so a black Harvard professor got arrested - so what?[views:4539][posts:68]____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:44pm - arilliusbm ""] http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/22/gates.arrest.reaction/index.html RACISM aside, I don't see what the big deal is or if racism was even an issue. The cop showed up due to a call (doing his job) and this is what allegedly happened: "step out onto the porch and speak with me," the report says. "[Gates] replied, 'No, I will not.' He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was 'Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police' and that I was 'investigating a report of a break in progress' at the residence. "While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, 'Why, because I'm a black man in America?' " If that is indeed what happend, then I fail to see how the cop was being the racist one when he was doing his job by responding to a call. I understand racism still exists and will never go away, but if the above is exactly what happened, then why is the media blowing this up? PLAIN AND SIMPLE: no matter who you are, what race you are, or anything, you listen to the cop. This whole story smells fishy to me, but with the evidence supplied as of right now, I don't see how this is racial profiling other than the lady that called in the first place to report a break-in. The cop was doing his job and the professor refused to comply. Alright, I'm done here. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:47pm - darkwornli ""] if anybody was racist it was the guy that answered the door and said that. |
| _________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:48pm - reimroc ""] i agree with your findings. it really does boil down to what really happened at that house. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:48pm - arilliusbm ""] Also find it funny that in the picture that CNN has, there's a black cop standing right in front of Gates. Surely he has something to say about this, ¿no? |
| __________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:49pm - brian_dc ""] There is another side to the story that makes the claim that after Gates gave his identification and it was clear that he was the resident of the house the officer still demanded Gates step out of the house. Allegedly, the officer never identified himself. Even that course of events does not prove racial profiling by the officer. Like you said, the only case would be racism from the neighbor...but meh. |
| __________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:53pm - sinistas ""] If Gates brought up his race/color AT ALL during the proceedings, it's his own fault he got arrested. I wouldn't put up with that shit if I was a cop. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:53pm - arilliusbm ""] well, that's what I mean. unless something other than what is currently reported proves it otherwise, I still think he should have complied with the cop upon initial contact. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:57pm - BoarcorpseJimbo ""] I heard an interview on NPR with the cambridge police, they have dropped all charges against him, but at that point did not feel that an appology was necessary because it was both parties who were acting inappropriately. |
| __________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 1:57pm - brian_dc ""] It always blows my mind when people who have done nothing wrong freak out at the sight of cops. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:01pm - BoarcorpseJimbo ""] Have you ever been arrested Brian? How about harrased by a cop? How about either of those with NO reason? I have, that's why i freak out when i see cops... even if i DON'T have weed on me. NEVER TALK TO THE POLICE!!!! |
| ___________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:04pm - narkybark ""] they can smell the guilt. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:06pm - SkinSandwich ""] Or Heroin! |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:08pm - BoarcorpseJimbo ""] no more heroin silly guy! I's clean now.... and SOOOO happy about it.... |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:09pm - arilliusbm ""] anyone that did the H bomb and has a shirt and tie job deserves a gold star like jimboar |
| _________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:13pm - reimroc ""] arilliusbm said:anyone that did the H bomb and has a shirt and tie job deserves a gold star like jimboar I'll take that star thank you. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:15pm - arilliusbm ""] yes sir. well done |
| _________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:16pm - reimroc ""] I'm not completely off that shit though. Still struggling to stay away. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:17pm - arilliusbm ""] Stay the fuck away man. Stick to the green. Buy a vape. |
| _________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:21pm - reimroc ""] Its a tad bit more difficult than that man. Ask jimbo. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 2:29pm - arilliusbm ""] I can only imagine and don't even want to know man. got a kid to think about |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 3:34pm - Conservationist ""] brian_dc said:There is another side to the story that makes the claim that after Gates gave his identification and it was clear that he was the resident of the house the officer still demanded Gates step out of the house. Allegedly, the officer never identified himself. Even that course of events does not prove racial profiling by the officer. Like you said, the only case would be racism from the neighbor...but meh. The cop needs to verify that the dude's ID matches the dude. You'd want him doing that for your house, if some random person was breaking in. It's just too easy to cry "racism," isn't it? It's like a get out of jail free card, just like calling someone a racist is. |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 4:28pm - goatcatalyst ""] Sure blacks are dangerous, but ACAB man. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 4:30pm - RichHorror ""] Smoking heroin is awesome. |
| __________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 4:33pm - brian_dc ""] Conservationist said: brian_dc said:There is another side to the story that makes the claim that after Gates gave his identification and it was clear that he was the resident of the house the officer still demanded Gates step out of the house. Allegedly, the officer never identified himself. Even that course of events does not prove racial profiling by the officer. Like you said, the only case would be racism from the neighbor...but meh. The cop needs to verify that the dude's ID matches the dude. You'd want him doing that for your house, if some random person was breaking in. It's just too easy to cry "racism," isn't it? It's like a get out of jail free card, just like calling someone a racist is. This is why I'm saying it's not racial profiling anyway. |
| _______________________________ [Jul 22,2009 4:40pm - Murph ""] [img] [img] [img] |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 22,2009 4:57pm - metal_church101 ""] I know a lot of people that pull the race card when all else fails. Kind of ironic. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:29am - arilliusbm ""] http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/22/harvard.gates.interview/index.html ont he front page again. this time obama stepped in.. the cop "won't apologize" and the mayor will make sure this "never happens in cambridge again." wow this Gates dude has a lot of power |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:35am - arilliusbm ""] Gates Jr. has more fucking swing and influence than Mace Windu (Samuel Jackson with a mother fucking lightsaber, bitch) |
| _________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:37am - RustyPS ""] I have no idea how this could be considered racist by anyone |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:40am - arilliusbm ""] I think they're using this as a prime example (due to the dude's status) at how minorities are treated differently by the cops. I don't think the cop did anything wrong here, unless noted otherwise somewhere. Kind of related, but one of my black friends actually got pulled over one day and the first thing the cop said to him was if the car was stolen and asked him to step out of the vehicle. haha |
| __________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:41am - brian_dc ""] Well, they left out the following snippet: When asked why an apology will not be given, Sgt. Crowley replied without hesitation, "Nigga stole my bike." |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 9:42am - arilliusbm ""] Classic ytmnd right there. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:41am - pam ""] BoarcorpseJimbo said:Have you ever been arrested Brian? How about harrased by a cop? How about either of those with NO reason? I have, that's why i freak out when i see cops... even if i DON'T have weed on me. NEVER TALK TO THE POLICE!!!! backed. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:44am - pam ""] arilliusbm said:I think they're using this as a prime example (due to the dude's status) at how minorities are treated differently by the cops. I don't think the cop did anything wrong here, unless noted otherwise somewhere. Kind of related, but one of my black friends actually got pulled over one day and the first thing the cop said to him was if the car was stolen and asked him to step out of the vehicle. haha I think the issue is that stuff like what happened to your black friend happens all the time, so black dudes are pretty fucking paranoid...with good reason in my opinion. I don't think the cop did anything wrong though, but I also wasn't there and I trust a cop's account of stories about as much as I trust the victim/suspects. You never know unless you were there. Until cops stop being corrupt fucking pricks, people aren't going to trust their motives and since that'll never happen...we'll be dealing with this forever. |
| _______________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:45am - the_reverend ""] as a white person pam, double backed. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:48am - arilliusbm ""] I'd say about 3/4+ of cops are indeed corrupt pricks. and I hate being tailed by cops, happens all the time. I've met some cops that were pretty chill, but then again I'm not sure how they treat others. the fact will always remain that a good number of cops feed on fear, and they also think they're better than everyone because they are the "law." State Troopers are the worst.. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:51am - pam ""] brian_dc said:There is another side to the story that makes the claim that after Gates gave his identification and it was clear that he was the resident of the house the officer still demanded Gates step out of the house. Allegedly, the officer never identified himself. Even that course of events does not prove racial profiling by the officer. Like you said, the only case would be racism from the neighbor...but meh. I dunno dude, that would freak me out if I was him. The only reason I can think of for the cop to do that is like when you call 911 the cop makes the caller come outside to make sure no one's holding them hostage. At least that's what the cop told me when I was hauled out of my apartment in my pajamas for calling 911 on assholes breaking in next door. They never found the criminals but I got a thorough checking! He told me he was technically supposed to come inside to make sure no one was in my apt but that he would wave it. If I was a black dude I can almost guarantee nothing would have been "waved". I wouldn't have let him in anyway, it was ridiculous. All the time wasted at my door while the assholes breaking in next door got away. |
| _______________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:53am - the_reverend ""] agreed. if a cop tails me, I pull to the right and slowdown so he leaves me. I watch them tail people all the time. the 2nd to that ticket I got was cause a cop tailgated me and I sped up to pull in front of a semi and get the asshole off my tail. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:58am - arilliusbm ""] I was going 90 mph on 95 south one day, and I saw a cop pull out to snag me. luckilly I sped up a little, passed the car next to me, and took my foot off the gas so it wouldn't look obvious that I was slowing down. about 15 seconds later he snagged a car right near me that happened to be the same color and wasn't speeding at all. epic win |
| _________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:59am - XmikeX ""] The situation: Honestly, I can see both sides of this story happening. I can see this guy mouthing off to the cops, and I can see a cop being an asshole for absolutely no reason. On the Today Show this morning a neighbor of Gates who saw the whole thing stepped up and said Gates was being belligerent and not cooperating with the police. Gates: This guy went from being a suspicious arrest, to being a civil rights celebrity, to backpedaling all in the span of about 2 days. He went on TV trying to play the hero role saying he was going to sue, and did a 180 the next day saying he's not going to sue and that he just wants to talk to the officer. Ehhhh.... something doesn't sit right with me about this guy. Crowley: I hate cops, bouncers, and security guards anywhere. I'm sure this guy is an asshole down to his absolute core. But I give this guy big ups for refusing to apologize. Cops in this situation usually fold like Superman on laundry day, and they usually do it because they're in the wrong. If this guy thinks he's in the right so much so that he's willing to risk becoming a national villain in a fabricated scandal then I'm slightly more inclined to side with him. Obama: STFU and fix the economy. There's real abuse of police authority going on all over the place, and your homeboy isn't above the law because he has a PhD. |
| ___________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:59am - brian_dc ""] arilliusbm said:I was going 90 mph on 95 south one day, and I saw a cop pull out to snag me. luckilly I sped up a little, passed the car next to me, and took my foot off the gas so it wouldn't look obvious that I was slowing down. about 15 seconds later he snagged a car right near me that happened to be the same color and wasn't speeding at all. epic win This happened to me once, but I was that unlucky other car. What sucks is that it was the second time I was pulled over that day. Almost got cuffed...so fucked up. I was going 50 in a 55 the second time....couldn't argue because I had already been pulled over about an hour before. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 11:03am - arilliusbm ""] xmikex just said it right. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 11:05am - arilliusbm ""] brian: that sucks man. the last two times i've got pulled over were double pullovers. I was the second car in both cases. and in both cases I was pretty innocent. the cop tried telling me I was speeding too, so I asked him if he double-clocked the same car and he gave me attitude. what I really wanted to say was "it's the 27th day of the month, you're just trying to fill your monthly quota you fucking prick" |
| ______________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 2:30pm - the_reverend ""] their quotas are usually up on the 11th of the month from what I was told. there are also differences state to state. Some states all the tickets go to the state not the town so local cops won't ticket you unless you are an idiot. Other places, the towns make most of their revenue off tickets from a small stretch of highway. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 2:39pm - metal_church101 ""] arilliusbm said:I was going 90 mph on 95 south one day, and I saw a cop pull out to snag me. luckilly I sped up a little, passed the car next to me, and took my foot off the gas so it wouldn't look obvious that I was slowing down. about 15 seconds later he snagged a car right near me that happened to be the same color and wasn't speeding at all. epic win Nice. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 2:44pm - metal_church101 ""] the_reverend said:their quotas are usually up on the 11th of the month from what I was told. there are also differences state to state. Some states all the tickets go to the state not the town so local cops won't ticket you unless you are an idiot. Other places, the towns make most of their revenue off tickets from a small stretch of highway. Is it the 11th of the month for both MA and NH for monthly quota time? |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 2:48pm - arilliusbm ""] don't they have quarterly quotas as well? |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 2:56pm - arilliusbm ""] alright so say if 10% of a town's population is speeding, and none of the quotas are going to be met. does that mean that even if everyone is not speeding, a cop HAS to pull people over to save his own ass? that's fucked up. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:01pm - metal_church101 ""] arilliusbm said:alright so say if 10% of a town's population is speeding, and none of the quotas are going to be met. does that mean that even if everyone is not speeding, a cop HAS to pull people over to save his own ass? that's fucked up. This has been going on for a while. Often, if they don't hit their quota, they are stuck working shifts and assignments they don't want. |
| ________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:09pm - xmikex ""] The solution to that problem is to pull over anybody and everybody with out of state plates because no matter what they're not coming back to challenge the ticket. I'm pretty sure my speeding tickets over the past couple years put a new roof on a city hall somewhere in upstate ny. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:31pm - Conservationist ""] When police forces act for their own profit, things are really bad. My complete rejection of speed limits and speed traps: http://www.amerika.org/2009/social-reality/bad-logic-speed-limits/ |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:35pm - SacreligionNLI ""] Fuck speed traps. There's one in Upton on Rt. 140 where there's a blind turn, after which the speed limit drops from 45 to 30. There's almost always a cop there, and if you don't know that change is coming up they will get you everytime. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:36pm - Yeti ""] he's black? |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:37pm - arilliusbm ""] dude, I know exactly what you're talking about. that speed trap in upton SUCKS. not to mention they have those fance new black dodge charger cop cars.. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:38pm - SacreligionNLI ""] They do? Fuck! I don't even bother driving through that town anymore. I'm a GPS of Worcester county backroads and I've essentially erased that town from my maps. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 3:40pm - arilliusbm ""] I don't live near upton at all but I'm usually there hanging out in the woods. at least once every 2 weeks. and every time I see I cop hiding in the shadows or a black dodge charger following my ass. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 4:52pm - Conservationist ""] I detest speed traps. And we have plenty in Texas. Hilariously, they're staffed by Mexican cops these days, and they're just as racist as the good old boys used to be. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 4:58pm - darkwornli ""] it's better than the speed cameras in Britain. it's surprising how much civil liberty beatdowns go on in places like Britain and Austrailia that wouldn't work here. speed cameras in MA? yeah fucking right. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 5:02pm - arilliusbm ""] there are video cameras around every corner in London |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 5:11pm - Conservationist ""] RustyPS said:I have no idea how this could be considered racist by anyone Anything certain people who are also of a minority background don't like is racist. They give you a get out of jail free card; it's hard not to use it. Diversity always fails! |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 5:17pm - arilliusbm ""] This whole issue is getting completely blown up. I always found it funny that MA is one of the more "liberal" states in the Union, yet people always remember Boston as a racist city. A lot of pro-athletes were afraid to play in Boston because of that. Bill Russell use to complain about it when he played here 40+ years ago. In fact, I believe it was one of the first questions Sheed Wallace asked a few weeks ago. Anyway, perhaps this one event will trigger the same feelings of old across the country? |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 5:24pm - arilliusbm ""] http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/23/officer.gates.arrest/index.html I like this Crowley guy more and more. |
| _________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 5:33pm - Conservationist ""] arilliusbm said:Anyway, perhaps this one event will trigger the same feelings of old across the country? I think there's general frustration because instead of uniting the races, Obama seems to be cheering for one side. http://www.amerika.org/2009/organization/o...bama-and-the-end-of-racial-balance/ Not that this surprises anyone who has studied more than the last ~100 years of history, but still, it took America -- where people are just as ignorant on the left as the right -- by surprise. |
| ____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:07pm - dreadkill ""] the way i look at it, you probably had to be there to know exactly what went down. i'll give both the officer and the professor the benefit of the doubt, since it turned out to be a misunderstanding and tempers often flare during when there's a misunderstanding. the person who looks like the real idiot here is the president. his news conference was supposed to be about healthcare so he should've dismissed the question asked about gatesgate, since it was completely irrelevant to the issue of healthcare reform. by commenting on something he didn't have all the facts about, he comes off as "acting stupidly." this was an issue for local officials to deal with and didn't need national attention or comments from the federal level. his comment will cause people to think he views the law as being not applicable to his friends and he endorses playing the race card without proper investigation of the incident. i've given the president the benefit of the doubt in his handling of the economy, healthcare, etc, but i'm disappointed in him for this. |
| _____________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:12pm - arilliusbm ""] me too.. I think Obama fucked up big time by saying what he did. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:23pm - pam ""] darkwornli said:it's better than the speed cameras in Britain. it's surprising how much civil liberty beatdowns go on in places like Britain and Austrailia that wouldn't work here. speed cameras in MA? yeah fucking right. hahah, no shit. Those things would be knocked down and smashed within 48 hours. |
| ______________________________ [Jul 23,2009 10:25pm - pam ""] arilliusbm said:me too.. I think Obama fucked up big time by saying what he did. Yeah, probably unwise on his part but everyone sticks their foot in their mouth. Even with sunshine and butterflies coming out their ass. |
| _______________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 11:41pm - the_reverend ""] im fucking sick of hearing about this. granted, obama's stupid comment was stupid. |
| __________________________________________ [Jul 23,2009 11:55pm - Conservationist ""] the_reverend said:im fucking sick of hearing about this. granted, obama's stupid comment was stupid. Do you live in a multicultural neighborhood? |