Obama Says Cops Acted Stupidly in Harvard Scholar’s Arrest

B. McLeod
Jul 23, 2009 6:25 AM CST

Although, it does seem to be pretty much undisputed now that Mr. Gates had, in fact, produced an ID prior to being arrested.  This was left out of all the initial accounts, tending to suggest the police themselves think there was perhaps something wrong with what they did.

B. McLeod
Jul 23, 2009 7:37 AM CST

More likely, the speedy release was due to his status as the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, and a friend of the President, coupled with the almost immediate intervention of a Harvard Law professor.  Had he been an ordinary citizen of any color, Mr. Gates would, indeed, probably still be in jail today.  As it was, the Prosecuror’s analysis (which possibly began with “Oh, my God. . .”) quickly led to the conclusion that the charge needed to be dropped.

Doubting Thomas
Jul 23, 2009 8:31 AM CST

Why no scorn for the neighbor?  Why didn’t they recognize their own neighbor in the middle of the day?  The decision to call the cops seems “stupid.”

AndytheLawyer
Jul 23, 2009 9:48 AM CST

JD—in what country is it the job of the police to arrest someone in his own home, even after demanding AND RECEIVING proof the arrestee was in his own home, simply because the arrestee was yelling at the cops, in his own home, and demanding they leave his own home?

JD—and if you think the cops were correctly doing their jobs, explain why Prof. Gates was released without charges being filed—and why no charges ever will be filed.

I should check this blog’s archives to see if JD also praised the NYPD’s rape by broomstick of Abner Lumia some years back as “just doing their jobs.”

J.D.
Jul 23, 2009 10:37 AM CST

Andy, please do yourself a favor at get off the drugs.

The “scholar” is an arrogant jerk who, instead of working with the cops to peacefully resolve the confusion brought about by the “scholar’s” breaking open a door, decided to scream and yell like a little baby while repeatedly accusing the cops of “racism.”

If you think I can break into a house and yell at cops to leave because it’s my house—without offering any proof whatsoever—then you are dangerously insane. There was only a Harvard ID at issue, no drivers licenses or anything indicating an address.

Why was he released with no charges? Because he’s Obama’s BFF—as the undocumented President noted last night—and because law enforcement is too scared about Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and racists like yourself marching in the streets about nothing. It’s a headache they’d just rather avoid, even if it means harm to the law.

So now, because of liberals’ willingness to scream “racism” over nothing, law enforcement is going to think twice when they see a black man breaking down the door to your home. Isn’t that just wonderful.

Read the police report and tell me this “scholar” isn’t an arrogant prick:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

BTW, the fact that the “scholar” is ready to make a documentary less than 12 hours after the incident shows me that he’s all about cashing in and that’s it.

B. McLeod
Jul 23, 2009 10:56 AM CST

Is it really open to question that the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research is properly termed a “scholar”?  I don’t think so.  Wasn’t the “police report” really just the police version of the event, actually written after the event?  Specifically, at a time when they undoubtedly realized they had some ‘splaining to do, because they had hauled the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research from his private residence, to the clink?  After he had identified himself?  (I’m just suggesting there COULD be some motivation to record an altered version of the facts).  Now, as to the Harvard ID, it may be that it did not have an address.  I don’t know.  But, even so, did the officers really think the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research had a sideline business burglarizing houses?  Would there not likely have been papers, photos and personal articles about the house, from which they could have confirmed it was his house?  Could they not have checked with the property manager (who happened to be on the phone with Mr. Gates) to confirm his tenancy?

I don’t think Andy is the one taking drugs.

J.D.
Jul 23, 2009 11:14 AM CST

Absolutely, McLeod: the police report is just the police perspective, and the “cops are racist” is just the “scholar’s” perspective. (Note: I use the term scholar for people I consider learned and mature; Mr. Gates, Jr. sounds like a petulant child.)

But to which account should we give more credibility? The account of first responders who thought they were there to stop a break-in, or the account of a person who has spent their who life screaming racism and who, within 12 hours, is talking about cashing in via a documentary film?

It’s such a joke, and Harvard should be embarrassed to have such an imbecile on their staff.

MacTheKnife
Jul 23, 2009 11:40 AM CST

Somehow I don’t think that Harvard will be embarrassed simply because the village idiot of the ABA Journal online comments community calls one of its faculty an imbecile

To Rath
Jul 23, 2009 11:48 AM CST

Thank you. I am slightly right of center and no fan of Obama on his current economic policy. But please people if you are interested in the issue read the report, the officer stated that he believed Gates was the legal occupant, the incident escalated when the officer (my opinion) felt his ego was being bruised. Thus the disorderly conduct charge and not burglary or criminal trespass. Also, disorderly conduct requires that there be some sort of unlawful incitement to violence or riot. Harldy the case here and hence the charges were dropped.

So did the cops act stupidly (although the choice of words may seem strong)? Even in my 47 year old white registred independent opinion, yes. In Obama’s defense, he qualified his statement that he did not know if race played a factor but based on the other known facts—the police acted stupidly.

J.D.
Jul 23, 2009 12:18 PM CST

Things are heating up:

Police union condemns Obama’s ‘stupidly’ comments; Gibbs gets defensive

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/police-union-condemns-obamas-stupidly-comments-2009-07-23.html

But really, it’s not surprising that Obama feels as he does about law enforcement; after all, he is good friends with police-headquarters-bomber Bill Ayers.

J.D.
Jul 23, 2009 1:18 PM CST

Bill Cosby says Obama should have kept his mouth shut:

http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/07/23/bill-cosby-shocked-at-obamas-statement-on-harvard-profs-arrest/

Esq.
Jul 23, 2009 2:53 PM CST

Sorry, but I just can’t imagine that a cop would arrest a white professor in his Cambridge residence simply for mouthing off.  Instead, the white professor would have had to slap the cop, like Zsa Zsa Gabor did.

Been There
Jul 24, 2009 5:37 AM CST

While the process & encounter can vary, it is harrowing to have cops doubt or ignore every statement you make and even hold a gun to your head while they tell you that you are not who you say you are. In this case, they doubted Gates Harvard ID was genuine and sought to verify his ID card with Harvard Police.
There is nothing Gates could do to avoid the arrest and therein is the source of the frustration. Gates is rightly concerned that his 4th Amendment rights were violated and that his 1st Amendment rights were the basis for the charge made against him. Since when are cops concerned about individual rights, fundamental rights or constitutional rights. Surely they don’t apply on the street, do they? Apparently, not in America.

Steve
Jul 24, 2009 7:03 AM CST

Harvard is the bastian of anti-white anti-christian anti-americ propoganda and hate speech.  Most professors at Ivy League schools are socalist/communist anti-american hate mongers. 

Harvard’s reputation won’t be hurt.

J.D.
Jul 24, 2009 8:11 AM CST

“Obama’s approval tanks; Today marks the first time his overall approval rating has ever fallen below 50% among Likely Voters nationwide. Fifty-one percent (51%) disapprove.”

I guess this is what happens when a press event aimed at socialized medicine turns into an anti-white, anti-cop diatribe.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

Rath
Jul 24, 2009 11:49 AM CST

J.D. proves once again that he is a miserable failure even as a right wing political hack.  Attributing Obama’s fall in approval ratings to his comment about the Gates arrest displays a mind boggling lack of intelligence and perception of this little thing that the rest of us refer to as REALITY.

Obama’s fall in approval ratings have to do with, among other things, the failure of the stimulus package to make any impact on the economy that has noticeably improved the situation for those that have been negatively affected by the recession (if J.D. had bothered reading the actual article he posted he would realize this is a big factor in Obama’s approval ratings).  It also has to do with the bailout of GM for which many people did not approve.  He also lost approval percentage points for his administration’s continuation and augmentation of the bailout of Wall Street.  Add to that his current woes in trying to pass his health care program in the legislature.  Further behind that is the loss of support for his failure to fulfill promises to certain parts of his constituency including the gay community, and apparently reversing course on other campaign promises.

If J.D. actually bothered to read the statements (something he never seems to do perhaps because he has the attention span of an adolescent) from the Fraternal Order of Police in reaction to Obama’s “stupidly” comment they come of as pretty mild.  Add to that the fact that the Fraternal Order of Police never supported Obama in the first place (they supported McCain in the election), and the fact that the article J.D. cited explicitly states that most of the interviews used to provide the approval ratings were conducted BEFORE Obama made his comments about the Gates arrest (something again which J.D. would know if he didn’t suffer from such a severe deficit in reading skills) and one would have to be quite deluded to believe that Obama’s comments regarding the Gates arrest have any relevance to his current approval ratings.

J.D.
Jul 24, 2009 12:27 PM CST

Thank you, #32, for pointing out all of the other reasons Americans are probably not going to vote for Obama next election. You make great points.

Andy, your comparison is faulty. If you compare Obama’s current poll numbers to previous presidents at the 6-month mark, then we’d have something. But comparing the first months of a presidency to a president’s last term in office is not a great analysis.

As for “mocking Bush” about his bad approval, you don’t know me well enough. I spend much time rallying against Bush during his final four years, as did many conservatives. When he started acting like a liberal (bailout, amnesty, bowing to UN), conservatives sided against Bush, and his poll numbers went down.

But for Obama, this steep decline in public support is happening much too early in his presidency, and he knows it. Which is why Hilary will resign next year and challenge him in 2012.

B. McLeod
Jul 26, 2009 1:49 AM CST

Oh, crap.  Ooops, I mean “snap.”  So did he apologize?

Kind of reminds me of the fellow that calls someone stupid, and when faced with a demand to say he’s sorry, responds, “yes, I’m sorry you’re stupid.”

Rock
Jul 28, 2009 1:42 PM CST

To all of you lawyers who are not familiar to this shell game. When a cop over steps is legal duty, and intimidates a citizen. common practice is to have that citizen arrested and charge with as much offense as they can creatively charged that citizen with.  The prosecutor usuall go along with this unless you have money and influence. It happends all the time- charged them and force them to prove themself innocent—-most time the citizen folds and then charges are drop or citizen place on probation, Welcome to the land of not free-Police State. There are lot of good cops. Power corrupts and in our desire to protect a police officer in the line of doing their duty- we have given them too much power. A citizen should not be afraid of their Police. Take off your rose colored glasses and understand there need to be a huge buffer between a ooficer and prosecuting attorney-