriously think electing a black man president would instantly end racism in America.
joaquin: You’re surprised that a lot of Obama voters were white-guilt-ridden folks?
I’m not surprised that right-wingnuts like to believe that falsehood.
Because it enables them to continue to believe that a black man couldn’t possibly have actually been a better choice that an old white guy. Nah. Must have been some affirmative action thing going on.
joaquin: ( I just added that. he!! he!! he!!)
Thereby demonstrating both by what you posted and what you added to it how well Obama’s ill chosen word applies to you.
Wow! Musta hit a nerve.
Hey, gotta go it’s Red Stripe time!
Seems like yesterday the conservative mantra was “the cops can pry my gun from my cold dead hands”. Today, they are praised for arresting innocents on their own property for getting pissed off for (at worst) debatable reasons. “Conservatives” don’t stand for anything anymore. It’s all scoring points.
Wow! Musta hit a nerve.
No brains no headache, eh. Must be nice. Looks like you’re off the clock. Don’t hit any cops on your mad dash home to watch cartoons.
it never occurred to me that anyone would seriously think electing a black man president would instantly end racism in America
Good thing it too, because we’re still stuck with:
and
and
and
The party of Lee Atwater is still around, sadly enough. Anyone who thought these people would simply go away is a fool.
Southern Q: Can we call it square now, shake hands and be done with it?
Works for me.
Me too.
Not being
a) black
b) a cop
c) a black cop
or d) a Masshole
I vow not to have an opinion. Although I will say that invoking Tawana is quite the stretch.
I will pay someone to show me how to use the greasemonkey script so I never have to read joaquin’s delusions again.
Duros 62: I will pay someone to show me how to use the greasemonkey script so I never have to read joaquin’s delusions again.
If I split the cost with you, can we both learn?
If a man commiting no crime isn’t safe from harassment in his own home, exactly what makes this a free country again?
Ignore the race issue. Ignore class issues. Ignore who is being an asshole to who. One of these people is an agent of the government, harassing a man in hiw own home, after he knows that it is his own home. I’m not really sure wht sort of olympic-level gymnastics you have to go through to make that okay, but to be frank I don’t care. Just shoot yourself now, because the air you are breathing could be put to better use by a worthwhile human being. Or maybe a cockroach.
You’re surprised that a lot of Obama voters were white-guilt-ridden folks?
Go ahead and say “n****r-lover” joaquin. You know you want to.
Black officer at scholar’s home supports arrest
A black police officer who was at Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s home when the black Harvard scholar was arrested says he fully supports how his white fellow officer handled the situation.
Sgt. Leon Lashley says Gates was probably tired and surprised when Sgt. James Crowley demanded identification from him as officers investigated a report of a burglary. Lashley says Gates’ reaction to Crowley was “a little bit stranger than it should have been.”
Asked if Gates should have been arrested, Lashley said supported Crowley “100 percent.”.…
—————–
Shorter soullite: “If you don’t agree with me, I hope you die.”
—————–
Go tell the black police officer who was at the scene that he should just off himself because he doesn’t agree with your opinion of what happened and who was in the right and who was in the wrong, and just who was harrassing who, soullite.
More… from a Daily Kos diarist:
The Professor and the Cambridge Police
…….
“I understand Gates’ frustration with dealing with police. But by all accounts Gates acted ‘stupidly’ and the situation escalated into ‘tumultuously disturbing the peace’. University and Cambridge police were there for the arrest and all are saying that Gates was apoplectic.
The President and the Governor both waded into this misdemeanor and turned it into a mud sling.
The cops have a tough job, calling their actions stupid and taking the PC side, especially with a buddy, is not leadership. A ‘no comment until I have all the facts’ was that only thing Obama should have said. The president injected race into this with his presidential mighty megaphone… for no good reason.….
EDIT: the ‘home is my castle’ thread that keeps coming up: The papers have reported that it is routine police policy to get burglary victims (real or perceived) out of the house (Gates house was burgled, that’s why he had trouble with the door). This is so that victims can be out of earshot of bad guys potentially holding family members hostage, this is to control a potential home invasion gone bad. Not an attempt to arrest somebody ‘outside’.
soullite: harassing a man in hiw own home
Gates’ own statement doesn’t describe himself as being harassed inside the home.
My own view is that both of these guys, Gates and the officer, overreacted and contributed to things escalating unnecessarily. I don’t see why folks seem compelled to overstate and even make up things just to be able to say all the blame is on one particular side.
One of these people is an agent of the government, harassing a man in hiw own home, after he knows that it is his own home
I’m sorry but how exactly does one harass somebody in their own home when that person has left the home?
Is there some kind of mental telepathy harassment going on?
Sean, I agree with you there, but the biggest reason this situation is still being discussed is because the President seemed to be putting maybe not all, but a lot of the blame on the policeman.
…the biggest reason this situation is still being discussed is…
…because Republican Supreme Leader Rush Limbaugh is saying our President is “an Angry Black Man.” KKKlassy!
Asked if Gates should have been arrested, Lashley said supported Crowley “100 percent.”.…
(Psst…the charges were still dropped. I checked again.)
Gates and the officer, overreacted and contributed to things escalating unnecessarily.
What harm befell Crowley from Gates’ “overreaction?” (Panties in a bunch don’t count.) What harm befell Gates from Crowley’s?
Is “overreaction” by a private citizen in his own home a crime? Is an “overreaction” in the course of a police officer’s conduct that results in an arrest, mug shots, time in jail, eventually the recognition that the charges are ridiculous and a waste of tax funds, etc. harmful to Gates?
Finally, do we have any reason to expect responsible conduct on the part of police?
The papers have reported that it is routine police policy to get burglary victims (real or perceived) out of the house (Gates house was burgled, that’s why he had trouble with the door).
Dennis, at the point Gates was asked to step outside the house, he had already shown the officer his ID. When the officer arrived at the residence, Gates was on the phone talking to the Harvard housing agency about the front door. There was no justifiable cause at the point he was asked to step outside to believe that a burglary was going on.
I experienced an incident a couple of years ago in which the police were summoned to the house I was staying in in Seattle with my kids. It belonged to my sister-in-law, and a disgruntled ex-employee had called the police with some threats. They asked to come in an look around, so of course we said yes. After a cursory check of the house and a few questions, they left. Not once did they suggest that we step outside the home.
And no, Gates house was not “burgled.” Burglary is unlawful entry. The last I checked, it’s not unlawful to force the door (not even the lock – the jamb was just stuck) of one’s own home.
Dennis, at the point Gates was asked to step outside the house, he had already shown the officer his ID.
That is not true. The first thing Sgt. Crowley did was ask Dr. Gates to step out on the porch when he first arrived. That is proper procedure for an officer to follow when arriving at a residence where a break in has been reported.
experienced an incident a couple of years ago in which the police were summoned to the house I was staying in in Seattle with my kids. It belonged to my sister-in-law, and a disgruntled ex-employee had called the police with some threats. They asked to come in an look around, so of course we said yes. After a cursory check of the house and a few questions, they left. Not once did they suggest that we step outside the home.
Well, I had the same situation happen to me and the first thing they did was tell me to step outside.
joaquin: Really, Sean? Racial harmony never crossed your mind? Interesting.
Is he f%&*king serious? Somebody please tell me Joaquin is actually Steven Colbert doing his ‘shtick’ online….
To be fair to America’s Anchorman, that should be Rush “Let’s Face It: Obama is Black and He’s Got a Chip on His Shoulder” Limbaugh.
It’s astonishing that you think the full quote is somehow better than the abbreviated version and not significantly fucking worse.
I didn’t say that, fafaroo. That’s you assuming again and printing it as fact, a hack-tactical mistake you frequently employ here. You and I have argued before about the ethics of lifting half of a sentence and reprinting it so that others, like Indeed in this case about ten times already, can reprint it over and over. If you think it’s ok, fine, have at it, but the only thing I’ve said about the Limbaugh quote is that I disagree with Oliver’s depiction of it, that he implied that being black is like a cancer. If you read the whole sentence, or if you took the time to listen to the whole interview, the implication Oliver makes doesn’t come across. It only comes across if you listen to the 2 second clip he posted and the partial sentence phrase Indeed keeps repeating with delight.
It’s astonishing that you think the full quote is somehow better than the abbreviated version and not significantly fucking worse.
Indeed. That’s why I included both quotes above. Dennis is appropriately placed next to Boss Limbaugh and Lt. Beck.
Southern Q: After a cursory check of the house and a few questions, they left. Not once did they suggest that we step outside the home.
A little apple/orange. The reason given for cops asking folks to step outside is to get them where they can talk more freely if someone unwanted is inside (holding anothe family member hostage in an extrme example). Having looked thru the house you were in, that reason to get you outside wouldn’t apply.
And no, Gates house was not “burgled.” Burglary is unlawful entry. The last I checked, it’s not unlawful to force the door (not even the lock – the jamb was just stuck) of one’s own home.
I don’t believe anyone suggested Gates actually burgled his own house. Nor anyone claim forcing your way into your own home is illegal. Can we dispense with the straw men?
As for Gates’ house not having been burgled at all, from Gates himself:
So burglers in the neighborhood may not have been such a remote possibility.