Black Harvard Professor arrested after breaking into his own home?

Understandable. I'll be honest, I have not listened to what Obama said regarding the incident because I think he should have not answered the question.

 

if you are in your own house, and theres a cop who asked for your ID an you showed it to him, can you ask him to show his badge?

 

I'm sorry that you feel black people might have no self control and mindlessly follow each other in behavioral patterns. Why would you even say something like that?

 

coz he's mentally and physically superior

 

As a black man, I will admit that the race card gets played too often in all types of situations. I hate that it does because it diminishes those instances where race actually does play a factor in many wrongdoings.

Is this an instance of race playing a factor? Maybe, maybe not. I think race played a factor in the neighbors calling the police. I think the police's reaction was one mostly on the fact that a lot of police just go on power trips, especially when they don't like the way they are being treated by the public. I think race played a factor in Gates reaction. I think all three were wrong and are responsible for the incident and the attention that it is drawing to themselves.

 

I only listened to it because that just happened to be the first question after I turned to it.

 

Honestly, I forgot who I was responding to.

 

i thought you were bi-racial, my memory is bad.

 

Regardless of who is right and who is wrong, I think Obama made two errors once he chose to anwer the question.

1. He essentially described the situation as he understood it and then said the police asked for the ID, it was produced, then he was arrested. He left out any stuff between showing the ID and getting arrested. Someone unfamilar with the story, would think that he was imemdiately arrested after showing the ID.

2. He said the police "stupidly" handled the situation. "stupid" is just a poor word choice.

As you wrote, he should never have answered the question directly. He could have easily said, "I don't have all the facts at hand so I will not comment on that specific example" and then if he wanted to touch on race relations, he could have made some sort of general comment.

 

I have to say my opinion of Obama is lower after all this. He should have just kept his mouth shut on the topic. It's really none of his business...other than it was his friend involved...which is all the more reason to refrain from commenting on it. It makes me wonder what else he is going to say without having all the facts...and whether he is going to take actions in general without having all the facts. The correct comments to make in this situation are "I don't have all the facts so I will refrain from commenting".

 

I am but my identification and records list me as black because that is what I chose. Mixed, bi-racial, two or more races, etc. is hardly ever an option and even if it is I do not choose it.

 

That wasn't a neighbor, it was a passer by that called the police. And there have been several break-ins in that area recently, with Gates' house possibly had been a target. For his personal safety sake, you'd hope people will call the police when they see someone breaking into the house.

I am guessing the cop is not used to people being verbally abusive to him, and Gates is not used to being treated like a nobody. So after he pulled "do you know who I am" line, it all went down hill from there.

 

I thought he was an expert on racial profiling

 

I just don't know if they would have reacted the same way if they would have seen two white males doing the same thing regardless if it is a neighbor, passer by, or whatever. I have my doubts. Would Gates have reacted the same way to a black police officer? I think so. Would the police officer have acted the same toward a white man with Gates' behavior? I think so.

Of course, this is just my opinion and I am not stating it as fact.

 

not a white prof but...

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I give the police report more weight than the victim's personal account. Their statements is a legal document that has to be backed up by fact and witness accounts or they could lose their job. The victim can say whatever they want, as long as it isn't in court.

Like others have mentioned, it is not worth prosecuting Gates for a misdemeanor with all the national attention this has been getting. Do all the thousands of others who have been arrested and released with charges dropped deserve an executive apology? What makes Gates so special? Oh, I forgot who he was.

 

I see a connection... old people acting like idiots!

 

Yes, legal documents always tell the truth. How did I forget that?

 

I am certain that both parties were at fault in this case, but based on the actions of the prosecutors, it is evident that the evidence did not justify the charges. The police officer was at fault for arresting a man who, even if he was belligerant, was not doing anything wrong.

Whatever the professor said to rile up the police officer was also wrong. Obviously, it wasn't wrong enough to justify charges, and as such should not have been enough to justify an arrest.

I am quite certain that both men were reacting to each other badly, but only one of them was being paid to keep the peace. He should have acted in a more professional manner and not arrested the professor on frivolous charges meant to punish the educator by taking him to jail.

 

Because he is an unthinking, bigoted a$$.