Posted on 08/02/2009 6:07:38 AM PDT by Billg64
There is not much question about Gate's attitude regarding race. I doubt that Officer Crowley considered Gate's race when confronting him.
The question remains, does one have the right to act badly in their home and on their property, without fear of arrest? Does an anonymous 911 call allow police to violate the fourth amendment of the Constitution? Since when does speaking rudely to a police officer constitute a crime?
I heard judge Napalitona asking and answering these questions yesterday. His guest was the sheriff from Arizona, he agreed that the arrest was illegal.
What are your thoughts?
Of course he should have. Two men were seen breaking into Gates' house. Even though it turned out to be Gates & friend, the cop had to investigate in order to determine that.
What constitutional right is that? I have yet to see a single constitutional right that was violated in this instance.
Put down the crack pipe.
Since none of was there, this is mostly speculation. That said, I suspect two things about the arrest:
1) Gates decided long ago that any situation similar to this would result in his arrest; all the better to construct another brick for the foundation of the reparations case he and fellow reparations nut Charles Ogletree, his attorney in the matter, hope to get into court; and,
2) I suspect it wasn’t the substance of his remarks directed at Crowley orhis mother, but the volume, the frequency with which he made them, and his location vis a vis Crowley, who was trying to get to his car in order to leave.
Gates is now talking about using this incident for education and not recrimination. There can be only one explanation for his new position: He has no case. He and Ogletree would otherwise be in court today.
Finally, if we all have such an objection to the discretion given to cops in making arrests for disorderly conduct, or disturbing the peace, then let’s do what it takes to remove the offenses from all penal codes. Put up or...
Gates is W.E.B. DuBois Professor at Harvard. DuBois was a communist, and willingly submitted himself to Party discipline. That Harvard would have such a professorship says a lot about Harvard, none of it good. That Gates would accept such a professorship says a lot about Gates, none of it good. The only real difference between Gates and Jeremiah Wright is that Gates's "hate Whitey" speeches consist of multisyllable words.
As for Crowley, he exhibits the same attitude too many cops exhibit. When they encounter a mere citizen, their reaction is to dominate, to show who's boss, who's top dog. When they say "jump," the only answer they want is "how high." Once Crowley verified that Gates was legitimately there, the next move should have been to leave, regardless of what Gates said. The fact that Gates "dissed" him, though, was an insult to his cop-hood. He had to show Gates that he, Crowley, was in charge.
Putting Gates and Crowley together like that was a dust-up waiting to happen.
Too many cops forget that they work for us, we don't work for them.
not spinning, you are the one that inferred he lost his constitutional rights because he rents the home
you are to see that the cop did not have the authority to enter his home? If no, maybe you should pick up the pipe!
exactly
Billg64 You had better have your seatbelt on.I inferred nothing of the kind.
Since Jan 28, 2008
You are still spinning out of control.
Your articulation and reasoning is not particularly crisp.Have a wonderful life.
you told me!
Of course the cop had the authority to enter the home. He was answering a breaking and entering call on a rental property that had recently been broken into before.
When he arrived the house showed signs of forced entry.
A man appears and begins a nearly incoherent screaming diatribe. The man is not the listed owner of the property.
Since I don’t smoke crack, I recognize that to be just cause for a quick search.
As far as having the right (authority) to enter the home, I'm willing to bet that a jury will make that conclusion in the future. The cop or the "racist professor could have handled the situation better. Both let their egos get the better of them and the cop's ego had more authority backing it up.
The truth of the matter is this is and should remain a local matter; the president and governor of the state had no business interjecting themselves into the matter.
As one can easily see on this thread, a semi-intelligent (at times) conversation about the subject was had.
I’m saying a 911 call is not anonymous.
If that is truly the law of the land, does that not leave room for incredible abuse by the government officials and disgruntled people? It almost seems like a situatioon where our freedoms should trump our need for security.
Thanx
911 is a service regulated by laws, as are the responses of police and fire services. Name me the statute or ordinance which gives a fig about our freedom. I don’t think you’d want fire personnel stopping at your front door with you on the floor with a seizure, nor the cops letting the guy who has your family bound and gagged in the basement chase them off without showing ID, would you?
Not when you're trying your damndest to pick a fight with a police officer, acting in the line of duty, by insulting his Mother and calling him a racist.
You know, it would be a barrel of fun to watch it when that snotty little sissy tried his racist crap on an Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force or Special Forces man or woman his same height, weight and age.
I love it: threatening to raise a stink and complain to someone’s boss is terrorism and criminal assault, subject to prosecution. Beautifully reasoned, sir. [/sarc]
(Sorry, just saw your reply now.)
As I said before...Talk to a criminal lawyer, and ask him the legal definitions of Assault, and “Making Terrorist threats”. and how often stupid angry fools get arrested for them, and are usually released, charges dropped, the next day after they calm down. What happened to Gates was neither unusual or unwarranted.
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