Quote:
Originally Posted by spence
I don't understand why he was arrested in the first place. Regardless if he was ticked off, it looks like it didn't take long for the officer to determine there was no break in. Arrest a 60+ year old man in his own home? If his behavior was that bad why were charges dropped?
And to the initial post, Obama made the comment because he was asked a question in a press conference. It's not like this was planned, which is reflected in his off the cuff remark, which I'm sure he now regrets making.
-spence
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I know you have to play devil's advocate Spence, but at least read up on the story before just claiming the officer did something wrong. He was investigating a possible house break in a neighborhood where there has been several recently. He asked the person in the house for identification. The professor got agitated and started asking the officer for his name and badge number. After using the old "you don't know who you're messin' with" and the "I'll come out with your mama" quotes, Gates showed Crowley a Harvard ID. Mind you, the ID doesn't have an address on it. When Crowley tried to walk away outside, Gates followed him berating him and yelling the whole time. By all accounts, Gates was given several opportunities to go back inside and it would be over. But, he kept at it and was arrested for causing a disturbance. Witnesses have already come forward with statements that they never saw Crowley (or any of the other officers) raise his voice, while Gates was yelling the entire time and was chasing the officer down the steps to the front yard.
Why were the charges dropped? Why was Gates given preferential treatment at the jail? Because he is a public figure who has a lot of influence in the city. Don't celebrities and politicians have charges dropped for minor charges all the time?
Obama has claimed that he's a friend of Gates. I don't expect him not to support him, but to call an officer's actions stupid without having the facts or police report is at best, reckless. By the way, watch for an interview later today where Obama refuses to apologize for the "stupid" comment. You can already find it on the internet. Who knows, maybe without a teleprompter or prepared speech, he gets too unnerved to respond to questions in public. Or, maybe he just can't think on his feet. Either way, he should know better than to say something like that about police officers on his monthly national infomercial.