[Sloth]

Which they had a RIGHT to be there due to a reported crime. More importantly they were REQUIRED to be there - it is a condition of their employment!

To begin with, yes. The fact that police had reason to be there at one time does not justify their indefinite continued presence. The investigation of the reported crime ended BEFORE the arrest. If Crowley had arrested Gates for failing to identify himself in the first place, I wouldn't have any problem with it.

So, when the police arrive on your property to investigate a crime you want them to simply walk away when you scream and yell at them!

No, I want them to walk away as soon as they realize no crime occurred.

No questions asked from the police - from the police point of view: does this seem like “normal” behavior from someone whom you are trying to assist?!?

Of course not. So far as I'm aware, there is not yet any law requiring people to be "normal," even in a craphole like Massachusetts.

I, having been in that type situation, can tell you that you have a tendency to hang around to ensure there is no other ongoing problem.

"Other ongoing problem"? With no evidence? Sounds like a fishing expedition. In this case, it is clear to me that de-escalation would have been best accomplished by police departure.

The police, in trying to do their job, did in deed find a man who was exhibiting “disorderly conduct” and he was arrested for that conduct.

Where "disorderly conduct" again means loudly expressing a disapproved opinion of the police.

[justkate]

Heaven forbid anyone actually READ the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Instructions for charging Disorderly Conduct.

For those who might be interested, it’s here:

http://www.mass.gov/portal/gog_cache.jsp?q=cache:TDt2bF4LnHsJ:www.mass.gov/courts/courtsandjudges/courts/districtcourt/jury-instructions/criminal/pdf/7160-disorderly-conduct.pdf+disorderly+conduct&access=p&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&client=mgov&site=COURTx&proxystylesheet=mgov&oe=UTF-8

[ExTxMarine]

“Sounds like a fishing expedition.”

When a person does not act as one would “usually” act in a particular situation, the police are TRAINED to investigate! Imagine, if you act like a criminal, police have a tendency to treat you like a criminal - weird!

Since I belief just about everyone agrees that Mr. Gates was acting like an A$$HAT in a situation where most people would act cordial and cooperative, the police officer stayed around. No one was “fishing” they were doing what they were trained to do - ensure the entire situation was under control.