Obama '08?

@parados,

I have reached no conclusion as I, nor you, possess all the facts.

My initial observation leads me to think both parties may have over-reacted.

To answer your direct question, if I lived in a neighborhood, that has had a rise in daytime breakins, and the police arrived at my home under similar circumstances, I would have given my ID to the police officer and thanked them for their concern and prompt reaction to the 911 call.

http://www.cambridgema.gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/2009FirstQtr.pdf

1 Reply

@parados,

The thing is, from all accounts Gates didn't get irate until the officer looked at his ID, determined that he was the rightful resident of the house, AND THEN STARTED DEMANDING THAT GATES COME OUTSIDE. Gates in turn asked for the officer's name and badge number, and when he finally came outside and started asking others among the (6, I heard) officers what the 1st officer's badge number was, the 1st officer arrested him for (what amounts to) having the temerity to speak uppity to an officer of the law.

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Unless we were there to observe this, I don't think any of us know exactly which man's attitude and actions sparked the problem. I don't think the officer is racist however, because apparently he tried to save the life of a black Boston Celtics player once with CPR, plus his fellow officers black and white apparently support him, from what I have gathered so far. One thing is for certain, Obama does not know both sides of the story and it is highly inappropriate for him to start sounding off about this. It will onlymake race relations worse. And another thing, some people think they are too important to be answerable to a policeman, and this can create big problems. I wonder if this could have happened in this case.

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@okie,

okie, One doesn't need to know a person's past to know what happened in fact as reported by all those at the scene, and even that can be subjective.

Just because somebody has saved one life in the past doesn't preclude that person from killing another.

We never know how a person's brains works from one event to the next.

But since you have that special crystal ball that tells you the facts, we're all at a loss to explain to you the whys and wherefores of any event.

1 Reply

@okie,

okie said

Quote:

some people think they are too important to be answerable to a policeman, and this can create big problems. I wonder if this could have happened in this case.

bullshit, the man was inside his own home, he showed the officer both his drivers license and his harvard ID and the office continued demanding that he step outside (outside his own home) also he has just returned on a flight from china to boston and was probably somewhat tired/irritable as I would have been.

1 Reply

@cicerone imposter,

Regardless, how can such a liberal bastion of culture produce racist cops, ci? Where is it more liberal than Cambridge, Mass.? And with the economy tanking and people dying in Afghanistan, etc., why is the president stooping to a local police issue that he knows nothing about? What a dolt of a president.

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@snood,

There are varying accounts about who said what when.

What I find curious is how the President can come to a conclusion after admitting he does not have the facts.

It may also be possible that both parties over-reacted.

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@dyslexia,

dyslexia wrote:

okie said
Quote:
some people think they are too important to be answerable to a policeman, and this can create big problems. I wonder if this could have happened in this case.
bullshit, the man was inside his own home, he showed the officer both his drivers license and his harvard ID and the office continued demanding that he step outside (outside his own home) also he has just returned on a flight from china to boston and was probably somewhat tired/irritable as I would have been.

I have a relative in law enforcement. Not him, but there are those in law enforcement that have a little Napoleon complex, they love their authority, but on the flip side there are people that think they are too important to be nice to a cop or cooperate. Do we know which this is, I don't, but a cop puts his life on the line every day, and nothing is more irritating than somebody that thinks they are too important to cooperate in a simple matter. Cops go through intensive training to know how to properly deal with all situations, potential criminals, and the arrogant, thats for sure.

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@okie,

okie said

Quote:

What a dolt of a president.

Okie this incident is a mere and minor example of daily experiences of people of colour as well as people of lower classes (poor). This happens in every city and town in america hourly. For president Obama to make note of it only demostrates that race remains a very important issue/problem for millions of american citizens. Okie you're the dolt.

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@dyslexia,

dys, are you too dumb to see that a president taking sides in an incident wherein he knows nothing of the details is a very stupid thing to do? In fact, it demonstrates the presidents own racism. He assumes the cop is guilty. So he apparently did listen to the Reverend Wright all those years?

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@okie,

okie, It's a "stupid thing to do" only for people like you who fails to understand that racial discrimination in America is still alive and well.

Do you understand what would have happened if a black police officer treated a white college professor the same way?

Probably not.

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@okie,

yes okie I am dumb. thanks for your concern re my mental faculties.

1 Reply

@okie,

okie wrote:

Regardless, how can such a liberal bastion of culture produce racist cops, ci?

A transparent, red herring taunt - honest folks know there are racists of every color and ideological stripe.

Where is it more liberal than Cambridge, Mass.?

See above.

And with the economy tanking and people dying in Afghanistan, etc., why is the president stooping to a local police issue that he knows nothing about?

He was asked the question. the man is a personal friend of his, and as a black man in America, the chances are that Obama has himself experienced anxiety about police. Every black boy whose parents love them are warned that cops sometimes consider them guilty before inquiring. Those are enough reasons for me for Obama to "stoop" to answer the question. But maybe that's just me.

What a dolt of a president.

Sheesh, that really hurts, coming from someone who has always been so even-handed in his judgements of the president. Not.

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@snood,

Snood, I have already said it could be a case of a cop being somewhat at fault, but it could also be the fault of Gates. We don't know, do we? Or perhaps you profess to know? And apparently Obama knows? Even while he admits he does not know the details. Face it, it is inappropriate for Obama to place himself into this case and essentially accuse the cop of being a racist when he knows nothing. But then again, this has become common practice for some people, to throw around the accusation of racism, without one iota of evidence.

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@dyslexia,

dyslexia wrote:

yes okie I am dumb. thanks for your concern re my mental faculties.

We are all dumb at times, dys. Take heart, there is hope.

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@okie,

If okie thinks there is hope, I would "really" be worried. LOL

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@okie,

well okie as you already know via foxfyre, not only am I dumb but I'm also a liar. I don't have grounds for hope, probably doomed. Forunately there is you and foxfyre to keep guard at the pillars of wisdom/knowledge and truth. I shall pass on at ease.

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@Yankee,

Yankee wrote:

It may also be possible that both parties over-reacted.

If I was being treated like a criminal for trying to get into my own home, I think I can be indignant.

Cops should not be arresting people for being put in their place when they make an error.

T
K
O

1 Reply

@snood,

snood wrote:

The thing is, from all accounts Gates didn't get irate until the officer looked at his ID, determined that he was the rightful resident of the house, AND THEN STARTED DEMANDING THAT GATES COME OUTSIDE. Gates in turn asked for the officer's name and badge number, and when he finally came outside and started asking others among the (6, I heard) officers what the 1st officer's badge number was, the 1st officer arrested him for (what amounts to) having the temerity to speak uppity to an officer of the law.

Much is being made of the officer's requesting or demanding Gates come out of his house.

I don't know if this is true, but I heard a couple of guys in the airport discussing the subject and one of them claimed that it was standard procedure to ask the homeowner to step outside of their house in the case of a reported break-in because:

1) The criminals could be telling the homeowner to get rid of the cops
2) The homeowner might not know anyone was in the house.

This sounds reasonable, but I can't confirm it.

Can anyone else shed light on this assertion?

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@Diest TKO,

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