You seem to know a lot about what happened! I'm not really sure how broken the door was. I read the police report and I don't remember anything about the policeman observing a broken door. I guess he just forgot. He just says the door was open and he observed an "older black male." Hmmm. I wonder if the "older black male" was doing anything suspicious. Gee. It doesn't say. Maybe this cop can't distinguish? No. Maybe he's unaware that "older black males" aren't a particular unlawful lot? Or would that be profiling? He just asks Gates to step outside. He couldn't ask Gates if there was any trouble here? And maybe let him know why he was at the door? I probably wouldn't respond with the "Yo mama" stuff (Is that ebonic for FU?) but I probably would say, "If you have anything to say to me you can say it from there or come in if you like." I'm not suggesting that I think Gates acted like a Gentleman. He probably didn't. But he was in his own house doing nothing wrong. The cop was acting on bad information. Maybe that never occurred to him?
ML/NJ
I read the police report and I don’t remember anything about the policeman observing a broken door. I guess he just forgot. He just says the door was open and he observed an “older black male.” <<<<<<<<<<
Read the report again, specifically the part where the professor tells the Sgt. that his front door is “unsecurable” due to a recent break in attempt.
Next time, I hope the cops take the word of any person on the property as to their identity, then we can countdown until the lawsuit against the police for not having stopped a break in. The resident was disorderly and failed to cease his behavior long after the incident should have been over. His screaming outside was designed to incite, and after a reasonable period of time, enough is enough.
Suppose the officer ignored him and left him standing out in front frothing at the mouth, obviously deranged at the moment, and the resident went off on the lady who called the cops? I have seen exactly that happen, so it’s a no-win for the officer if he just leaves without resolution. Admittedly, the professor probably wanted to get arrested to feed his martyr syndrome, but the officer did his job.