Who was the person wronged? Prof Gates or Sarge Crowley?

Wyldgusechaz

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To me its really clear, Sarge Crowley, but I would like to hear other opinions.

To me, he was only doing his job and has an impeccable record on racial issues. Gates OTOH sounds like he was itching for a fight and chose the wrong cop. He needed Mark Fuhrman and instead jumped all over Abe Lincoln.

Obama steps into it and comes out a little dirty.
 

Phil Ayesho

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BOTH parties were reacting emotionally.

Gates had a chip on his shoulder from the start and wrongly pulled the race card.
The Cop got his briefs in a bunch because they don't like to brook no shit from NOBODY...
He had no idea at the time this guy was Obama's personal friend.

And the proof that BOTH acted idiotically is the fact that with Obama a little belatedly acting like an adult and doing the thing neither of these two testosterone poisoned doofi could do... manning up and apologizing for over-reacting... the two of them are suddenly willing swill a beer with the prez and get chummy.

If the cop had real balls, he would admit he overreacted to a guy flouting his authoratay- but state race was not an issue.
And if gates had any balls he would admit to being tired, cranky, and miffed at being unable to get into his own house... and that he reacted badly to the fact that a neighbor had called in a burglary 'cause they saw two 'black men" trying to get into the house.

Gates should understand that Cops have a hard job and that he pushed their hot buttons.
Crowley should understand that Gates apprehension about police treatment of blacks is WELL FOUNDED in decades of real experience...


And, right now- they should BOTH drop it and suggest to media that the nation has far more important concerns on its plate than a minor and inconsequential pissing match.

And Obama...
I swear, I almost think he made the "stupid" comment on purpose... just so he could let the media hype it up and give him the opportunity to demonstrate to these two stubborn jackasses how its done by walking out and graciously apologizing for initially over-reacting.
Its not a weakness to admit error.
Its the only real strength.
 

SR_Blarney_Frank

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Couple of points here:

1) A phone call alone does not constitute probable cause. In other words Crowley's duty was to investigate whether there was a burglary in progress and not assume as much. Once Gates produced ID it was game over, time to go home.

2) It's not a crime to yell at police unless it rises to the level of a public disturbance or a threat. Gates was in his own home and, while he had some harsh words, that's not a reasonable threat to the guy with a gun.

A big part of being a cop is dealing with tense or confrontational situations. If you can't take some guy yelling at you because you've just accused him of breaking into his own home, you should find other work. Gates had no obligation to be pleasant.

The freedom of individuals verbally to oppose or challenge police action without thereby risking arrest is one of the principal characteristics by which we distinguish a free nation from a police state. - Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Houston v. Hill
 
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