Harvard scholar's arrest raises profiling questions

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Moral outrage doesn't go over well with the undereducated jock douchebags who typically gravitate towards careers in law enforcement. In their minds, they can do no wrong. Too bad for the rest of us, they're armed to the teeth and wrong.

Kind of like Republicans.

as always spot on

[Krikit 1,163]

Inappropriate posts removed.

There is no way the cops would know who I was, if it was my house, or if I wasn't the robber (that triggered the alarm).

Wasn't your picture and address on your driver's license?

[_Simpson_ 250]

#######? Are you kidding me...people are actually agreeing w/ the police on this one???

Well yes of course, what good reason did this professor have for getting a attidude and pulling out the race card right away. They were there too help him. People here sometimes really amaze me. Where you guys dropped on your head as a kid.

Sorry, but if anyone came over and accused me of trying to get into MY house, there will be plenty of attitude on my part. Count on that. And, for those who do not know prof. Gates from Adam, he is one of the most kind and non-chalant academics you will ever meet: not a diva, so your theory just does not fly. And yes, I know ####### I am talking about.

You dont know him, you dont know what he really is like. Put yourself in the officers shoes. They show up to a house that was reported to have somebody breaking in, they knock on the door and ask to speak to the man and he refuses and pulls out the race card and refuses to give ID. Where would that leave you, to get pissed at these officers is just not rational, the guy had a attitude that was unjustified. The officers at that point didnt know who he was, THE GUY WOULD NOT SHOW HIM HIS ID! It was later when he did. I would be thankful to know that the officers were there to check in on an reported burglary on MY house.

A few weeks ago, cops turned up at my home, accusing me of beating my wife. (Turned out the guy beneath us had been yelling loudly and hitting furniture when his sports team threw away a game in the playoffs. The cops showed *zero* interest in getting to the true bottom of the disturbance in our neighborhood.)

My mistake is that I was cooperative with police. They intimidated my wife and I for over an hour, separately, threatening me, then her, with arrest for ... absolutely nothing at all. Eventually they did leave with making an arrest. It was outrageous. These cops invaded our home, separated us, abused us, without any grounds.

We complained in writing to the chief of police. His written response was essentially ... "Hey, we're the cops. Deal with it. We can do what we want."

By the way, we are white ... maybe that is a reason neither of us got arrested?

There are only two times you need to be afraid of the cops: when you've done something wrong .... and when you haven't.

I dont see your case as being the norm. Did you or didnt you get arrested, you have contradicted yourself. If your wife had no physical evidence of abuse and didnt agree to press charges then they would of overstepped there boundaries by arresting you.

No one was arrested. You're right, I wrote inconsistently.

In my 50+ years, I've never had an encounter with the police. I was inexperienced and naive in adopting a cooperative posture. My wife and I both learned a lesson that night ... police are not our friends. It was a pretty awful experience. In the town in which I live, we have come to learn, from conversations with other law-abiding neighbors, that the police are the most severe threat we face with respect to peaceful enjoyment of life in our own homes.

We subsequently learned that a woman living opposite us was arrested for a nonexistent assault against her husband. There was no physical evidence of assault and the husband denied police accusations of an assault, but she was arrested. (It did not go to trial, but by your criteria, looking up, the police overstepped there (sic) boundaries.)

Yes they did and I would never condone this behavior. I just wouldnt hate every cop because of your experience, I find that most cops are good and mean well.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Moral outrage doesn't go over well with the undereducated jock douchebags who typically gravitate towards careers in law enforcement. In their minds, they can do no wrong. Too bad for the rest of us, they're armed to the teeth and wrong.

Kind of like Republicans.

I love you.

[_Simpson_ 250]

Inappropriate posts removed.

There is no way the cops would know who I was, if it was my house, or if I wasn't the robber (that triggered the alarm).

Wasn't your picture and address on your driver's license?

According to the police he wouldnt show them his ID at first, I think thats what Bobby is referring too.

[justashooter 430]

I guess no matter how educated you are and how well you are dressed, there are some people who will always think "you fit the description". I usually am one of the first to defend the actions of the police, but in this situation, I simply cannot muster a defense.

no matter what color you are, if you are seen breaking into a house you will be questioned.

no matter what color you are, if you then refuse to identify yourself and then get nasty with the responding cop you might be arrested.

move along. nothing to see here but an arrogant fool playing the race card.

[EstebanTrabajos 7]

Moral outrage doesn't go over well with the undereducated jock douchebags who typically gravitate towards careers in law enforcement. In their minds, they can do no wrong. Too bad for the rest of us, they're armed to the teeth and wrong.

Kind of like Republicans.

I love you.

Len and AJ under a treeeeee

[Krikit 1,163]

I love it when others rush to judge when they don't have the whole story.

According to the police he wouldnt show them his ID at first, I think thats what Bobby is referring too.

I was responding to the incident that Bobby had. Not the one that Gates had.

[NickD 202]

First off, if the police received a break-in call, surprised they didn't run the other way.

Second, all Gates had to do was to be nice and identify himself, that would have been the end of it. Instead, he has to make smarta$$ remarks about his race.

Third, he should fix his door.

Forth, he should meet his neighbors so they know who he is.

Much ado about nothing, so typical today.

[_Simpson_ 250]

I love it when others rush to judge when they don't have the whole story.

According to the police he wouldnt show them his ID at first, I think thats what Bobby is referring too.

I was responding to the incident that Bobby had. Not the one that Gates had.

oh, my bad sorry. I thought you were talking about gates.

[joelunchbox 0]

Wow, this is amazing, someone actually cared enough to call the police, and then someone was a big enough A$$ to not let the police to do their job. My reply to the police would have been, let's go find them!! If I was the police,I would flag his address as: do not respond to reports of blacks entering residence.

[Krikit 1,163]

First off, if the police received a break-in call, surprised they didn't run the other way.

Second, all Gates had to do was to be nice and identify himself, that would have been the end of it. Instead, he has to make smarta$$ remarks about his race.

Third, he should fix his door.

Forth, he should meet his neighbors so they know who he is.

Much ado about nothing, so typical today.

But you don't have the whole story to come to those conclusions. You're just going by second-hand hearsay.

[Peikko 1,575]

I guess no matter how educated you are and how well you are dressed, there are some people who will always think "you fit the description". I usually am one of the first to defend the actions of the police, but in this situation, I simply cannot muster a defense.

no matter what color you are, if you are seen breaking into a house you will be questioned.

no matter what color you are, if you then refuse to identify yourself and then get nasty with the responding cop you might be arrested.

move along. nothing to see here but an arrogant fool playing the race card.

What I want to know is, did the woman actually see a break in, or did she assume that because someone she didn't recognize (him being a neighbour and all) tried to get in and couldn't and then went around the back when he failed to open the front door was a break in?

Anyway, he should have shot himself for breaking and entering. That's what the average NRA member would have done.

[_Simpson_ 250]

I guess no matter how educated you are and how well you are dressed, there are some people who will always think "you fit the description". I usually am one of the first to defend the actions of the police, but in this situation, I simply cannot muster a defense.

no matter what color you are, if you are seen breaking into a house you will be questioned.

no matter what color you are, if you then refuse to identify yourself and then get nasty with the responding cop you might be arrested.

move along. nothing to see here but an arrogant fool playing the race card.

What I want to know is, did the woman actually see a break in, or did she assume that because someone she didn't recognize (him being a neighbour and all) tried to get in and couldn't and then went around the back when he failed to open the front door was a break in?

Anyway, he should have shot himself for breaking and entering. That's what the average NRA member would have done.

its come to blaming the neighbor, you will stop at nothing!!!

Edited July 21, 2009 by looking_up

[Peikko 1,575]

Blame? How do you get blame from what I wrote? I am just trying to understand the story, it doesn't come across very clearly. Of course the last comment was totally facetious but I can't imagine that be misinterpreted...probably.