Page 1 of 3
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:58 pm
by Troy
Not one to usually pull up articles that cause as much strife as this one is, but this article actually kind of makes me rather angry about the whole incident.
Smoking gun police reports
It's getting reported a totally different way by CNN and other news sites.... but here is my line of thinking
Henry Gates returns from a trip to China to find his front door busted, he has to break/force in, looks to a neighbor/passerby like a legit break in.
Cops called, show up, knock on door.
Gates basically starts off the whole thing by responding to basic police requests "step outside to talk to me, show id" by pulling race card, yelling. Not sure where one learns its a good idea to yell at police officers after you know you just had to basically kick your own door in, in the middle of the day.
It deteriorates from there. Cop Ego/Harvard Professor Ego clash and what ends up is Gates on his porch yelling about being a black man in america.
WTF.
What am I missing out of this story that makes it so anti police? I sure hope that regardless of my race, if I(or anyone) kick my own door down and someone sees it, calls the cops, and they show up as quick as they did, they immediately ask for "my" id and what the heck just happened.
Edited By Troy on 1248368454
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 1:40 pm
by GORDON
I had a feeling they are both to blame.
Cops need to have more patience with irate citizens.
Black professors need to stop being so angry about being held down by the man.
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:18 pm
by Mommy Dearest
GORDON wrote:I had a feeling they are both to blame.
Cops need to have more patience with irate citizens.
Black professors need to stop being so angry about being held down by the man.
I wonder how irate I would be if they came into my house to arrest me
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:31 pm
by TPRJones
Based on the limited information, I'm prepared to blame Gates. Although my own experiences with cops would lead me to suspect the odds are high the cop didn't do anything to try to difuse the situation becuase of a desire to "maintain control". But so far there's no evidence to validate my cynicism in this case.
Edited By TPRJones on 1248373923
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:35 pm
by TheCatt
If the cops showed up at my house after I broke into it, I would have <s>gone a tirade about what it's like to be a white man in America</s> calmly explained what happened and shown him that I lived there.
Edited By TheCatt on 1248374126
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:20 pm
by unkbill
Should have tazed his ass.
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:42 pm
by GORDON
Mommy Dearest wrote:GORDON wrote:I had a feeling they are both to blame.
Cops need to have more patience with irate citizens.
Black professors need to stop being so angry about being held down by the man.
I wonder how irate I would be if they came into my house to arrest me
Point is, he was uncooperative. All he had to do was prove he wasn't a burglar, and all would have been well. But he had to get all "you're just ehre because I am a black man." Again, I think cops need more patience, but they are both in the wrong.
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:23 pm
by Malcolm
Even tech support folk have a "how to deal w\ a pissed off customer" bullshit script somewhere. Cops should at least be held to the same standards as Geek Squad employees. That being said, unless there happened to be a recording device somewhere near by, I don't think we'll ever be assured of what was said. The report makes Gates sound fucking insane. He does work at Harvard, so he's probably a bit brain-damaged anyhow. I don't think he's that insane.
What would've been particularly hilarious is a black cop responding to the call. Then what the fuck does he do?
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:08 pm
by TPRJones
Why, then he would have just been calm and told the cop he lived there and shown his ID and it would have been over with in five minutes, max.
Because Gates is racist.
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:59 pm
by Malcolm
TPRJones wrote:Why, then he would have just been calm and told the cop he lived there and shown his ID and it would have been over with in five minutes, max.
Because Gates is racist.
The solution is obviously some sort of chameleon-suit.
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 9:25 pm
by GORDON
Malcolm wrote:TPRJones wrote:Why, then he would have just been calm and told the cop he lived there and shown his ID and it would have been over with in five minutes, max.
Because Gates is racist.
The solution is obviously some sort of chameleon-suit.
DOn't remind me of that movie.
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:44 am
by Malcolm
GORDON wrote:Malcolm wrote:TPRJones wrote:Why, then he would have just been calm and told the cop he lived there and shown his ID and it would have been over with in five minutes, max.
Because Gates is racist.
The solution is obviously some sort of chameleon-suit.
DOn't remind me of that movie.
Movie?
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:17 am
by TPRJones
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:17 am
by Troy
I dont' think I saw that movie, or If it is, then I saw only parts of it that didn't look anything like that.
Also, after 24 hours, the blame and points have shifted dramatically on the major news networks. Now it's just stories about how good the cop was, how he taught racial profiling classes, etc. Given enough time this one is gonna blow up in the Presidents face... shame too, he could have just been quiet, the less people involved with this, the better.
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 9:25 am
by TheCatt
Scanner Darkly?
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:01 am
by Troy
Yeah, that was my guess.
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 10:57 am
by GORDON
TheCatt wrote:Scanner Darkly?
Yes. I was blanking on the name of it.
Part of it was tht there were these chameleon suits available... and Keanu Reeves as a cop was actually assigned to investigate himself for drug trafficking because the anonymity was too perfect.
Edited By GORDON on 1248447700
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:13 am
by Malcolm
Never saw the movie or read the book.
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:21 am
by GORDON
Never read the book, and "got" about half the movie because I just don't understand the glamor of bad drug trips.
Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:30 am
by Malcolm
Dig the hole deeper.
Obama said he had heard of Crowley's record, saying, "I don't know all the extenuating circumstances, and as I said, I respect what police officers do. From what I can tell, the sergeant who was involved is an outstanding police officer, but my suspicion is probably it would have been better if cooler heads prevailed."
Huh? You just praised & slammed the same person in the same sentence. Unless the implication is the cop is correct & your friend is a fuckwit.
"This is not about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," he [Gates] said this week.
WHAT?
