Facts of the case:
1. Gates, a black professor, had been traveling for a few weeks. Upon returning home, his door was stuck shut. He and the driver who dropped him off (also black) were attempting to force open the door.
2. A neighbor called the police because she thought they were burglars attempting to gain access and possibly rob the home.
3. Two units responded, white males.
4. After some discussions, Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct.
5. The charges were later dropped (allegedly due to potential backlash)
5. Obama on primetime TV, said that the police acted "stupidly"
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The police report said:
Officer Figueroa responded to a call about a possible break-in at this residence. When I (Figueroa) arrived, Officer Crowley was already inside the residence speaking to a black male (which was Gates). As I stepped in I heard Crowley ask the man for identification. The gentleman (Gates) shouted at Crowley: "NO I WILL NOT!" Gates then shouted at Crowley "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA!" As Sgt Crowley was attempting to calm down Gates, the gentleman shouted "You don't know who you're messing with!" The gentleman refused to listen as to why the Cambridge police were there. I left the scene to talk with the original caller, who said that she saw Gates wedging his shoulder against the door to break it open. I returned to the scene and now they were on the front porch and there were several onlookers present, to whom Gates was shouting "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO BLACK MEN IN AMERICA!" While on the porch, the gentlemen refused to be cooperative and continued shouting that Sgt. Crowley was a racist.
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Keep in mind this is not the testimony of the arresting officer (Crowley).
Gates disagrees with the police and says he complied with their requests and was not disorderly.
Now lets examine proper protocol of citizens and police.
1. If a citizen is witness to a possible crime, they should call the police. Check. I sure would want my neighbors to call the cops if somebody were forcing open my door.
2. Police generally try to respond to crimes in progress. They did their duty by proceeding to the scene to investigate. Check.
3. Upon arriving, police must determine whether, in fact, a crime is taking place. Check.
4. They talked to the original caller. Check.
5. Gates willfully complied with their investigation. Wait....no..he didn't. He was supposedly screaming and shouting and initially refused to identify himself (which is a crime). If I were dealing with police, I'd calmly comply and identify myself so they could clear the investigation and leave.
6. Cops arrested Gates for disorderly conduct, which stems from belligerantly shouting on the front porch to the onlookers who had gathered. Check. You see folks like this on the TV show "Cops" all the time. Yes, this is an arrestable offense. I would expect to get arrested for acting in this manner. Check.
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So who caused the situation? Gates. Who brought racism to national headlines? Gates. Who wanted to talk about it on national TV? Obama. Who called a police officer who acted according to protocol stupid on national TV? Obama.
Who is the real villian? Gates. Secondary villian? Obama. Thank these two gentlemen for ADVANCING racism in America.