Black harvard prof arrest Fiasco

[whomper]

(CNN) -- The commissioner of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, police department said Thursday he "deeply regrets" the arrest of prominent black Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., but stands by the procedures followed by his department.

 

 

Sgt. Jim Crowley said he has nothing to apologize for in regards to the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.

 

"I believe that Sgt. [James] Crowley acted in a way that is consistent with his training at the department, and consistent with national standards of law enforcement protocol," Commissioner Robert Haas said, referring to the officer who made the July 16 arrest at the professor's home.

 

"I do not believe his actions in any way were racially motivated," Haas said at a news conference.

 

Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct after an exchange with the officer, who was investigating a report of a possible break-in at the house.

 

The police department will create a panel of "independent, notable professionals" to provide an analysis of the incident, he said.

 

The controversial arrest of Gates was criticized Wednesday by President Obama, who said the Cambridge police department "acted stupidly."

 

"My response is that this department is deeply pained and takes its professional pride very seriously," Haas said.

 

Cambridge authorities dropped the charges against Gates on Tuesday.

 

In a statement, the International Association of Chiefs of Police expressed disappointment in Obama's remarks.

 

 

"Police chiefs understand that it is critically important to have all the facts on any police matter before drawing conclusions or making any public statement," said Russell B. Laine, association president and chief of the Algonquin, Illinois, police department, in the statement. "For these reasons, the IACP was disappointed in the president's characterization of the Cambridge Police Department."

 

Haas' comments followed a statement earlier Thursday from Crowley, who said he would not apologize for his actions.

 

"That apology will never come from me as Jim Crowley. It won't come from me as sergeant in the Cambridge Police Department," Crowley told Boston radio station WEEI. "Whatever anybody else chooses to do in the name of the city of Cambridge or the Cambridge Police Department, which are beyond my control, I don't worry about that. I know what I did was right. I have nothing to apologize for."

 

The mayor of Cambridge said she will meet with the city's police chief to make sure the scenario that led to Gates' arrest does not happen again.

 

"This suggests that something happened that should not have happened," E. Denise Simmons, Cambridge's mayor said on CNN's "American Morning." "The situation is certainly unfortunate. This can't happen again in Cambridge."

 

Obama defended Gates Wednesday night, while acknowledging that he may be "a little biased," because Gates is a friend.

 

"But I think it's fair to say, No. 1, any of us would be pretty angry; No. 2, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, No. 3 ... that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately."The incident, Obama said, shows "how race remains a factor in this society."

 

Crowley also said he is exercising caution and his previous actions clearly show he is not a racist.

 

In fact, Crowley taught a racial profiling course at the Lowell Police Academy, said Deborah Friedl, deputy superintendent of the police department.

 

Last year was his fifth year as a co-instructor of the course, Friedl said.

 

"He seems to be a highly regarded instructor at the academy. He consistently received high praise from students," she said.

 

Gates told CNN Wednesday that although charges had been dropped, he will keep the issue alive.

 

"This is not about me; this is about the vulnerability of black men in America," Gates told CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

 

Gates said the Cambridge mayor had called him to apologize about the incident. Simmons, Cambridge's first black female mayor, confirmed to CNN that she apologized to Gates.

 

Gates said he'd be prepared to forgive the arresting officer "if he told the truth" about what the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research said were "fabrications" in the police report.

 

Crowley wrote in the Cambridge police report that Gates refused to step outside to speak with him, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?"

 

The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.

 

"While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me," Crowley said, according to the report.

 

Gates was arrested for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space" and was released from police custody after spending four hours at the police station.

 

 

He said Wednesday that he and his lawyers were considering further actions, not excluding a lawsuit.

 

Gates said that although the ordeal had upset him, "I would do the same thing exactly again."

 

 

 

 

Have you been following this story ? A Black harvard prof was arrested on suspicion of breaking into a house which turned out to be his own. I believe he didnt have a key and was trying to get in that back door and was with another black guy. The neighbors see this and call the cops. They respond and all hell breaks loose. IMO there is a lot of unknow variables for President Obama to make these kind of statements and to say "Maybe I am a little biased" because the professor was an acquantance of his was very careless.

 

The cop could have backed off when the man proved residency but it also seems the Prof got indignant and loud.

[The Wolf]

The President is correct: race does remain a factor in society. It's how he landed his office, in fact. Talk about a double-standard.

Edited July 24, 2009 by The Wolf

[i_am_the_swammi]

This man is in no way equipped to handle the Presidency and there's no way he was voted into office based on his ability to perform.

 

This may end being proven very true.

 

What's even more ridiculous is the fact that there was no one with a pulse from the Republican party that was able to take advantage of this fact.

[The Wolf]

This may end being proven very true.

 

What's even more ridiculous is the fact that there was no one with a pulse from the Republican party that was able to take advantage of this fact.

 

I agree. I edited my original post so as not to hijack the thread or to get it shut down...but you beat me to it!

 

In no way was I suggesting that there was a better candidate...on either side of the aisle. We've not had a good candidate for president in...how long? Where are all the leaders? Who can stand up and LEAD this country?

[whomper]

The President is correct: race does remain a factor in society.

 

It's how he landed his office, in fact. This man is in no way equipped to handle the Presidency and there's no way he was voted into office based on his ability to perform.

 

 

No doubt about that but he was pretty quick to denounce the Cops without all the facts . You could speculate the cop coming on strong thinking this was a break in and the Prof getting loud right off the bat because it is his home and he feels he is being targeted because he is black

[The Wolf]

No doubt about that but he was pretty quick to denounce the Cops without all the facts . You could speculate the cop coming on strong thinking this was a break in and the Prof getting loud right off the bat because it is his home and he feels he is being targeted because he is black

 

OH, I agree 100%...my statement on race being a factor was tongue-in-cheek. On one hand, he denounces white cope for arresting a black professor as "stupid." On the other hand, he sits in his chair solely because of the color of his skin.

 

I mean, how hypocritical can our President be?????

Edited July 24, 2009 by The Wolf

[billay]

It would have been far more prudent for him to refrain from commenting, especially considering he knew the man involved.

[Kid Cid]

Isn't that how we ended up with Bush and he was clearly not qualified to run this country. We knew this before he ever took the Oath of Office and all he did was reinforce that idea the entire time he held the position. If the Dems could have gotten their act together and put forth a solid candidate in either election they would have won in a landslide.

 

Obama is similar to Bush in the fact that he is exactly what we thought he was going to be before the election and he continues to reinforce that fact. If all y'all voted for anything other than bloated budgets, more social programs and more taxes then you clearly didn't do your homework. He also is vastly more qualified to run this country than his predecessor.

 

Seriously guys, just once, try looking beyond the color of the political party a person belongs to.

 

Sorry for the hijack.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Kid Cid

[Ursa Majoris]

It would have been far more prudent for him to refrain from commenting, especially considering he knew the man involved.

Exactly. He was set a trap and he fell right into it. He shouldn't be commenting on anything like this.

[billay]

On the other hand, he sits in his chair solely because of the color of his skin.

While race certainly played a role in the election, that it was the sole determining factor strikes me as absurd.

[tbimm]

It would have been far more prudent for him to refrain from commenting, especially considering he knew the man involved.

I agree Obama should have kept his mouth shut on this one for sure. Seems to me he has bigger things on his plate than getting involved in every case that makes the 10 o'clock news.

[The Wolf]

While race certainly played a role in the election, that it was the sole determining factor strikes me as absurd.

 

It was not the sole factor, I do agree with you. Probably the wrong choice of words on my part. The ineptness of the prior Republican administration and, quite frankly, two less appealing candidates in McCain and Clinton helped also, as did John McCain's selection of a running mate. To his credit he is poised, speaks well, carries himself well. These qualities also helped. Michelle Obama also stuck me as someone I'd want to see as First Lady, as opposed to Mrs. McCain. That helped also.

 

When I see TV crews interviewing voters and they are openly stating that they voted for President Obama because of the color of his skin, I have a really big problem with that.

Edited July 24, 2009 by The Wolf

[Kid Cid]

It was not the sole factor, I do agree with you. Probably the wrong choice of words on my part. The ineptness of the prior Republican administration and, quite frankly, two less appealing candidates in McCain and Clinton helped also, as did John McCain's selection of a running mate. To his credit he is poised, speaks well, carries himself well. These qualities also helped.

 

When I see TV crews interviewing voters and they are openly stating that they voted for President Obama because of the color of his skin, I have a really big problem with that.

Don't you think that you see that because of the sensationalist spin it puts on things? The news is no longer the news, my friend.

 

SImply put, racism exists and cuts both ways now. We as a society haven't turned the corner and made a statement to the effect of "any racism is wrong, regardless of your race". It will eventually happen, we're just not there yet.

[AtomicCEO]

While race certainly played a role in the election, that it was the sole determining factor strikes me as absurd.

 

I certainly didn't vote for Obama because he was black.

I voted for him because he was the alternative to another guy from the party that had been ratf0cking the country for the past 8 years. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

This incident has a lot of factors that went into it.

 

You had the professor who shouldn't have been a suspect just because he was black in that neighborhood, and he was pissed.

But he probably went more than a little overboard getting pissed at a cop, when it wasn't really the cops fault. Someone called the popo in.

 

Escalating anger, and neither one of them was man enough to walk away. All this situation took to resolve without incident was for one of the two guys to relax, and it didn't happen. It's a shame.

 

I don't think the cop was racist though.

Edited July 24, 2009 by AtomicCEO

[whomper]

I certainly didn't vote for Obama because he was black.

I voted for him because he was the alternative to another guy from the party that had been ratf0cking the country for the past 8 years. I'm sure I'm not alone.

 

This incident has a lot of factors that went into it.

 

You had the professor who shouldn't have been a suspect just because he was black in that neighborhood, and he was pissed.

But he probably went more than a little overboard getting pissed at a cop, when it wasn't really the cops fault. Someone called the popo in.

 

Escalating anger, and neither one of them was man enough to walk away. All this situation took to resolve without incident was for one of the two guys to relax, and it didn't happen. It's a shame.

 

I don't think the cop was racist though.

 

 

Nailed it

[tazinib1]

I truly hope the Mayor and Chief stand by there officer on this one. It seems he followed procedure and I'm sick and tired of politics rearing its ugly head when somebody cries racism when they can't take the blame for themselves. Who gives a chit if he's a prominent black professor? He obviously has some issues. Would he have acted the same way if the officers in question were black? It all goes hand in hand and the prez needs to pick his battles about race alittle more carefully. I mean good lord, what the hell is he paying his advisor's for anyways?

 

Any word if this was caught on dash cam?

[Duchess Jack]

OH, I agree 100%...my statement on race being a factor was tongue-in-cheek. On one hand, he denounces white cope for arresting a black professor as "stupid." On the other hand, he sits in his chair solely because of the color of his skin.

 

I mean, how hypocritical can our President be?????

Not for nothing - but seeing as how he is the first black president of the US, you could say that every other president was elected based on the color of his skin as well.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Duchess Jack

[The Wolf]

Don't you think that you see that because of the sensationalist spin it puts on things? The news is no longer the news, my friend.

 

SImply put, racism exists and cuts both ways now. We as a society haven't turned the corner and made a statement to the effect of "any racism is wrong, regardless of your race". It will eventually happen, we're just not there yet.

 

Agreed on the last part...the news is no longer the news. There is not one news outlet I know of that is completely impartial and does not impart their own spin. My issue is that the people themselves were giving their reasons on why they voted for President. Do we know the full context? I do not. Was it scripted? I don't know.

[Ursa Majoris]

When I see TV crews interviewing voters and they are openly stating that they voted for President Obama because of the color of his skin, I have a really big problem with that.

It's the same problem as those that didn't vote for him based on the color of his skin. The blacks voting for Obama based on color are counterbalanced by the whites voting against him for the same reason. Bear in mind that the black vote is always roughly 85% - 90% Democrat anyway, so the Obama skin effect is a lot less than people think.

 

Atomic said it earlier - after 8 years of Bush, the Dems could have won in 2008 if they'd fielded the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

[muck]

When I see TV crews interviewing voters and they are openly stating that they voted for President Obama because of the color of his skin, I have a really big problem with that.

 

You would have a similar problem if TV crews interviewed people and asked them how many of them voted for McCain (or HRC in the primaries) because of the color of their skin?

 

There are a lot of white people who get elected because they're white.

 

There are a lot of latinos who get elected because they're latino.

[The Wolf]

Not for nothing - but seeing as how he is the first black president of the US, you could say that every other president was elected based on the color of his skin as well.

 

Very true. I'd like to know how many non-caucasians ran for President / had the opportunity to run before commenting more though. I will say this though...Colin Powell is the man I always wanted to see run. That man had the integrity, the smarts, and the strength to lead this country. Shame he never ran and I hope he was not discouraged because of the color of his skin. More than likely, he chose not to run because of all the political BS that takes place on both sides of the aisle.

[The Wolf]

You would have a similar problem if TV crews interviewed people and asked them how many of them voted for McCain (or HRC in the primaries) because of the color of their skin?

 

There are a lot of white people who get elected because they're white.

 

There are a lot of latinos who get elected because they're latino.

 

I would absolutely have a problem with that...vote for the best candidate...do NOT vote for someone based on color, gender, religious background, etc. White, black, latino...it matters not to me and I would love to see the day where it matters not to anyone.

 

This is not an anti-black thing. Not at all. I respect everyone unless they prove not to be worthy of my respect. I respect this President as well. He is my President, although I did not vote for him, and he has my respect. It's an anti bias/discrimination thing with me. This just happened to be the example that got me discussing it.

[The Wolf]

It's the same problem as those that didn't vote for him based on the color of his skin. The blacks voting for Obama based on color are counterbalanced by the whites voting against him for the same reason. Bear in mind that the black vote is always roughly 85% - 90% Democrat anyway, so the Obama skin effect is a lot less than people think.

 

Atomic said it earlier - after 8 years of Bush, the Dems could have won in 2008 if they'd fielded the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

 

Good point. That makes me sick also. Who cares about the color of someone's skin? I sure as he11 don't.

[Duchess Jack]

Very true. I'd like to know how many non-caucasians ran for President / had the opportunity to run before commenting more though. I will say this though...Colin Powell is the man I always wanted to see run. That man had the integrity, the smarts, and the strength to lead this country. Shame he never ran and I hope he was not discouraged because of the color of his skin. More than likely, he chose not to run because of all the political BS that takes place on both sides of the aisle.

 

I am sure many blacks would have wanted to if they were able to get the that level because this is an issue on all level of politics. The fact that very few blacls have even gotten to that level (Keys, Jackson, Powell) speaks pretty loudly as there are many stops along the way where folk will vote for the white man because he's a white guy.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Duchess Jack

[Duchess Jack]

I will say this though...Colin Powell is the man I always wanted to see run. That man had the integrity, the smarts, and the strength to lead this country. Shame he never ran and I hope he was not discouraged because of the color of his skin.

 

According to the guy who is the current mouth piece for the GOP - Powell has no integrity. We're talking about the guy who keeps the hate and fear burning and causes folk to vote based upon that fear and hatered - the one and only Rush Limbaugh.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Duchess Jack