Obama was right on target. He cares about people and it is time we face the fact that we have a black president. God put him in and nobody will remove him. Get over it and go on.

Zippy I don't think he thought it was a joke, but I could see a nervous, uncomfortable answer. The president should not be asked this type of question until tha dust settles and we find out what really happened. I'm of the opinion that the professor was confrontational, demanding and uncooperative. He wanted his information when he demanded it and wouldn't cooperate.And he really upset that the officer "lured" him out of his house. He's just angry because he acted foolishly and put himself into a position that he could be arrested. He wasn't lured, he was just stupid. And who advised Obama to make such a statement? How could he be sure he was getting accurate information? regardless there should be an investigation. It may be Obama has a raciest among his advisers and I don't mean a Klan member but like a Black Panther.

zippy- yes, Presidential is taking us into a war of bad intel, saying drill, drill, drill, and Bomb, bomb, Iran...yeah right. Oh, it was a poor choice of words, inappropriate arrest affter Gate finally produced his ID, not stupid, just flawed response to a man in his own home.

After this incident. I am one dude that if I were in Gates class right now and any race but black , I would be automatically, dropping out. Goes to show you that a certificate that says you got a Phd on your wall does not equate to being smart or having common sense. Maybe next time someone will break in and no one will show up.

it also goes to show you that a title, like in President of the United States, doesn't make you smart automatically. What is really scary is that someone in this position has openly admitted to not having or knowing all the facts ( other then it happen to a black friend of his) can put our country at war without all the facts at the push of a button.

Obama did well. There is nothing more presidential than to speak out against the dirty little secrets of American life.

Zippy - I agree. First of all Obama is not a police officer and has never had to put his life on the line to do his job everyday therefore he should not question protocol unless he has walked in his shoes. Secondly the president should be supporting the officers of this country. The officer did what he did because of how he was trained. If Obama has a problem with how officers are trained to do their job he should not be making an example of this officer. He should take in up with those in charge of training. Not that I had much respect for Obama to begin with but each day he does things that show his inability to run this country.

You are so correct about speaking out against the "dirty little secrets" of our American police departments. I wish someone would investigate the Dekalb police department in the Atlanta Georgia area. If they are not the most corrupt in the country...they are a close second.

The sequence of events is what is important. If Gates showed an ID BEFORE he was arrested, then Obama was correct and the COP was an idiot. However, if Gates was arrested for refusing to show ID, arrested before actually showing it, then GATES is wrong and Obama is the idiot for speaking out. So there is no mistake in what I am saying, even if Gates and the cop argued and Gates eventually subsequently produced ID and then the COP arrested him as punitive action for arguing, then the COP is absolutely wrong.

- Just wondering just how long have you been a police officer? You seem to act like you have all the facts and can determine that the officer did not do his job correctly. Have you ever been through police scenarios? If not go to you local PD and ask to do so. You will chance your tune quickly when you fail every scenario and when you fail in the real word that means your dead.

So the cops are to recognize everyone in the town and know where they live? The man deserves to have resisting arrest , and if they had it a charge of being an ass in public!!!!

and of course you know how a president should behave because you were president which year. Are you kidding me

Obama is turning into the Narcissist-in-chief - he's everywhere commenting on everything all the time. It was very un-presidential of him to opine on what essentially was an overblown local police matter. It was wrong of him to interject because when the president of the United States takes the side of a defendent against law enforcement he is essentially using the power and influence of his office to interfere with the execution of local law enforcement's duties. If he believed the police acted unconstitutionally the correct thing to do was to ask his attorney general to look into it. Obama seems to belive he is omnipotent on everything. His hubris is scary.

Obama admitted after he claimed that the police acted stupidly that he didn't know all the facts of the case- like the fact that there are multiple witnesses that state the arrestee started shouted immediately upon being asked for ID. And the professor made it a black white thing immediately. The guy was shouldering in a door in a neighborhood that has had many breakins of the same fashion since the beginning of the year. Acting stupidly is fashioning an opinion without all the facts, Mr. President.

I've never seen a US President criticize law enforcement no matter how bad the situation was. Obama should not have used the word "stupidly". I thought Obama was smarter than this. He should have just said that law enforcement could have handled it differently.

,

Can you please explain what Obama was right about? Your comment is a little vague. I want to understand your viewpoint.

I wonder if any law officer in this country will vote for President Obama in 2012? He just threw them under the bus.

armympwife... I am a police officer.  The officer in this scenario acted stupidly by not following protocols.  You speak as though you were there, but I'm sure its because you choose to interpret the event to fit your beliefs.  The officer should have requested an ID, apologized and left the scene.  By the way, being the wife of an army mp does not qualify you (or your husband) to comment.  MPs have been involved in too many stupid incidents of their own to place themselves on a pedestal (as you have done in your postings). 

lets get real. There is NO national identity card that we MUST carry with us, to even ask for an ID there has to be some type of probable cause to ask for it ( in this case there is. )

Hiibel v. Sixth Judicial District Court of Nevada, 542 U.S. 177 (2004), held that statutes requiring suspects to identify themselves during police investigations did not violate either the Fourth or Fifth Amendments. Under the rubric of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968), the minimal intrusion on a suspects privacy and the legitimate need of law enforcement officers to quickly dispel suspicion that an individual is engaged in criminal activity justified asking a suspect to identify himself.

Now lets remember that it was a neighbor that called the police ( I would have suspect that they would all kinda know each other) police asked for an ID in this situation , and if you have one you must show it, and refusal to do so can be taken at the least as obstruction of justice. I really cannot fathom a Sgt of the police force ,where so many professors live would just randomly arrest this guy just for the sake of it. I would tend to believe that this pompous Phd actually proceeded to make an ass of himself, and belittle the police officer for doing his job.

Here's an opinion with 1 fact, they dropped the charges! Do we not have the right to address officers when we feel like we're being harrassed. I would recomend that you try being Black in America for a month. I am a successful person in America and I know the challenges of ignoring these type conflicts. But that's excally what we have to do or risk becoming mired in these situations that have no value.

I suggest that you try being white in a all black neighborhood for a month, Oh please don't take that as any more of a racist remark then asking us to try being black in America for a month. That is the real problem here. Yoou think other people don't know what is going on ?

So you do understand! I am pleased that other people understand.

It is obvious you did not watch the live feed and only the edited replays show by the media. President Obama first stated that "Skip" Gates is a friend of his so his remarks would most likely be biased.

Your remarks indicate that you agree with the police officer's arrest on the charge of disorderly conduct. What you fail to respect in this situation is the fact that no matter what Mr. Gates said, he was lawfully in his own home at the time, and I stress the fact of lawfully. Once the police officer had ascertained that fact he should have difussed the situation immediately.

I respect that the police officer is a human being and he was doing his job, but to arrest someone because you don't like the way they spoke to, or yelled at as was alleged, is nothing more than an abuse of your police power and serves no purpose other than to reinforce the negative feelings that minorities have about police and authority. Put simply, the officer abused his authority by making the arrest.

One last comment. If you are not a person of color or have not been the recipient of racial profiling you don't have a dog in this fight. Most men, and alot of women, of color immediately recognize what the underlying reason for this arrest was. It simply was a case of the police wanting to send the message that you can't talk back to them, even if you are right and they are wrong. So much for protect and serve, the emphasis being on SERVE.

Thank you Mike 679884. Even though you are a police officer, I thank you for your unbiased answer. And you are correct...armympwife is an idiot. Just because her husband is a MP, that doesn't qualify her or him as authorities on police procedures, especially in the civillan sector. I think that she is just using this message board to show what a true racist she really is.

When a neighbor spotted someone forcing a door in, called the cops, it is the cops DUTY to ensure the person who is in the house is the legal resident. Black or white, the cops have to ask for ID. If the cop showed up and a robber claimed to live there and the cop took his word for it and left.. the cop would be in the wrong.

At his time it's a He said/ they said argument

If Gates immediately tried to make it into a racial problem BEFORE showing his ID, then he started the fuse in this single case. He had been asked for his ID to prove he lived there. It's hard to prove racial profiling if you act out from the first moment.

If he showed his ID to the cop, responded politely, and the cops continue to harass them.. then yes- the cops were totally in the wrong and should be taken to task. If it happened this way then by all means, it's racial profiling.

But I think the President jumped the gun to defend a friend.

It seems to me that, post 9/11, Cops and Firefighters have been all elevated to HERO status. While often the moniker is deserved, more often this Hero thing seems to be going to ther heads. We need to be more selective as to who we elevate to Hero status. It's not always deserved.

As for President Obama's comments, I think he was right on the mark. Stupid and racist actions took place with the Harvard Professor. Those cops needed to have their hands slapped for that poor judgement.

pellis Pearl,

I wasn't aware that 'God' was an active participant in our political process. Thank you for pointing this out. I wish 'God' would have made an appearance at the (DNC) convention; it would have made this "2nd Coming" believable.

I'm reading the responses here and wondering if the definition of the word stupidity has changed... because there seems to be a wave of it within the majority of the comments.  President Obama DID NOT SAY it was stupid of the Seargent to respond to the call, do his job in investigating the incident, ask Mr. Gates for I.D., or anything remotely close to wthe procedures in keeping with his duties as a Police Officer...what President Obama is saying was stupid is how the Seargent handled the situation after Mr. Gates proved he was in his own home... Mr Gates cooperated in showing his I.D... but when the Seargent was asked to provide his, He (because he's a Police Officer) gets to refuse? ...AND escalate the situtaion to point where Mr. Gates (because he has to repeatedly ask) gets arrested for disorderly conduct.  Since when is it DISORDERLY to ask for anyone's I.D. who is in YOUR OWN HOME asking you for yours?  Stupidity on the part of the Seargent is a gross UNDERSTATEMENT... let's try a harsher word... like DUMB, DUMB, and DUMBER.... Big Dummy!   

Mike and Brenda.......you both show your ignorance and bias with your comments....I doubt that you, Mike, are a Police officer......and Brenda, "i thank you for your unbiased answer"....are you joking?

armympwife has more right to comment on this that our illustrious President...who should have kept his mouth shut and his biased opinion to himself.

Obama needs to get the facts straight before opening his idiotic pie hole. Personally, I would not have stood for this Gates arrogant rants either and probably would have billy clubbed the tar out of his pompous a$$ before arresting him. Just listen to the cops and follow their orders. Folks, get off the cops backs, they're only doing there job.

Who's the racist.... from the police report BEFORE everyone started getting mis information.....

When I arrived at Ware Street I radioed ECC and asked that they have the caller meet me at the front door to this residence. I was told that the caller was already outside. As I was getting this information, I climbed the porch stairs toward the front door. As [reached the door, a female voice called out to me. I looked in the direction of the voice and observed a white female, later identified {} who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the residence, held a wireless telephone in her hand arid told me that it was she who called. She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of• Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry. Since I was the only police officer on location and had my back to the front door as I spoke with her, I asked that she wait for other responding officers while I investigated further.

As I turned and faced the door, I could see an older black male standing in the foyer of {} Ware Street. I made this observation through the glass paned front door. As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied “no I will not”. He then demanded to know who I was. I told him that I was “Sgt. Crowley from the Cambridge Police” and that I was “investigating a report of a break in progress” at the residence. While I was making this statement, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed “why, because I’m a black man in America?”. I then asked Gates if there was anyone else in the residence. While yelling, he told me that it was none of my business and accused me of being a racist police officer. I assured Gates that I was responding to a citizen’s call to the Cambridge Police and that the caller was outside as we spoke. Gates seemed to ignore me and picked up a cordless telephone and dialed an unknown telephone number. As he did so, I radioed on channel I that I was off in the residence with someone who appeared to be a resident but very uncooperative. I then overheard Gates asking the person on the other end of his telephone call to “get the chief’ and “whats the chiefs name?’. Gates was telling the person on the other end of the call that he was dealing with a racist police officer in his home. Gates then turned to me and told me that I had no idea who I was “messing” with and that I had not heard the last of it. While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me. I asked Gates to provide me with photo identification so that I could verify that he resided at Ware Street and so that I could radio my findings to ECC. Gates initially refused, demanding that I show him identification but then did supply me with a Harvard University identification card. Upon learning that Gates was affiliated with Harvard, I radioed and requested the presence of the Harvard University Police.

With the Harvard University identification in hand, I radioed my findings to ECC on channel two and prepared to leave. Gates again asked for my name which I began to provide. Gates began to yell over my spoken words by accusing me of being a racist police officer and leveling threats that he wasn’t someone to mess with. At some point during this exchange, I became aware that Off. Carlos Figueroa was standing behind me. When Gates asked a third time for my name, I explained to him that I had provided it at his request two separate times. Gates continued to yell at me. I told Gates that I was leaving his residence and that if he had any other questions regarding the matter, I would speak with him outside of the residence.

As I began walking through the foyer toward the front door, I could hear Gates agai,n demanding my name. I again told Gates that I would speak with him outside. My reason for wanting to leave the residence was that Gates was yelling very loud and the acoustics of the kitchen and foyer were making it difficult for me to transmit pertinent information to ECC or other responding units. His reply was “ya, I’ll speak with your mama outside”. When I left the residence, I noted that there were several Cambridge and Harvard University police officers assembled on the sidewalk in front of the residence. Additionally, the caller, md at least seven unidentified passers-by were looking in the direction of Gates, who had followed me outside of the residence.

As I descended the stairs to the sidewalk, Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him. Due to the tumultuous manner Gates had exhibited in his residence as well as his continued tumultuous behavior outside the residence, in view of the public, I warned Gates that he was becoming disorderly. Gates ignored my warning and continued to yell, which drew the attention of both the police officers and citizens, who appeared surprised and alarmed by Gates’s outburst. For a second time I warned Gates to calm down while I withdrew my department issued handcuffs from their carrying case. Gates again ignored my warning and continued to yell at me. It was at this time that I informed Gates that he was under arrest. I then stepped up the stairs, onto the porch and attempted to place handcuffs on Gates. Gates initially resisted my attempt to handcuff him, yelling that he was “disabled” and would fall without his cane. After the handcuffs were property applied, Gates complained that they were too tight. I ordered Off. Ivey, who was among the responding officers, to handcuff Gates with his arms in front of him for his comfort while I secured a cane for Gates from within the residence. I then asked Gates if he would like an officer to take possession of his house key and secure his front door, which he left wide open. Gates told me that the door was un securable due to a previous break attempt at the residence. Shortly thereafter, a Harvard University maintenance person arrived on scene and appeared familiar with Gates. I asked Gates if he was comfortable with this Harvard University maintenance person securing his residence. He told me that he was.

Ok, the charge was disorderly conduct not breaking and entering this is the important part that so far no one has talked about. All Mr Gates had to do was calmly say officer I live here let me show you my drivers license and then after the officer looked at his drivers license he should have explained what was going on nicely without yelling and screaming racism and he would have been let go and the entire thing would have been over for him in less than 15 minutes. By the way I had the police called on me when I was a teenager because I got locked out of my house and my neighbor saw me pop a screen off a bedroom window and climb through it. I showed the officer my drivers license and that was that. Police officers will treat you nicely if you treat them nicely.

Why don't all of the "reverse" discriminators including the president get over it. I may not be a fan of most police dept personnel, but I welcome a call from a neighbor if someone they cannot identify clearly was pushing in my door. Have I been there, YES and so has my sibling. Stopped at gun point, cars searched, one car seized and damaged by the NYPD and NO we were not allowed to produce Identification until after handcuffs and arrests were initiated. We were taunted by the officers and No no one was called out on it. Excuses made by the , Oh yeah, black and hispanic officers, when abusing their positions with my brother, well what do you expect being a "white boy" in this neighborhood? Right, not a racist remark!

If whites and blacks latinos etc, would quit pointing out black/white/latino issues there would not be any racism. Why did this even make it to the news? When I am wronged no one hears about it! Unfortunately, everyone should have a job to do and do it to the best of their ability, but that is not what is happening. There are too many people on welfare that don't deserve it. Too many working under the table not paying taxes and the rest of us have to pay for their heatlhcare, food and housing. Do you think I care what color anyone is that I have to use my hard earned money to SUPPORT THEM? Why don't we quit worrying what color people are and get some regulations in here to be a profitable country? If a person is on welfare why do we continue to let them have children they can NOT afford, regulate this! Regulate the illegal immigrants that work here and don't pay taxes or have health insurance! GET TO THE REAL PROBLEMS IN AMERICA and quit worrying what color someone is!

Obama was completely out of line. Every story has two sides, and for the President of the United States to repeat one version as fact, when he can't possibly know what the truth is, is flat out reprehensible. He's using his bully pulpit to play God. What's worse is that his little encapsulation of the scene is CLEARLY a distortion. Consider when he says (paraphrasing) "So professor Gates shows them his ID to prove it's his house, and they then arrest him for disorderly conduct". An honest person, or a person with even a shred of integrity, would never boil things down to such an absurdly biased, totally illogical oversimplification. Gates doesn't even claim that that's what happened, for chrissake.

And he (Obama) does this in the name of stoking the racial fires. Wow, what a leader. What moral courage.

mel2877, what color are you? Let me relate a story to you... I was taking care of my niece's cat while she was on vacation. I forgot the alarm code she gave me and proceeded to set off her burgler alarm. I took care of the cat and a few odds and ends and prepared to leave. Two police officers showed up at the residence. They approached me and asked what I was doing. I explained the situation to them and they asked me for ID. I had not brought any with me as I lived close by and I had ridden my bike to the house. I was not arrested, I was not made to produce ID, it was not even my house. This happened becasue I was white.

mel2877, I have never been profiled. I've never had a store detective follow me around. I don't get radomly stopped in traffic. I have never been wrongly arrested. If you think this has anything to do with my personality, you are as stupid as this cop was. I can't walk in Mr. Gates shoes but I can understand why he was mad. I sure would have been.

If the officer's report above is correct, Gates was being an ass. But was it really necessary to arrest him for disorderly conduct? Let him yell and make a fool of himself, and just walk away. You'd done your job by verifying his identity. The Cambridge Police had more important things to do than drag this guy in.

Look, the guy is a good friend of his and naturally he's entitled to an opinion and to his own bias. This is one human President who demonstrated that he sticks up for his friends. isn't afraid of public opinion in his willingness to express his, and since only the two of then really KNOW what happened, some subjectivity is perfectly acceptable and frankly, refreshingly honest! Is ANYONE going to give this guy a break? I wonder if he was white (I am) would all of you "nays" be jumping on him for sticking up for his buddy? I sure wish I was one of his!

I think he was angry. But I think he should not have phrased it that way. Police do have a hard job, no denying - but they do profile non whites.

Wiley..

Did you start yelling at the cop when he showed up... like Gates??? Doubt it...

If you did, you would have been arrested... Try to compare apples with apples...

Otherwise your logic is just ... well plain wrong.

A lot of white people are always quick to use their experiences to justify how a black person should act when confronted by police. Problem is the experiences are apples and oranges - black people’s experiences are so totally different. If Gates was a white person he would not be fearful the police would simply shoot him on sight, he would not be trying to create a scene to draw attention to what was going on. A black man saying "this is my house" does not carry the same weight as a white man saying "this is my house" - it should, but it doesn't.

After discovering that Gates was indeed in his own home, why arrest him? I have heard white people calling police all sorts of derogatory names and they do nothing. Arresting a person for being loud and upset at being questioned as a criminal in his own house is stupid. At some point of time before arresting Gates, the officer knew that this man was truly in his own home, so, where is the sensitivity? The correct thing to do was to simply leave as at that point you know that no crime was and has been committed. If the police had reason to suspect that something else was going on he should have gotten a search warrant and return – Gates have a right to privacy. All you libertarian and freedom defenders who has switched sides and is jumping on Gates, look in the mirror, your color is showing.

Wiley, little vignettes like that mean very little. Trying to draw generalized conclusions from them is ridiculous.

As for my experience, I'm white and live in a very nice neighborhood in NYC. Through my dealings with cops over the years, they are very often rude, abrupt @!$%#s who appear to be on power trips. But I also realize they put quite a bit on the line and they have a job to do. So I accept it and go on with my life.

Mike 679884 - First of all I can give my opinion if I choose it is a free country. You should know your facts before you spout off.I am not only the wife of a former Army MP( which by the way don't lecture me about the military. I was born into a military family It was my life before the 17 years I was an Army wife)but also a wife of a current police officer and have been for many years He nor the rest of my family who are police officers believe the officer did anything wrong. He did his job. He thought there was a break in and he can't control how the man acted. Now I will admit that like Obama we don't know the entire story yet but from what we do know so far the officer did what he was trained to do.

Oh and Brenda You just proved your ignorance too. Calling someone you don't know a racist because I don't happen to agree with your point of view. hahah ha that says a ot about your character

David,

That was part of my point. I will never be able to compare apples to apples. Neither will anyone else of my race. Whether I yelled at the officers or not, is a moot point. Mr. Gates and I were not playing on a level playing field.

Amen to that zippyinct

Honey God didn't put Obama where is is, the uneducated Americans put him there.

Max 1947I, " wonder if he was white (I am) would all of you "nays" be jumping on him for sticking up for his buddy?"

I would jump all over anyone whoes track record is buddies like Jeremaha Wright, William Ayers and Tony Rezko

pellis pearl:

Actually the illegal tactics of ACORN put him office.

Obama not only made a fool of himself, he painted himself as a racist.

I'm disgusted by Obama.

He is a racist, and not a smart man.

Anyone who after reading the police report believes race had anything to do with this needs to get a clue. It's intersting that most websites have deleted the police report because it shows Gates for what he is, a lying hypocrite. There's nothing worse than a black man screaming racism when he's the one that escalated the situation and did not cooperate. He did more harm towards racism by making this a race issue. If I was the cop, I would be all over tv asking for an apology from Obama for saying what he did on national tv. It appears that Gates is the real racist in this situation.

President Obama should have told the reporter who asked this stupid question that the topic of the press conference was health care, and the question was off topic.

An hour-long press conference on a subject as important as health care, and all the press covers is an off hand remark at the end of the hour? What about the people dieing for lack of health care? The people bankrupted because their insurance company used some trumped-up excuse to not pay the bill?

It's not that the president is too smart, it's that the press is willfully ignorant and stupid.

I think that the President felt compelled to answer in this manner---because the black community expects it from him. Too bad. He's in a position to really stir things up even further if he doesn't watch it... since he's chosen to be biased on this.

He's being "tested" here... and I'm not impressed with his language and attitude regarding this incident. The President responded "stupidly", in my opinion.

As if it isn't enough that the charges were dropped... even though Gates acted like a complete arrogant a$$! Interesting message we're sending here... and presidence.

The police officer was doing his job. It's that plain and simple. Gates is the one that introduced "race" after being asked to show his I.D., and giving more than "attitude" toward the police in the process.

If a black man had been the arresting officer, which I believe could have happened just as easily, no one would have heard "boo" about it! And that's how it should have been... just what it is... a non-issue!

I don't understand why President Obama would comment on an issue that he admitted not knowing the details of the event. A more responsible approach would have been to say that since he did not know the facts any comments would have to come from those who actually do know.

I'm a strong Obama supporter but, in this instance, I think he was wrong to make any comment. He should have stated that since he wasn't there and did not have first-hand knowledge of the situation he was not qualified to speak about it. I am disappointed he took the stance he did.

Well, perhaps he felt the stars were aligned.

"And number three — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

Did Obama really say this? Is this a quote? somebody chime in with some facts, is there a link to the speech? I cannot believe that a president would say this, if he did he is a racist, and starting to show his true colors.

This was a clear case of a cop abusing power and arresting someone to cover his backside.It has been established that Gates had shown it was his home and the cop was leaving.When Gates legally demanded to see the cops ID the cop arrested him for disturbing the peace. Those charges were dropped before Obama said a thing so yes the cop was out of line and he acted VERY STUPIDLY!!!

the picture I saw showed the professor appearantly screaming at the officers who were were there investigating a burglary of a home. A learned college professor you would think would be orderly and would have quietly identified himself to the police and he probably wouldn't have gotten arrested. As far as our president, who wasn't there at the scene, he should keep his remarks to himself; appearantly he doesn't like cops. How sad is that, but not surprising.

I am so disgusted by the white supremacy attitudes evidenced by blaming the victim in this instance

Gates was in his own home. What happened is wholly disgraceful.

The white rally cry in response to this is one more incident where I am compelled to be ashamed of my own race.

When was the last time some arrogant old white Harvard Professor was arrested for no reason in his own home? Oh right -- NEVER.

And here the response is nearly uniformly HE WAS UPPITY AND DESERVED TO GET ARRESTED

Shame on all of you -- GOOD ON OBAMA! His race speech during the election made history and he is not backing down now -- nor can we as a nation afford for him to do so. When the people on this blog who are so racist -- and so dishonestly so -- become truly color blind this country will start to heal from the evils of slavery and not until.

How many of you vile haters are "Christian" -- I ask you.

The Boston Herald reported that Crowley gave dying Boston Celtics star Reggie Lewis mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in 1993. The 27-year-old forward suffered a fatal heart attack during an off-season practice at Brandeis University, where Crowley was a campus police officer.

The problem was not the stupidly comment the problem was attaching race to it.This man is no racist!So both obama and gates owe a apology! Before you dive be sure to check the water depth and check for any debris. So I say that the Obama and Gates have acted more stupidly than James Crowley! I also know for a fact a racist would not have risked his health and life giving mouth to mouth to one he is racist against.

As far as police treating blacks different than white what about black officers who arrest whites? I have been falsely arrested 4 times in my life 3 times by black officers so are they racist? No! they were doing there jobs!I was treated the same way by all 4 officers.I went to jail 2 times out of the 4 each time there was probable cause because I Fit the description and was at the wrong place at the wrong time..the other 2 I was detained and released after the victims said it was not me who committed the act against them. I was taught by my parents if you are stopped by the police do exactly as they say.Always remember you will get a phone call and a chance to prove your case in court if need be .If you fight there may be no tomorrow for you.The police face real monsters every day and the monsters they face look just like you.

As someone who works with police on a regular basis -- they are usually complete egomaniacs who have let power go to their heads. You don't have to always arrest someone if they are pissing you off. This was a case of mistaken identity -- something the policeman (with all his great training) should have been able to figure out pretty quickly. Go figure, blacks get mad when they are being racially profiled. Let's walk in those shoes for a few decades and see what we think of it. So, why arrest him? Did the policeman feel like he was in danger? Why did the police department drop the charges if what the policeman did was correct?

cant wait for this guy to go, i had so much hope for him and his presuidency, afteer the reteard bush, but it seems like obama is the obummer....

Zippy,

As soon as the cop saw the I.D., he should apologized and left....then there wouldn't have BEEN a situation. Obama was asked a question and he answered it; he's as entitled to his opinion as all of you blowhards on this forum. And, if the President speaking in a calm, controlled manner is what you call a tirade, I'd love to see what you call someone who is really angry!!!

You people all really have too much time on your hands! Why don't you turn off Fox "News", step away from you computers and read a book?

An intelligent man with any measure of class beyond the trailer park would have said without all the facts and an a complete review of both sides of the story I cannot offer a comment at this time.

Of course neither seems applicable for the aforementioned commentator!

When Professor Gates home is broken into late at night and no one calls the Police Professor Gates will blame his neighbors and say they are racially motivated.

I can't believe that the Leader of the Free World would say that a policeman "acted stupidly" after admitting that he lacked facts.

Obama has only made the issue of racism worse. Those of you who voted this man in because you thought he might improve racism were wrong, and you were just slapped in the face.

I really thought Obama was smarter than this. All he had to do was say, "I don't know the facts, and let's move back to the issue at hand, health care."

Obama has just set this country back to pre-election days. He has harmed not only his own race, but every American.

Obama owes us an apology for his ridiculous and uninformed statement.

The American people need to face facts; law enforcement in general are not intelligent. What kind of education is required to be a cop? High school diploma? Any moron can get a high school diploma! Law enforcement are generally arrogant and on a major power trip. These are facts and have been shown time and time again to be true. Thus, the tasering of a 14 year old girl and a 77 year old grandmother. Therefore; I agree he acted stupidly not racist.

Debbie, I think you are a fraud. I have known (but never worked with) many police in my lifetime and way more than the majority were good, outstanding citizens. These people put there necks on the line each and every day they put on that uniform. And for what, to have people like Gates, Obama and YOU degrade and kick them around. We should all be lucky and fortunate for the "tough" job these men and women do for our communities and stop being so accusational when all they are trying to do IS their job. But then you add that they "let power go to their heads" and Obama hasn't? Please, just go away with your phony self.

Yes he did say he lacked facts... but he also said that despite not having all the facts... he said it was stupidity to arrest someone in their home after having proven they live there....mind u; he was arrested for DISORDERLY CONDUCT.... come on Greg... lose all of your opinions about President Obama for a moment and really ask yourself or put yourself in a position where: U have to break into your own home, we'll say because you lost your keys...the police show up to investigate and you (even maybe reluctantly) show them ID...(there's one aspect of this you may not be able to comprehend...and that's making believe you're a Black Man...which would put in a category such that the police treat you..at times...in a more aggressive manner).... after showing them ID you feel you were treated and spoken to inappropriately and you begin to ask for the officer's information... the officer refuses and you keep asking... then the officer says something like..."Calm down Mr Greg and go back into your house or you'll be arrested for disorderly conduct"....do you at this point: A. Put your tail between your legs and go in the house and accept feeling like the @!$%#s in the 50's and 60's did when they couldn't speak up without being lynched... or do you: B. Ask again, because you are a citizen with the right to the officer's name which you need to have to register a formal complaint? Take your pick Greg... No, Obama was not there... but then again he was....as I have and many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many other Black Men have been... Obama DOES HAVE THE FACTS Greg....it's just that YOU don't because YOU don't have the same insight and experiences sir. Think about what you've read very carefully before you comment on something YOU don't have the facts about. I rest my case sir.

Zippy, I agree with your response 100 %. In addition, I watched a news story on MSN news related to this story and the male white reporter, like Obama, jumped to conclusions as to what happened. He even went so far as to state what would have happened if he were the one in the same curcumstances as Mr. Gates. I thought news people suppose to have the facts before they give the news. Maybe, MSN needs to look at some of their repoprters.

pellis PearlRestored

Obama was right on target. He cares about people and it is time we face the fact that we have a black president. God put him in and nobody will remove him. Get over it and go on.

No Pellis, a bunch of desperate people put Obama in office. Please don't blame God for the Obama mistake. Desperate people who did a desperate thing and voted for anything not Republican (not to say that Republicans are better or worse as they all are just a bunch of politicians when you get right down to it), are responsible for Obama being where he is right now.

Do you know what Obama and God have in common? Neither of them have a valid U.S. birth certificate. Do you know what the difference between Obama and God is? God does not think or act like he is Obama.

A person in a high profile position, especially the President of The United States of America, should not go off half cocked as Obama did and issue inflammatory statements unless he has all the facts and by Obama's own admissions, he did not have all the facts when he accused the police of acting stupidly.

Donna,

You are correct in that it is not against the law to stand up to a law enforcement officer if you are in the right. However they were responding to a valid call for service. They did have a lawful reason to be there and a lawful right to demand that Dr. Gates present identification that proved he had a lawful right to be in that house. Dr. Gates on the other hand showed a complete disregard for the law and complete lack of intelligence by disregarding the lawful requests (repeatedly) to prove to them he was who he said he was that he had a lawful reason to be there. Had he used the intelligence he is renown for, he would have simply said something like. Officers I can see how this might look like I was breaking into my own house and here is the identification you need to prove that I do belong here. Had this happened and the police still arrested him, then I would say they were out of line and he would have been totally in the right to claim racial discrimination or at least false arrest. But we both know, just based on what we have read so far, that this was not the case. Dr. Gates was the aggressor and proved the type of response he got from the police was at least justified if not necessary.

I believe this arrest had less to do with the color of Dr. Gate's skin and more to do with his actions.

My family survived the holocaust during WWII. They lost everything and came to America after the war, broken, and penniless. Do you hear me, or other WWII holocaust survivors, whining that all people of Germanic heritage discriminate against us because of happened during WWII? Do you hear the holocaust survivors claiming the German government owes them a better life, or "fairer" treatment, than what they chose to make for themselves? My ancestors have been discriminated against and mistreated. The fact that others chose to tell me "white people will never understand what black people are subjected to" is a cop out. If the white people in America make your life so miserable, leave. That's one of the freedoms provided by this country. And, unlike my family, you will not be forced to leave all your belongings behind and have the French Underground sneak you out.

My uncle, a white man, was arrested in New Jersey for, basically, being dirty and unshaven. He had driven an old 4x4 pickup straight through from West Coast to Jersey, only stopping occasionally to sleep in the cab of the truck. Shortly after entering New Jersey the police pulled him over for "having a vehicle that violated the noise ordinance and was too tall". Now mind you, the truck was old but had a newly rebuilt engine and it was the standard, original, height from when it was manufactured. Nothing but maintenance had been done to this vehicle. He was searched and arrested. He too was found innocent and all the charges were dropped, but the fact remains that the only reason he was pulled over was because he looked suspicious - and let's not forget, he is white. Had he been clean shaven and driving a new sports car would the officer had stopped him? Was he not discriminated against because of the way he looked and the vehicle he drove? If he had been black, would Obama have said the offer “acted stupidly”?

What gives non-Caucasians the right to make such bold claims about what I, my family, my friends, and people in general are capable of understanding or have been subjected to? Non-Caucasians, and Caucasians alike, tend to make some very general, and dangerous, assumptions especially since they know nothing about the actual people they so boldly admonish. If you judge people based on skin color, you are racist, no matter what your heritage.

That same Police officer gave mouth to mouth resuscitation to Reggie Lewis an African American basketball player as he lay dying on the basketball court.

I personally feel that is not an act of an racist.

I hate saying it, but since the Professor is a friend of the President, he abused his friendship ignoring a lawful order.

A legitimate robbery was called in, police responded. Once identity was established the Professor continued to attack.

The President should have either answered "I need to research it more" or "no comment". Instead he chose to go the "victim" route and blame the police.

Mike888884... you have 'stupidly' replied to the MPWife and MP. I'm sure if you Google about MP misdeeds, you will find something gone awry. Dang... if you google about penquins, you'll likely find something as well. So do us all a favor, take off your party hat, and join the discussion as a HUMAN...with decent thoughts on a subject, instead of attacking those that comment. Now go treat your ulcer and have a good day.

Being profiled outside the home as Black people routinely are is one thing, being upset at being profiled in your home is perfectly understandable. Responding to a citizen complaint is perfectly understandable, arresting a citizen because he failed to show proper deferrence while inside his own home on some ridculous disorderly charge is outrageous. If white people want to make this a voting issue- fine, perhaps the country does not deserve a President of Obama's caliber.

The President should hold his ground and re-iterate - p*ssing off Cop is not an arrestible offence and folks who think it is should vote for the other guy in 2012.

zippy, That is the smartest thing you've done all day...start a post and say nothing. Kind of like your previous post. I cannot believe how many racists there are in this forum! I am white but if a cop wanted my I.D. in my own home, I'd sure as hell ask him for his, too. Mr. Gates did nothing wrong, he got angry. The cop should have been out of there with an apology. It isn't against the law to stand up for yourself against a cop but you can be arrested for anything, or nothing, as this case shows.

why can't anyone understand? "he got angry", thats what gates did wrong. the cop didn't just "show up" to harass gates, they were called by a neighbor that reported the burglary. asking for proper ID is a standard thing. why can't dumbas$ be thankful the neighbors and law enforcement were looking out and responded?

Because Jeremy he has a right to get angry and he also has a legal right to DEMAND that the cop show him HIS ID. The cop refused and then arrested Gates to try and bully him into dropping his demands.The cop is a bullying scumbag on a power trip and deserves to have his teeth kicked down his throat

It is sad that Americans even have to discuss this issue forty years after the long, hot summers of the mid to late sixties. I agree with dianlarkin, but with a twist.

My version is: How many of you slugs that believe Crowley did not act stupidly and have disrespected our president CLAIM that you are Christians?

Christians of all denominations have supposedly been taught to live moral lives and to love thy neighbors. The right wing has managed to dupe folks that actually may be good Christians into fearing any person or concept that is a possible enemy in their eyes. Why do these right wingers create fear? Because it bolsters their contention that we, the USA, should be the alpha dog of the world's nations so that these righties can maintain their high standard of living provided by their bloated corporate profits.

If you understood the meaning of that paragraph and still maintain the racist stance that the professor was wrong, you are neither ignorant or stupid. How about just plain evil which makes you an abomination to any genuine Christian?

My experience with racism began when my alma mater's first black student matriculated during my senior year and those sixties. After being the first of my immigrant family to graduate from college and to be commissioned as an officer in the military, my early impression was that many of my fellow Caucasian officers were hesitant in their dealings with African American enlisted men. Fortunately, my Catholic upbringing in the mixed middle class neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pa. served me well. I simply treated the young black men like everyone else because that is what Jesus Christ would have done.

My generation of baby boomers had the pleasure of listening to another president that was an inspirational speaker. John F. Kennedy, whose most recalled words were: "Ask not what your country can do you, ask what you can do for your country", inspired my path into the military and volunteering for duty in Vietnam.

So, all of you so-called Christians that are either evil or stupid should pull yourself up by your bootstraps, stop the demeaning hate talk and do something for your country. Just take care of your own family by teaching them positive means to help society instead of being negative and hateful. That's what a true patriot would do.

I have known many PhD's and I don't know that I would ever say that they had a lot of common sense. Why would he have to ask for an ID? All he would have to do is look at his name on his uniform and get his badge number is that is what he was interested in.

I have read comments that policemen are on a power trip, etc. And you don't think that college professors can be arrogant and on a power trip. Dream on.

zippy, That is the smartest thing you've done all day...start a post and say nothing. Kind of like your previous post. I cannot believe how many racists there are in this forum! I am white but if a cop wanted my I.D. in my own home, I'd sure as hell ask him for his, too. Mr. Gates did nothing wrong, he got angry. The cop should have been out of there with an apology. It isn't against the law to stand up for yourself against a cop but you can be arrested for anything, or nothing, as this case shows.

So donna as long as someone has broken into a home they should not show ID to prove it is their home and if they are asked for ID they have the right to verbally assault the Police officer?

BTW did you know this very same police officer gave mouth to mouth to Reggie Lewis an African-American Basketball player when he collapsed on the court? But I get it was racist to try and save his life.

he has an opinion he was asked the question and he responded. Had he not answered the question, then the results would be why is he avading, he will never please the general public. It was a comment move on. so many other more important matters at hand.

Yea, let us continue to act like this doesn't happen and maybe it'll just go away.

Yea, that'll work

scott, I don't understand why you say President Obama shouldn't have given his opinion. as nicole85 said, he was asked a question and he answered it. if he hadn't then he would have been accused of avoiding the issue. we can't act like this issue doesn't exist because it does. yes, things have changed drastically from the were they used to be, however, there is still quite a ways to go.

A better answer might have been "that is a local police issue, I'm going to let them handle it" and let the system work through it's course.

This is not a local issue it an epidemic of police abusing power on a nationwide scale and the President rightly addressed a very troubling example of it when asked about it

moron, look at the facts of the case.. a burglary in progress, with a witness...HELLLOOO!!!!!STOP BEING A BLACK VICTIM!!!!!

Would he have addressed the incident if his friend and fellow racist were not involved? I don't think so. The police are the first people you call when you need your a** protected or saved and the first you bash. What is wrog with you people. The guy was an arrogant jerk who thought he deserved special treatment because of who he is. If he wants everyone to know his identity immediately maybe he should wear a name tag "arrogant Harvard professor".

By the way, I live in New Orleans. Our population is primarily black. Our police force is primarily black. You do not hear the white population accusing our black policemen of being racists when they are arrested. I guess it doesn't really go both ways.

Racism is perpetuated by the media. It sells newspapers, tv ads and makes professional politicians like Duke and Jackson rich.

I am a white person, and I have done my best (but could do better, I am sure) to fight racism. I've lost friends. I've alienated family members, all for a cause I really believed in.

Now, I didn't vote for Obama, as I didn't think he was smart enough to be Prez. (Voting for Obama simply because he is black is racism, no more and no less.) And, I was right not to vote for Obama.

One day, I would really like to see a Brilliant President. (Whether he is black, white, or whatever is beside the point.)

I hope to see a Brilliant President in my lifetime! Won't that be great? Maybe in 2012?

This President is not one that skirts the tough issues, he confronts them, and I like that. Right or wrong, we are all discussing this and maybe some light will be shed along the way. Personally, I think the police was a little too eager and looking for a way to bring Gates down a peg. I don’t believe the policeman is a racist but his actions in this case to a black man will be seen as such.

No, your president is a RACIST! The police were doing their job. They were called on a what the caller thought was a burgalry. When they asked for ID from the moron home owner, he refused to show it and became loud and beligerent. They DID THEIR JOB whether you think so or not. The president is a fool. He is wrong on everything else and I would not expect anything different from him on this...... It's too bad that so many white people put him where he is though..... They are stupid...... this professor is a moron and he is one of the reasons why our youth are so twisted in their thinking and their values........ he is what's wrong with this country........

sorry u have the name toni- but- i can't wait until the Police bully u in your own home... that's their job right?

Yeah, he acted like any other racist. If it had been a white man trying to get into his house in a black neighborhood, this NEVER would have hit the media OR the President. We see the same crap all the time living outside of Detroit. A black kid gets beat up by a few white kids and it's racism but you get on video a bunch of black kids beating up a white kid on a school bus and nothing happens, no one charged, it’s not race related, nothing! So much for wanting to be treated EQUAL!

If Gates would have given his ID when first asked, like you should and should be tought, he would not have been arrested.

the president is not one of us, by far. this is not a race issue and now we got the pres. saying that it is and he disapproves of the way the police handle matters on our streets. if the dumba$s home owner (black, white, yellow, red) would have showed a proper ID instead of his harvard ID(it was showed after the fact, too late) and just been appreciative the cops even showed up, this wouldn't have happened.

and on another note.... i'm sorry i ever voted for obama. after hearing his two cents on this matter, i feel i've been wronged.

I wonder had this been a white Professor who acted the same way if we would have ever heard about it. If you start refusing to follow the requests of a police officer just because you feel he's below you then you will suffer the penalties, regardless of your race. People have to remember public service people are sworn to an oath; that oath says they will protect and serve, it makes no distinction about race. I wonder how the Professor would have reacted if his house was being burglarized and the cops did nothing to stop it. President Obama should have never said anything about this case, this is not at the level of our national security or other issues that are causing hardship in this country. The race card was played here and it continues to be played every time a white man does something to a black man. It's funny how incidents that happen with both people being the same race, never make it to national news?!

It's amazing how some of the commentators force the facts to fit their preconceived partisan ideology. The right thinks the police were 100% right and Obama is a racist. The left thinks the police were 100% wrong and the cops are racist.

No wonder this country is so divided. Sometimes I think everybody is nuts. If you only get your news from Keith Olbermann, Rachael Maddow or the Daily Kos you are a left-wing extremist nut who is separated from reality. And if you listen to right-wing talk radio for six or more hours a day you're brainwashing yourself. In this environment of partisan extremism the only way to really know what's going on is to get news from several sources of various viewpoints and THINK FOR YOURSELF.

The facts of the case seem to be that the police responded properly to an apparent burglary and Gates tried to turn it into a racial incident by taunting the police. Then one policeman took the bait and over-reacted. Gates was not a victim; he got exactly what he wanted. He wanted to escalate it into a racial incident and make himself a hero/victim to his left-wing pals and that is exactly what's happening.

I am white, and I HAVE been questioned by the police while caught breaking into my home when I forgot my key. Thankfully a neighbor called them and they came, wondering what someone was doing going through a window. They were not so kind to a hooded-sweatsuited young girl and I just meekly stated who I was, they went in with me, opened the door, let me get my ID, talked to a neighbor, but had I been beligerent, it could have been quite different.

If it was a white person breaking into a home in a mostly black neighborhood, there would be two possible outcomes that I can see. It is possible that nothing would happen. Even if a neighbor saw something, they would leave it alone because blacks are taught not to snitch (which slowly ruins society for everyone). Or a group of neighbors would have gone over there and dished out a little ghetto justice.

As for Obama running his mouth, we already knew Obama is a low class piece of trash. This country is at the beginning of the end. I say this not because we elected a black president, but because the mindset of the lazy and low class people of this country (the gimme gimme mindset) is going to be coming more and more and more, until we are bled dry.

good job johnlaz

Bravo, Moose (#5.6). I completely agree.

I say stop blaming Obama, Gates, the cops, and whoever else. Take care of yourself instead of whining about everyone else. The fact is we all make several mistakes daily, we all overreact, and we all come down hard on people for doing the same things we do regularly. That was sorta the whole point of the Golden Rule (every religion and even some non-religious texts have a version of it), but obviously, more and more Americans each day are dropping it so they can have a voice. Utterly pitiful and petty. I'm not even religious and I can see the benefits of empathy.

Obama isn't the downfall of this country. The republicans & George Bush aren't either. The downfall of this country is the incessant stream of judgments, cowards on message boards like this one, and kneejerk reactionism that people perpetrate on each other. If you don't like something, get involved instead of being just a mouth.

In this situation, both sides were at fault, and to trash one side and glorify the other is a picture-perfect example of why America is self-destructing. You're all acting like little girls on the playground picking sides in a hair-pulling fight. I'd love to hear the Obama haters say something positive about him, and I'd love to hear the "racism" quotient say that Gates could've overreacted.

You all need to learn some respect and empathy, and fix your anger issues. Period.

metonitooI grew up in a town were they didn't ask twice for anything. You complied or you got a hickory stick. Every teenager in our town that was in any arcade was subject to whatever they wanted to do. Now most of these kids were dopers etc... They made bad choices and had ,uhh imagine this, had bad consequences. They all got equal treatment and nearly all were white.

You got out of your car when a cop showed up and tried to walk into the building and they would haul you back and nearly completely dismantle your car in a search. I bet I had witnessed 40 or more of these searches a year. Along with most of my friends. We hung out were there was trouble and the cops worked very hard to clean it up. Uhhh in liberal Seattle too! Imagine all the intolerant democratic business owners calling the cops on kids just hanging out. Every person was white in that place. We had two black kids in my high school that I know of.

You cowards want to mouth off then take it like a man. Quit acting like the whimpy fat kid that always hid behind the teacher. I had a cop try to manhandle me. Slammed my face in the hood of a car while I was talking to another cop after an accident. I broke loose and was in his face ready to crack his skull. He was so fricken stunned I could have unloaded his firearm and put it back in his holster and told him to go home and tell his mommy he was a bad boy.

The officer questioning me ask me to calm down and I did. The other punk left. I do not recommend this course but the guy was way out of line, he knew it immediately, he knew the other officer did not support him in his actions, and that he was about three seconds away from a severe beat down. This was at an accident scene. Not a robbery, possible home invasion, or a gun fight but a one car accident scene.

This cop had a prowling, loutering, breakin type of call, asks for ID, and then a supposedly well educated man can't comprehend that it was a correct call and starts mouthing off. Probably said he'd have his badge or some idiotic remark.

I don't pander to cops but I have worked for a couple. One guy went to a domestic violence to help the wife who called. Her face was hamburger. With a bunch of screaming black is in the background throwing bottles and stuff at them they cuff the guy and go to take him to jail. In the process the wife stabbed the cop in the back. Another guy shot a girl in a phone booth and a former cop I worked with went on the call. The guy then shot at his partner three times before my friend put him down. When he asked what why she didn't shoot back she said she knew people were behind him and didn't want to harm innocent people.

Cops don't look for trouble. They have a really hard job. People spit on them, shoot at them, constantly lie to them, tell them to arrest molesters but not write them a ticket for doing 45 in a 15 MPH school zone, and the list could go on and on and on especially if your a democrat.

Good rule of thumb is if you are standoffish or combative you can guess that this might elicit a bad response from someone. If this individual has a firearm and you want to push their buttons you really need a brain transplant.

Most cops don't stand behind bad cops unless their whole department is bad. They just don't want the backlash, media bashing, and loss of community confidence. And this guy has nothing on his record to indicate he is a nut job.

This type of issue should have received a No Comment. Just like when the media asked Obama the question of how he evolved into the decision to have Hilary be Secretary of State after he continually said she was completely inept in foreign affairs during the nomination process. His reply was "I'm not going to play those games" or something like that. But give him a TV slot to bring up a race card without all the facts and again he blames yet another white person for the ills of the world. Unbelievable!

Patrick T., Davis, CA takes all kinds of people to make the world turn around. What makes us unique is our differences and ability to communicate. Obama is supposedly the leader of the free world. He should have the brains to refrain from commenting. However since he is a biggot he cant help himself. It is important for people to point out incompetence, inappropriate ideas or activities of leaders, and help those that are misinformed so they might be inspired to seek after the truth and take action.

Your remarks just seem to be the kneejerk reaction you so abhor. And your inability to comprehend and tolerate the complex nature of the human mind and how it interacts with others is astounding.

I agree with the action part. Since Obama is handing out my earnings to help those that don't work I stopped donating to charities. Oh my goodness have I been getting the letters from them too!

I no longer help at the food bank because Obama is going to solve it all with foodstamps.

Its funny how you judge everyone on the message boards (like this one), have a kneejerk reaction to remarks posted, and post your cowardly words to simply get a reaction.

Let me guess you voted democrat accross the board last election didn't you! Because whats good for the goose didn't seem to be good enough for your gander!!!

AMEN!

Metonitoo,

Without slavery my mother would not have had kinky hair..........

It was ILLEGAL in the USA over 140 years ago. Get over it.......

damn right we're angry metonitoo. explain to me how discrimination can only happen to blacks. blacks can call us crackers but we cant call blacks nigg#rs???? they're both slang terms, right? i can't even spell it because i could be removed from this sight.

Wah I can't call blacks nigg#rs. Woe is me. You sound sound so childish like we can play with toys and you can't. And ill tell you how discrimination can happen to blacks because last time i checked the only possition of power blacks had was the White House. Last time i checked, i haven't seen any blacks denying whites car loans, or burning a lawn on their front lawn, or denied you from entering a swimming pool which by in large would be discriminatory and i.e. racist.

why can't i and not be called racist? it's just slang, right? have you been asleep for 40 years(or more)? are there signs up some where i can't see telling who can and can't do things? get off your as$, get a job/ education, and do what ever you want with your life. your mentality stops you from succeding.

metonitoo,

You are right and wrong at the same time. White settlers would have made there way if they didn't have slaves, but they may not have been as successful. Did you ever stop to think about where blacks would be had they not become slaves? Perhaps they would be living in a straw hut on the African plains or maybe they would be hunted by war lords who claim territory and kill Innocent people. I'm not being a racist here I stating the facts and although the black community has endured years of oppression, slavery, civil unjust and racism African Americans live better now because they were taken from their land. If you think otherwise perhaps you should pay a visit and see for yourself the life style and oppressions the people of Africa deal with every day.

armydav09--- i agree 100%

i couldn't agree more, well said!

Last time i checked, arrogance wasn't a crime and many law enforcement officials are saying the Police are in the wrong. What you are missing the point again is that He DID show his ID and was still arrested for it but you and a lot of posters still can't get over the fact that this was a Educated Black Man who got "uppity" and that's where you guys are racist.

But he was arrested for harrassement of the officer who came to his aid when that officer was trying to leave. Gates was accusing him of racism for coming to the house in the first place without listening to the facts that the officers were called there BY A NEIGHBOR!!! The charges aginst Gates were dropped because they realized that Gates was just emotional even though he was in the wrong. But it could easily have happened to you or to me, no matter what color our skin.

You can only push someone so far you know.

I suppose the answer to the problem is that when the police receive such a call to respond with "sorry about your luck, but if the initruder is black it is his right". How did the police know it was the owner? If the police come to your house in response to a call of an intruder, most would just present identification and go into inquiry. Who called? Why did they call? Most would not become beligerant with the police who are merely doing their job. They are not going to approach a possible intruder with glee, for god's sake! duh, Mr. President!

Rule of thumb for the ignorant: If the police ask for i.d. because they received a call, just present it and discuss the situation like a reasonable person. Most educated people know that tidbit.

WOW 33...sounds like someone needs to grow up and start reading. The President is not the only powerful black person in the US. There are a number of successful blacks in a variety of different positions in the US and some do deny loans not based on the color of ones skin, but based on your ability to repay that loan. If confronting a black man breaking in to a house is racism then we are in for a world of hurting. Wait, I almost forgot that every black man that breaks in to a house has a PhD. Get real you can't see the forest through the trees. This man was asked to present his ID and got upset because he felt belittled. It wasn't about him being black but he made it that way and now the entire US saw him acting like a baby because he made what is a common occurrence, that is the police asking for ID, it to a racially motivated attack.

Stupid is an understatement. It is unfortunate that after the Patriot Act passed many of the rights we think we have are being ignored by the police. Mr. Gates was not read his Miranda rights, he was arrested in his own home AFTER producing his ID, and, according to Mr. Gates, the officer lied in his written report. This is not an isolated incident.

The police are often admirable heros in difficult situations and should receive kudos when they do their jobs well. However, Mr. Gates is correct in his statement that this would not have happened to a prominent white person. It could well happen to anyone else and is more likely to happen to people of color.

It is high time we look at curtailing the arrogance demonstrated by some policemen in their interactions with any citizen. Asking for a name and badge number should produce a name and badge number, not an arrest.

good job sandygayle

Sandygal - You are under the misconception that he needed to be read his Miranda rights. Miranda rights are only required to be read when the person is in police custody and they are going to be questioned. Miranda rights do not have to be read just because you are arrested they are only required for questioning. Furthermore if you are not in police custody and you are answering questions from the police you do not need to be read your Miranda rights either and the information you give is able to be used in court.

These lying scumbags on here trying to make it sound like it was because he refused to show ID that Gates was arrested make me want to puke.The cop was an arrogant jerk with an attitude problem.He had already seen Gates ID and was leaving when Gated demanded to see the cops ID.When the cop refused and Gates got angry the cop arrested Gates for disorderly conduct.The charges were dropped before Obama said anything because they knew the cop screwed up. The cop DOES owe Gates an apology.

gates may be correct in his statement that this would not have happened to a prominent white person because the latter of the two would have been cooperative and would not have acted like an as$. he did not have to be disrespectful to the officer, just produce the proper ID, answer a couple of questions, say thanks and be on each others way. simple. don't make it racial when it's not.

Good job Sandy, I think not.

1. The officer tried to give Mr Gates his name and badge number and over spoke the officer each time.

2. The officer has the right to put a person in cuffs when the person is displaying a level of frustration which after talking to does not reside, for the protection of the officer, prep and the community. Don't forget police take an oath to protect and server the community as a whole not just one pompous prof.

3. Mr Gates was outside of his house on the porch when the police where tring to leave and he didn't reside the verbral abuse. Verbral or physical abuse is still abuse.

4. Mr Gates was arrested for Disorderly Conduct, why, he was loud and disturbing the peace of the community, because he wasn't in his house. Plus he was warned at least twice before having the cuffs put on him. Interesting Ideal there, uh, would happen to anyone.

There is nothing that this officer did wrong, to fulfill his oath to serve and protect. Mr. Gates EGO is what got in the way. This situation should of been resolved in under 5 minutes with an ID, that's all, showing an ID.

As for making any remarks about the president I am not, he's actions speak alot louder then words.

SandyGayle,

You can drop the "this wouldn't have happened to a prominent white person" line. When the cops show up on a call like this, they aren't going to know the person personally. Unless we are talking about a recognizable movie star or something, the cops don't know if it is a "prominent" black or white person. Secondly, if we are all being treated fairly, why the heck does prominence matter? Rich or poor we all deserve equal treatment. Anyone who expects special treatment because of their "status" can go to hell.

Let me say this. I am white and grew up with mostly white friends. I did bad/dumb stuff sometimes as did some my friends. I NEVER got in serious trouble with the police, althought many of my white friends did. And they got in trouble because when we got busted they ran their mouths and talked @!$%#, while I responded "yes sir" or "no sir", etc.

That is how it is. You see dumbass whites on cop shows all the time that would walk away from police interaction except they decide to be an idiot, same goes for blacks, and everyone else.

my as$. if the officer has to apologize then so should the professor.

the change has already happened and most black americans missed, or should i say didn't want it to happen.

i hope obama enjoys his four years. he's screwed up more in six months than anyone can fix in six years.

You need to read romans 13 and truly understand the authority that God has given over us. Especially for someone in Pres. Obama's position to judge a situation he was hundreds of miles away from. If you only can see color in this situation, then make sure you read the word of God without bias before you start quoting it. God judges us, the church first, as well

I guess the Police officer is supposed to be the Proud and Mr. gates is supposed to be the humble?! I think you have the orders reversed!!!!! Mr Gates is so proud that he is the head of African Studies that he forgot he is not above the law. It might do you some good to read the comment left by bencas just above your comment.

It's amazing how people think this is about race. This is about LAW. Personally I think the charges shouldn't have been dropped. It might do some good to teach Mr. Gates something he seems to have forgotten; humility.

good job armydav

No, he should apologize. THE POLICE USED ABUSE OF POWER. How would you like if someone did that to you or someone you know? This should have been resolved right there on the spot. Prof. Gates had every right to speak out to police officer, and the police officer should have been more respectful, regardless of who it is.

if the officer has to apologize then so does gates. gates had no right to be disrespectful to the officer.

pm...I have been confronted by the police under similar circumstances. I followed the officers requests and this issue was resolved. I've even questioned a police officer who pulled me out of my vehicle for NO reason other than suspicion or profiling as he thought I was Hispanic. You can bet your lunch money that I was upset and may have even verbally abused him, however he gave me a warning and told me what the outcome would be if I did not calm down. Right there is when we have the choice to continue to be irate or cooperate. Mr. Gates choose to continue so he was arrested. This was not an abuse of power from the police it was an abuse of power from Mr. Gates as he saw himself as an educated man above the police officer who was just a public servant. You can put race in this all day but similar actions do happen to other races you may not hear of them because they aren't blown out of proportion by the media or our President.

Jeeremy,

If this happened to you, cops accusing you of breaking into your own home, you would be one of the first people screaming bloody murder to Limbaugh or Hannity or whatever other Rightwing Freedom hating do*chebag you spend you days listening to.

It is really disgusting the amount of Freedom that the Right wing in this country insist we give up in the name of protection.

The cop did act stupid. Obama never claimed racism, he only said stupidity./ It is only the truly racist people in this country that are turning this into more than it is.

It is really sad that this incident only proves how much Republicans really do hate freedom and Democracy

Jack,

Obama did bring up racism, "And No. 3 — what I think we know separate and apart from this incident — is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by disproportionately, and that’s just a fact.”

When you said, "It is really disgusting the amount of Freedom that the Right wing in this country insist we give up in the name of protection." What did you mean? I can't follow this garbage.

Apperently you don't get it. Read the story again. He showed his ID CARD! and asked the officer for his name. The officer took him outside and arrested him.

The officer told gates his name several times, Gates yelled over him, pretended to not hear, and gates got more and more belligerent-That's when the officer told gates he's speak to him outside-as gates got more and more belligerent, he was advised to stop-when he kept trying to keep it race-related and out of control, THEN he was arrested, AS THE PROCEDURE CALLS FOR in the local Standard Operating Procedure as outlined in the State POST Training. Dont Believe it? READ IT. Gates called it racist, you dont hear Any Other calling it racist from the witnesses on down-Until the Manchurian Candidate Got involved-Oops-Foot in Mouth disease Again? My, My. racist to the Core, aren't you?

Too bad most of the Anti-police and Anti fairness people can't spell properly or type-it lessens thier credibility.

I agree with your comment, but before you spout off on grammar and such, maybe you should check your own.

dude-suggestions are something any school child may give-questioning someone over this is ignorance-back Off.

Bob- You need to remove the quotes= That's not what she said... lies, don't heal your biggots, truth heals.

Well, she DID say (when her husband got the nomination) that she was proud of America for the first time in her life. If she looked at her life in the US she should have been damn proud. Proud of the countless souls who gave their life to protect her rights (but I guess they didn't give her anything for free). Proud of the fact that her husband who spent a large portion of his life abroad was able to come back here and get a first rate education and rise to the level he had (but I guess they were entitled to that for the years of slavery neither her husband or any of his warlord relatives were subjected to). Proud of living in a country where she could state her her lack of pride without being jailed or shot. She should take her lack of pride, her husband and her chidren and go find a country she can be proud of (If were lucky that country's dictator will shoot them both and we wont have to hear any more of their racist stupidity). We don't need her here!  By the way her husband should have just stated that all the facts have yet to come to light and he would reserve judgement and encourage all of us to do the same until they did.

Kudos Bob. I'll help pay for their airfare back.

She never said that. You didn't even paraphrase it! Stop with the lies.

Hey Bob

Has your hood come back from the cleaners yet? Did you ill-educated, inbred Brother and Sister Daddy & Mommy take you to a bunch of lynchings as a boy?

I am sure you were one of those people cheering the James Byrd lynching.

And nothing would make me happier to see a freedom hating scuzz bucket like oconnell get his comuppance. What the hell have you ever done for your country. I am sure like most spoiled Republican brats, nothing but suck off the tit of government

The only person that has brought up racism is you.

ding ding ding ding!!! we have a winner!

Clay R. and JEREMY-664722, you both are wrong as two left feet. Clay R. states that the "officer was leaving when he found out this was his home but the professor would not let it go because he is a racist"

You failed to mention the fact that Mr. Gates was also demanding the police officers name and badge number. The officer reffused to give Mr. Gates that information. The officer was wrong on that point also.

You also failed to mention that the arrest was for "Disorderly Conduct" and the official police report, available on the web as I type, confirms that the arrest was for "loud and obnoxious behavior which caused passerby's to stop and observe what was going on". The arrest was bad, hence the dropped charges.

Get your "Facts" straight before you comment. Lastly, if you've never been profiled, falsely accused, or wrongly detained you have no idea what you are speaking on and should refrain from commenting. Others on this blog are jumping to conclusions not supported by the evidence or experience.

White profiling??? The president say he is not sure that race had anything to do with it

SayitaintSo... i know he was arrested for disorderly conduct and not b&e. anyone who read the article knows that. officers give their information after the situation is resolved. from what i understand, he tried and mr gates couldn't here it over his own yelling. it could have been resolved if the professor would have produced a proper ID when asked. i HAVE BEEN PROFILED,FALSELY ACCUSED, and WRONGLY DETAINED. i spoke when spoken to, provided information that was asked of me, and cooperated fully to resolve the mistake. a highly educated man should know to do the same. i guess this is where the phrase "educated idiot" comes into play.

This wasn't about race -- it was about ego and a lack of understanding. Both of them! The police officer won because he was the one with the most authority. The incident was over, he was leaving and he couldn't just walk away from Gates who was still emotionally upset and yelling. A professional officer would have, just for a moment, put himself in the homeowner's position (how that he's certain that the person IS the homeowner) and just brush it off. Instead he went back and handcuffed the homeowner and had to do so in the front of his body and fetch the man's cane. This was a statement of EGO. The police officer was communicating: "I don't care if you live here. You can't yell at me. And I can't let this go because I refuse to see it from your point of view." Since this IS the police officer's job, then he should have been the bigger person, because the person with the most authority ALWAYS HAS THE RESPONSIBILTY TO BE THE MORE UNEMOTIONAL, DETACHED AND COMMITTdc TO DOING THE RIGHT THING. With the badge comes that responsibility. And this officer did not live up to ghd honof ov that responsibility -- for whatever reason. It may have been tinged with racism but it was FIRMLY BASED IN EGO PLUS AUTHORITY.

And that, my friends, is why the charges were dropped. Someone with HIGHER AUTHORITY understood what should have been done and rectified the situation.

This is not to say that Gates was not looking for a discriminatory rationale for what was happening. That goes on ALL THE TIME. Believe me, I'm an HR director, and the moment anyone can "claim" illegal discrimination based upon anything from race to pregnancy to a hangnail, people will claim it because they want what they want.

Ego and selfishness drive the world. The alleged reason "why" is always secondary!

gates should have just produced an ID (proper ID). and said "thanks for showing up" and been done with it. he's not above the law just because he's a harvard professor. i can't scream verbal threats at police so why should he be able to? as another poster stated, "now all robbers have to do when the law shows up is scream 'this is my house' and cause a big scene to get the law to leave without incident".

and the president should have kept his mouth shut.

Hey Jeremy

Since you are asking Obama to shut up, why don't you just shut your yap. You obviously are not adding anything to the discourse. You also were not at the scene of the incident so you have no further insight that Obama did. Why are you so convinced that you are better than everyone else?

When Gates was Yelling, He WAS in His own Home, ok?

He did finally show his ID and That Should have ended it without an arrest.

If he would have just shut up that would have been the end of it but he followed the officer outside and continued his tirade at which time he was arrested. This lack of judgement makes me wonder how this man is a professor. Thank God I didn't take any of his classes.

kinda makes one wonder what he exactly teaches in one of his classes.... doesn't it?

It is against the law to call a police officer a name or get bellicose towards him when performing his duties. He was doing his job and he didn't need to be called a racist while he was doing it.

I think the colored officer that was there should have arrested Mr. Gates. It would have been the epitomy of racial justice.

it wouldn't have been a problem then. it would have been exactly what it is, a case of disorderly conduct. or possibly, gates would not have caused a scene and showed a proper ID when asked the first time?.

To RoxieMae; dennis oconnell; Jeremy and DelFairchild:

You are all wrong and guilty of the same thing you are accusing the President of. He, at least, acknowledged that he did not have all the facts – bust stressed that to arrest a person when you know they are in their own home and not burglarizing it was stupid – with that I agree.

Gates did not break into his house; he used his keys to go through the back door because the front door was jammed. When the police got there he was in his house. How is he to know that the police is responding to a 911 burglary call – he and his driver is trying to fix the jammed front door. Why should he have to produce ID because he is trying to fix a jammed front door – that why he hesitated to produce his ID when first asked to. Isn’t that logical? So the police called for backup – the black cop was a part of the backup and don’t know what transpired, except gates was under arrest.

The point is why was he arrested? Because he was angry and demanded the police badge number? Because the police was angry that his response proved to be as mistake because this was the homeowner who was cussing mad, or because it was a black man? I don’t know? Maybe not even the police know – but it was stupid (to use a mild term) to arrest him.

PPS.

Had they not dropped the case, Gates would have won it and probably sue the city - he probable still might.

William, i know gates wasn't arrested for breaking into his house. the cops didn't just "show up" to harass gates either, they were called. it's standard to ask for someones ID in any situation with the law. there is nothing "logical" about hesitating to produce an ID when asked, especially when cops were called there. if in fact the real report is posted on here, then the officer tried to give gates his information but it couldn't be heard over gates' yelling. why did gates pursue the officer outside and continue yelling at him and causing a public scene?the officer in question has no race related incidents on his record and has a clean record overall. so why should gates be beleived over the officer? because he went to harvard? because he's black? gates reacting to the officers request for ID was stupid(to use a mild term).

To Jeremy:

While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me. I asked Gates to provide me with photo identification so that I could verify that he resided at Ware Street and so that I could radio my findings to ECC. Gates initially refused, demanding that I show him identification but then did supply me with a Harvard University identification card. Upon learning that Gates was affiliated with Harvard, I radioed and requested the presence of the Harvard University Police.

Your arguments are exactly why black people distrust white people. The officers’ own words states that he was satisfied that Gates was the homeowner, yet he demanded ID and called the Harvard Police – Why? Because he was mad that Gates was cussing up a storm at being thought of as a criminal in his own home – why is that so hard for a white person to take?

Dalt- ask yourself, "When the GOP had 6 of 8 years In-Charge of the Whole Thing, what Did They Do For Me?"

That's exactly what is wrong with so many in America today. To paraphrase John F. Kennedy, "Don't ask 'What can my country give me?' but rather, 'What can I give my country?'" If you want something, quit whining and blaming, and work for it! Enough, already with the "victim mentality" and selfish greed that pervades our society. I hate to tell you this, but no matter what the color of your skin, or what the history of your ancestors, the world owes you NOTHING!

What "should" they have done for you, and why?

I'm sorry, but I was taught when growing up to pull on my own boots and wipe my own nose!

"Our President" is bankrupting the country and speaking out of turn about an issue he did not have all of the facts to discuss.

Sadly, what he did was plant a question to the press in the health care national address to the country. The only thing I can think is that he is deflecting from the issue at hand since his one pet project is not being backed by the blue dog democrats.

GWB was not a perfect President but he would have handled this matter better. He would have have said that this issue was not pertinent to the discussion and moved on to the next question about Health Care.

To Taxpayer (By the way we all pay taxes):

GWB is not black. The President understands, he is black. A lot of white people seems not to understand - I wonder why?

Everyone pays their taxes except most of Obama's appointments for his cabinet or czar positions. "Oh i didn't realize they say." B freakin S.

If Geithner is willing to cheat on taxes regarding known income, I am sure he has no problem hidding bribes and kickbacks that he receives. Great example Obama and his team are setting for us.

Wrong, They approached Gates as if he had been breaking in to steal, and, that is what set him off, They did not ask if it was his home, or act the way they would have if he had been white ....

Walk in my shoes......

what SHOULD they have done? asked him if he needed a slimjim?

the police should treat everyone, including you and me, with suspicion right off the bat. they don't know if we're armed or if we say who we say we are. when the police come up to you, can you honestly say that you don't regard THEM with suspicion?

A cop has to respond to a break in call as if somebody is in the house armed and stealing something. Otherwise, they end up dead. How do you think a Police Officer should have responded to a breaking and entry call? Gates should have produced ID and thanked them for their time and effort instead of screaming racial profiling.

metonitoo - As I understand it there had been recent burgalaries in the neighborhood. The police were likely a bit more on alert knowing they might have to take on robbers, possibly armed.

I doubt they go to every scene thinking it must be some nice old man who locked himself out.

I am inclined to believe the police in this matter than a man who was confrontational to the very officers there to protect him.

racist-tonitoo, how do you know how the situation would have played out if he was white? why didn't the "wise" professor just show a proper ID when first asked?

Mouse, he said the cop's act of arresting Gates was stupid. Your comprehension level seems lacking. I can yell as loud as I please in my own home!!!!!!!

I agree. A reasonable person would have just produced their ID.

The President did not call the police officer stupid - he stated that they acted stupidly, because once you have assured yourself that the 911 call was incorrect and the intruder turn out to be the homeowner, it fell on the officer to diffuse the situation and leave – it is plain (by the officer’s own words) that he was upset at Gates reaction and thus the arrest. People have rights in their own home – the officer went back up the stairs (his words) and arrested him to put him in his place. I don’t care how clean his record is; the officer was clearly insensitive and need retraining.

ok, You are saying That it was right for the Police to 'bully' Gates, accuse him 1st- then- ask for ID?

where, in ANY of the articles on the incident, does it say the police bullied gates? they asked for ID (as they should have and are in fact required to do) and gates blew up.

and as long as you're implying the police bullied him, what if it really HAD been a black man trying to burglarize the house? what would gates' (or your) reaction be THEN? would he STILL play the race card?

let's say the police arrested a black man for breaking into a black man's house... would he still have accused them of profiling? or would he have thanked them? either way, he'd come off as a hypocrite to one group or the other. he's shown his colors, so if he thanked the police for arresting a black man trying to break into a black man's house, he'd be turning his back on the 'black community'. if he accused them racism, well... that kind of speaks for itself. either way, he's screwed. and an idiot.

Pearl

By the same token if you are not white you can not see from that perspective. Come on we can't what we were not born as. I have been confronted by police because I resembled a suspect, it is the responce that I gave that kept the cuffs off of me. Give this particular officer the benefit of a doubt.

i happen to be an educated black man, as gates is. i'm not living racism because i CHOOSE not to. i've never played the race card, nor have i ever done the 'angry black man' thing, althought i've had plenty of chances (and reasons) to do so. i'm better off than a lot of my white friends/neighbors (and black friends/neighbors for that matter), but i also have friends in other ethnicities who are doing better than i am.

as i said, gates is showing who he really is, and it's disappointing. and shameful.

pearl and metonitoo:

If a police officer doesn't react strongly to bellicose treatment by a perpetrator, he will be subject to getting himself killed if the person is armed. Police are required to protect themselves and have the right to defend themselves against abusive words and/or weapons. There are too many that die at the hands of "innocent" people.

Would the arrest by the black officer there had made Mr. Gates any less belligerent? That would have been an option.

Another option would have been if Mr. Gates would have called the police and told them up front that he was having a hard time getting into his home after coming home from the trip (before he broke into the door). The police would have been glad to come over to help (after proper identification). They probably would have had the means to get someone there that could have opened the door without breaking it in.

If Mr. Gates was uncontrollable, they have every right to subdue him. There is something inherently wrong with Mr. Gates' attitude that goes beyond some ancestors being slaves. Slavery ended over 140 years ago with many white people killed to end it. Black people must start to realize by now that they should be Americans and not Africans. They can be proud of where their ancestors came from, as am I, but to hyphenate their allegiance is a shame for the people who died for their freedom. It is time for all Americans to grow up and start being Americans. Mr. Gates can be no exception.

You jumped directly to the conclusion that there should ever have been an arrest. It's interesting that you feel the arrest was justified in case the suspect was armed and could do the officer harm. By the time the arrest was made there were multiple people on site and a little understanding about how it must feel to be accosted in your own home would have gone a long way on the part of the officer. He was saying to Gates: "I'm a police officer and you can't talk to me/disrespect me like that and I refuse to see this from your perspective." He was the individual with the authority to either understand and let it go or arrest the elderly homeowner, cuff him and then fetch his cane.

Clearly this was motivated by the officer's ego. That's why, once reviewed by others with higher authority, the charges were dropped. They should never have been levied in the first place. Poor judgment call.

Gates on the other hand, was wrong inasmuch as he was looking for a racial motivation rather than understanding that the officer was just doing his job.

How about that -- this could have been resolved by EITHER ONE OF THEM UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER'S POSITION!!!!

charges were dropped because they didn't want the hassle or publicity. the only misunderstanding was on gates' behalf. he didn't understand the cops were responding to a call to serve and protect the citizens of that heighborhood. he didn't understand that they were looking out for his best interest by insuring he was in fact the resident of the home. he obviously didn't understand that a simply showing of a proper ID and a "thank you officer" would have taken alot less time, and trouble.

if i made my way in the white house and started screaming "this is my house, you don't know who you're messing with" while trying to be removed, does that mean secret service should just let me go and say "ok, have a nice day sir" ?

yet another thing to think about:

if i manage to break into my own home before the police showed up, then how would they have any clue at all that 1) i'm a residence of the house, and more importantly 2) i'm not being held at gunpoint by someone who's hiding just out of sight?

granted, being black, i would expect to be viewed with more suspicion that my white neighbors, but if i'm being threatened in my own home, i would definitely NOT want the police to ask me if everything is ok and then walk away if i simply said 'yes' or 'it's none of your business'; i would HOPE and EXPECT them to challenge me... ask me to come outside so that they can see for themselves that i'm not being coerced.

gates is a hypocrite and an idiot, plain and simple, with no foresight regarding his actions.

look at it another way:

what IF someone was hiding just inside the doorway (didn't the person reporting the breakin say there were TWO people on the porch?) with a gun to gates' back, telling him to get rid of the cops? and what if the cops left? and what if the guy robbed gates' home, or worse? what then?

THINK THINGS THROUGH

Yes! What if it had been a burglary, and the police said "Well, that's a black man, we mustn't ask him for ID, that is profiling" and then it turned out to be a real robbery?!" Would Gates say "they wouldn't respond because I'm black and they don't care if I'm robbed?" Good grief.

The Police "Took Him For A THIEF" They only asked for ID AFTER HE PROTESTED.... The whole approach was diferent than if Gates had been white...

I disagree. the cops we called to a possible break in and gates did not cooperate with them. would be the same if he was white, asian, indian or any other race.

He was kicking down a door you moron !

Isn't that what thiefs do ?

In the middle of the afternoon, in broad daylight? With LUGGAGE and a driver?!?

metonitoo, after reading your numerous posts, I have to agree with Bill Engvall, YOU CANT FIX STUPID. Quit trying to turn the inappropriate response of a police suspect into the equivelent of a KKK lynching. The homeowner screwed up and you should call it a day. The question was if OBAMA acted properly by condemning the police officer, stick to the point.

The Ugly American! The only one who does not realize how truly ugly he/she is.

Read Please! Obama said he didn't think it was a racial issue. They asked him about it and he answered. The cops arrested him after he showed ID!

he wouldn't let it go. he kept screaming, and screaming, and screaming. why couldn't he just be cooperative and grateful the law even showed up. i don't think it started as a racial thing. i think it was a power trip of " i teach at harvard and your below me" thing that quickly turned racist because gates wanted it to.

obama never should have commented on how law enforcement handles situations. and if gates had not been a professor, or black, this wouldn't have made the local news.

Talking back to a police officer is not illegal. It's a sad comment on our society that some people think that private citizens deserve false imprisonment and an arrest on trumped up charges for being rude to the police. It's the police officer's job to deal with rudeness without abusing his power over every personal slight. Most officers do this this job quite well, but this officer didn't. As for Gates, his behavior may have been obnoxious, but so what?

it's verbal abuse. and why not just cooperate and be done with it? it could probably be called obstruction of justice.

and it's not their "job" to deal with rude as$holes. it's to serve and protect. gates should have been appreciative they showed up, not an as$ about it.