On 7/23/09 7:47 PM, Wizard of Woodstock wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:45:54 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

I have no doubt that there is plenty of culpability on the part of
Gates applying normal standards of behavior and decorum. The cops
however, once realizing that they'd made an honest mistake, should
have let it go. Although it would have been nice if Gates had shown
a little restraint on his part, he was probably already a bit out of
sorts even before the police arrived from the 20 hour flight, arriving
home to find himself locked out, etc. Who knows what else may have
gone wrong for him that day? There's plenty of opportunity for that
when you are traveling.

Let me ask you this in the spirt of discussion.

Why is it ok for Gates to be insulting, telling an officer who,
apparently and to all appearances and reports does not have any race
bias at all, that he's a racist and use a degoratory reference to his
mother because he's having a bad day - why is that an excuse?

In Sgt. Crowley's defense, it's standard practice, policy and
procedure to cuff and detain citizens who are unruly and or disorderly
both for the protection of the officer as well as the citizen on the
theory that it places the situation back in control.

Sgt. Crowley did nothing wrong, followed policy and procedure and was
called stupid by the President of the United States who admitted that
he didn't know all the fact before he made that statement.

Oh - it also appears that the open wireless mike that officers carry
which is part of the in-car camera system verifies Sgt. Crowley's
version of the incident according to news reports.


The cop was in Gates' house on suspicion of a burglary. Once he
determined there was none, he should have left. The cop comes across
like a townie with an attitude, and he sounded exactly that way in a tv
interview I saw this evening.