Harvard Professor Arrested

[Monty22 833]

The only reason Obama talked about was to distract people from his train wreck of an address.

I can't wait for the release of the police radio transmissions from the scene.

I think Crowley showed (and is showing) more restraint than most now and during the initial incident. About 15 years ago my Golden retriever pushed my back door shut while I was outside brining in garbage cans after work. It was my first apartment and I had just moved in. I had taken off my shirt and tie, and was rocking wing tips, suit pants and t-shirt. I found a window in the back I could jimmy open without damage and began to do so. About 8 minutes later a voice from behind me instructed me to put my hands up and step away from the window. The officer held me at gunpoint for 4-6 minutes until more units arrived. My address on my license was not updated yet, so it took a good 30 minutes or so to establish I wasn't sketchy. I offered the Whalers clock I made in wood shop hanging in the kitchen as proof of ID, as it had my name in written on the back, but they would not let me open the window. I had to wait until they reached the landlord.

I was respectful to the responding officers, who indicated someone across the street had called it in. (apparently she didn't see me brining in the trash cans). I was thankful for the quick response. From what I have read and from the statements made by both parties, Skippy looks to me like an opportunist. I just hope the press is as aggressive with the news of Crowley's innocence as they are with the accusations of racism.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

This guy's neighbor couldn't recognize him but this officer is supposed to know who this guy is? The officer even called Harvard University Police to verify the Harvard id.

Actually, I think that's a big part of this. If you read the police report Gates just doesn't seem to be able to get over the fact the cop didn't know who he was.

Oh the officer knows who he is. He(Gates) is a fucking asshole.

True, but I think he was more going for recongition from his apperances on Oprah.

[stock07 1]

The only reason Obama talked about was to distract people from his train wreck of an address.

I can't wait for the release of the police radio transmissions from the scene.

I think Crowley showed (and is showing) more restraint than most now and during the initial incident. About 15 years ago my Golden retriever pushed my back door shut while I was outside brining in garbage cans after work. It was my first apartment and I had just moved in. I had taken off my shirt and tie, and was rocking wing tips, suit pants and t-shirt. I found a window in the back I could jimmy open without damage and began to do so. About 8 minutes later a voice from behind me instructed me to put my hands up and step away from the window. The officer held me at gunpoint for 4-6 minutes until more units arrived. My address on my license was not updated yet, so it took a good 30 minutes or so to establish I wasn't sketchy. I offered the Whalers clock I made in wood shop hanging in the kitchen as proof of ID, as it had my name in written on the back, but they would not let me open the window. I had to wait until they reached the landlord.

I was respectful to the responding officers, who indicated someone across the street had called it in. (apparently she didn't see me brining in the trash cans). I was thankful for the quick response. From what I have read and from the statements made by both parties, Skippy looks to me like an opportunist. I just hope the press is as aggressive with the news of Crowley's innocence as they are with the accusations of racism.

Thats the problem though...It dosent make for good news for the cop to actually look like he did his job 100% correct...Then you have liberal radio talk show host putting that fuckin idiot Gates on their backs taking his side and calling anyone who speaks up for the cop a racist...I honestly thought that Obama was the changed we needed in this country, I voted for him and am not ashamed to admit it. But it is looking more and more everyday that he has fooled us all....I am developing a stronger and stronger distrust for our goverment everytime I turn on the news....I also realize it takes alot longer than a few months to get this country going in the right direction and still feel Obama can do it, I guess we will see....

[Monty22 833]

Thats the problem though...It dosent make for good news for the cop to actually look like he did his job 100% correct...Then you have liberal radio talk show host putting that fuckin idiot Gates on their backs taking his side and calling anyone who speaks up for the cop a racist...I honestly thought that Obama was the changed we needed in this country, I voted for him and am not ashamed to admit it. But it is looking more and more everyday that he has fooled us all....I am developing a stronger and stronger distrust for our goverment everytime I turn on the news....I also realize it takes alot longer than a few months to get this country going in the right direction and still feel Obama can do it, I guess we will see....

Not all of us were fooled.

There is no such thing as an unhealthy level of distrust of one's government.

[stock07 1]

I agree, good point...There is also no such thing as a "perfect" goverment as well...

[Leafsrule16 5]

I'm sorry, but from what I've heard, according to both sides the professor showed him his ID and established that it was his house. Still arresting him is the definition of acting stupidly. Racism charges are probably overblown, and Obama didn't say anything about racism. Whether the professor was black or white, I would still say the cop acted stupidly.

As for a president undermining police authority? Really? Police are human too, they don't always act in a manner deserving respect. Just because they have authority doesn't mean they never misuse it or screw up.

Respect is not a given, police or no. Police departments have in general earned respect because of their prior work. But that does not mean you can't call an individual out when his actions helped create a national news story. Remember, in a defamation case, truth is an absolute defense. And I don't think any jury is going to disagree that it's beyond reason to say that the officer acted stupidly. If he had said "acted maliciously", "acted racist", or "acted illegally", then you might have a case.

I agree with 50% of what you said. However, if the man stopped and thought out the situation instead of going on a rampage, playing the race card and making a scene, he woudlnt have been arrested in the first place. He was warned yet continued to mouth off to the officers and got what he deserved. Police officers are there to protect the public, there was a woman with a complaint, stupid or not it was the police's job to follow up on it. To the police, it could have actually been a robbery, especially since the house had been broken into before according to the professor. The cops went to the scene to check it out and were met with loud and hostile behavior. No cop should have to put up with the abuse that the professor, a man who should be above this childish behavior especially gave him. The arresting officer had all the right to arrest the loud mouth and furious professor who, just got what he deserved. The cop was doing his job, he was not being racist in any way and the black professor had to make a scene, was warned ignored it and was arrested. The cop could have arrested him right at the start of him yelling first time he woudlnt stop, he even gave him more then one chance.

[gerbe3:16 19]

Gotta weigh in here as a Bostonian.

This Harvard professor shows what a pompous twit he is every time he opens his mouth. This guy really thinks he is something else... offering to give the cop a personal class on the history of racial profiling in America (unbeknownst to him that the cop is also an authority on racial profiling - you can't make this stuff up!!). This man seems to be a racist himself or at the very least, suffers from severe paranoia and has an itchy trigger finger to point at anyone that dares not bow down to kiss his rear end. The quote about him purposely driving to the police station out in his old suburb (what was it, Lexington?) to show off to the police that he drives an expensive car and to show them 'what black looks like' and that a black man is driving a nice car goes to show what type of bigot this guy is.

The President already backpedaled twice. This guy just keeps going, though. Now what will happen when he is heard screaming at the officer when the dispatcher's tapes are released to the public (which will then put Mr. Gates in a precarious position of having to cover up for a lie that he had no voice or something to that effect)? Will they be released or will THEY protect this clown like the folks who dropped the charges?

The media coverage of this is absurd.

God bless our cops that serve and protect. This sergeant seems to be a particularly exemplary officer of the law and seems to have followed protocol quite well. Shame on the spineless folks in the DA's office and the City of Cambridge that threw him under the bus a few days ago.

[greech 4]

Seriously I totally agree that he is trying to put himself on a pedestal for being a successful, affluent black man. The still-occurring racism in our country shows in not only the media, but the defense for the cop not being a racist. It mentioned how the former chief in Cambridge gave his support to the officer, even though the chief is black! It shouldn't matter if they are black or white or whatever, the problem is that the race card is played so much by all sides all the time.

[Ahriman 1]

Having been through so, so many conferences and higher education conventions and all that, it is my informed opinion that educated people, professors especially, never learn to shut their goddamn mouths when they need to. Something about being completely preoccupied with esoteric science surrounded by people doing the same thing makes them not realize what the real world is like. If he would have just kept his mouth shut and stayed calm while staying on topic he could have just put up with the inconvenience and sued the hell out of the officer, department, etc afterwards.

I needed to have an excuse to bring this up, I once knew a professor who fell for an email scam. He insisted that was impossible because "they wouldn't let criminals send emails like that."

[Rocketking 0]

This should be a pretty good learning experience for us all.

Typically when you encounter a police office who is in the midst of doing his job, you should ALWAYS have an air of respect for that person - ALWAYS.

Cuz this only goes to prove that no matter who you are it can always end VERY bad for you if you don't.

Especially when said officer is responding to a report of a possible crime in progress.

It doesn't matter WHO you are, or think you are, its just a highly intelligent thing to do.

[shooter27 116]

I find this whole think absolutely absurd. It just amazes me how seemingly educated people lack self control, and I say that to both sides of the equation here. I went to an Ivy League school myself (not Harvard) and the opinion that many people (faculty and students) have of themselves at those institutions is really over the top. This is just another example of that phenomenon.

The guy was clearly being an ass, but at the end of the day did the cop HAVE to arrest him? No, not really. It was clear that the guy was irrational and escalating the situation. In my experience the best way to deal with that kind of situation is simply to walk away. The cop verified it was his residence, he simply should have gotten in his car and left and let the guy scream at the thin air. I don't mean for it to come off as if I blame the cop for any of this, because I don't, but if the cop simply gets in his car and goes back to his job this is a non-event. He wasn't wrong in arresting the guy, but at the end of the day it escalated the situation further, whereas walking away would have ended the situation.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

There's nothing for which to sue the police. If the guy was anything but a complete moron he would have said, thank you for responding to the call officer. This is my ID proving this is my home, I forgot my keys and was forced to jimmy the lock open. That right there could have been the end of it. Instead, the moron esclates the situation with the cop to the point where the police were totally justified in arresting him for his conduct. If he was anyone else they wouldn't have dropped the charges either. I'm sure in the mind of Gates any time he encouters someone and things don't go his way it's because of racism. As for this Harvard thing, the guy teaches "African-American studies." Beyond being a joke of a program that has no real world application and is the sort of thing that universities should be getting rid of, it's hardly a great academic discpline. I'd be far more impressed by someone teaching phyiscs at a community college.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

If you weren't there, shooter, you shouldn't be making statements about what the police officer should have or should not have done.

[Chadd 916]

I find this whole think absolutely absurd. It just amazes me how seemingly educated people lack self control, and I say that to both sides of the equation here. I went to an Ivy League school myself (not Harvard) and the opinion that many people (faculty and students) have of themselves at those institutions is really over the top. This is just another example of that phenomenon.

The guy was clearly being an ass, but at the end of the day did the cop HAVE to arrest him? No, not really. It was clear that the guy was irrational and escalating the situation. In my experience the best way to deal with that kind of situation is simply to walk away. The cop verified it was his residence, he simply should have gotten in his car and left and let the guy scream at the thin air. I don't mean for it to come off as if I blame the cop for any of this, because I don't, but if the cop simply gets in his car and goes back to his job this is a non-event. He wasn't wrong in arresting the guy, but at the end of the day it escalated the situation further, whereas walking away would have ended the situation.

So the cop should get in his car and drive away, leaving behind an angry man shouting about racism on the streets of a residential neighborhood at 1 in the morning? The cop did walk away, according to sworn testimony, and the professor followed him. There is only so much the cop can ignore before it becomes dereliction of duty.

[Monty22 833]

I'm just glad the Cambridge PD stood up for it's officer. It would have been sad to see them bow to the pressure to apologize from the media and out of touch politicians.

[ktang 34]

I think that if Sgt. Crowley had chosen to walk away, it would have sent a message to the neighbours present, and the community, that the Cambridge police are not worthy of respect.

Then the next police officer who is confronted with will have a more difficult time doing his/her job. If this next police officer also walks away, etc., the Cambridge police will not be able to do many of their duties (crowd control, serving arrests, traffic control, etc.) because the community would be conditioned to respond to police orders by becoming loud and confrontational.

Also, if Sgt. Crowley had backed down, he personally would have lost the respect of his fellow law enforcement members, and that of the Harvard security detachment.

So, Sgt. Crowley had to make the arrest.

-----

I think Gates has gotten to his position of power and influence by using racism, so he may have been conditioned to getting what he wants by loudly "crying wolf".

This case reminds me of the African-American senator / congresswoman (I don't recall which one) who accused racism when she was asked to provide ID.

Now Gates is looking for people to malign Sgt. Crowley. Sure, anybody whom Sgt. Crowley has arrested in the past would like to "get back" at him on a national / international stage.

So, this is what Sgt. Crowley gets for doing his job responding to the radio call.

-----

About Obama's reaction: I think this is his first major mistake. Funny, he has been planning and navigating The Bailout, Military Allocations (e.g. F-22), Iraq/Afghanistan, Iraq, N. Korea, and Health Care pretty well. I think this one caught him unprepared, and he responded emotionally.

[Law Goalie 147]

What's so disgusting about this is that Gates has made it that much more difficult for people who REALLY ARE mistreated because of their race.

It doesn't surprise me at all that he's a friend of George Elliott Clarke's.

[Chadd 916]

I think Gates has gotten to his position of power and influence by using racism, so he may have been conditioned to getting what he wants by loudly "crying wolf".

This case reminds me of the African-American senator / congresswoman (I don't recall which one) who accused racism when she was asked to provide ID.

Cynthia McKinney, she is batshit crazy

[Bmplam 1]

Obama may have backed off his origional statement, but he still doesn't get it. His quote from the daily press briefing appearance ...

"I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Prof. Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Prof. Gates probably overreacted as well".

I don't see any sincerity there.

[Chadd 916]

Obama may have backed off his origional statement, but he still doesn't get it. His quote from the daily press briefing appearance ...

"I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Prof. Gates out of his home to the station. I also continue to believe, based on what I heard, that Prof. Gates probably overreacted as well".

I don't see any sincerity there.

He has never admitted that he was wrong about anything, there is always someone else to blame.

[shooter27 116]

I find this whole think absolutely absurd. It just amazes me how seemingly educated people lack self control, and I say that to both sides of the equation here. I went to an Ivy League school myself (not Harvard) and the opinion that many people (faculty and students) have of themselves at those institutions is really over the top. This is just another example of that phenomenon.

The guy was clearly being an ass, but at the end of the day did the cop HAVE to arrest him? No, not really. It was clear that the guy was irrational and escalating the situation. In my experience the best way to deal with that kind of situation is simply to walk away. The cop verified it was his residence, he simply should have gotten in his car and left and let the guy scream at the thin air. I don't mean for it to come off as if I blame the cop for any of this, because I don't, but if the cop simply gets in his car and goes back to his job this is a non-event. He wasn't wrong in arresting the guy, but at the end of the day it escalated the situation further, whereas walking away would have ended the situation.

So the cop should get in his car and drive away, leaving behind an angry man shouting about racism on the streets of a residential neighborhood at 1 in the morning? The cop did walk away, according to sworn testimony, and the professor followed him. There is only so much the cop can ignore before it becomes dereliction of duty.

My point is what is the gain by arresting the guy? If he walks away, the situation is completely over. Now its become a media issue, the President is talking about it and we're here debating it on a hockey message board. If he walks away he could have just gone on with his life and doing his job instead of being publicly put on the spot.

[TBLfan 25]

He has nothing to gain, he has to fill out paper work, he has to cuff and take this piece of shit to the station... He didn't do it for fun, he did it because it IS HIS JOB. If he walks away it would have been irresponsible.

[Chadd 916]

The fact that he did it despite the fact that he had nothing to gain should tell you something. As should the statements by witnesses that back up the officer. When you're a cop, doing your job is often unpopular.

[shooter27 116]

I don't for a second mean to imply I think he did something wrong, but it wasn't the only option. The guy wasn't dangerous, he was being an ass. If he had made an physical threats then I agree he HAS to arrest the guy, but he still would have been doing his job by driving away because the situation is defused by doing so. They guy was clearly in the wrong, I'm just saying the cop had other options that would still allow him to have done his job and it would have lead to a quicker end to the situation instead of what it turned into.

[fieldofdreams 0]

I'm just saying the cop had other options that would still allow him to have done his job and it would have lead to a quicker end to the situation instead of what it turned into.

Really? Don't you think that if the officer had other options that wouldn't have led to all this nonsense, he would have exercised them FIRST??

Police work, as Chadd has said, is unpopular. You are damned if you do, and damned if you don't.