From the "Black People Arrest Themselves" files

[Valmy]

But, I watched a number of videos of Gates in Africa for one of my classes and I'm not the least bit surprised by all this.

Why?  What did he do?

[Savonarola]

But, I watched a number of videos of Gates in Africa for one of my classes and I'm not the least bit surprised by all this.

Are you sure you aren't confusing him with Richard Roundtree? 

[Caliga]

My guess is that it went down more or less exactly as the cop said it went down, and Gates is lying; moreover, that the various sources of evidence (911 tapes, other witnesses, etc.) will all tend to prove this.

However, (and this is the big "however"), I still doubt that, strictly speaking, being a lying, yelling, race-card-playing, upper middle class asshole who attempts to intimidate the cops with his 'you don't know what a big man I am' routine -- justifies his arrest.

That being said, he could still lose big in the arena of public opinion if he's seen to be acting the jerk (and demanding apologies for it), and it won't do his friend Obama any good either.

Yes, correct.  I'm still not sure why he was arrested... being an asshole isn't a crime.  I can understand the idea behind arresting someone in this situation for disorderly conduct, though.  People can't be seen to be disobeying and disrespecting civil authorities publicly like that.  It will further erode what little respect the public already has for law enforcement, which is a real danger in a relatively free society like ours.

[Maximus]

No it was Gates. My instructor was a big fan. The videos were of a tour he made of Africa to discover the Real History(TM). It was a fine piece of pan-African revisionism.

[Berkut]

There has to be SOME reason for assholes to cooperate with the police when said police are legitimately doing their job.

[swallow]

It's very odd - here, it's the absolute norm to ask for an ID if you're not sure who someone is (even if in uniform) and then it's expected that they wait quietly outside while you close the front door and 'phone to check.  It's only the naive who let someone they can't identify 100% into their home.

[Berkut]

It's very odd - here, it's the absolute norm to ask for an ID if you're not sure who someone is (even if in uniform) and then it's expected that they wait quietly outside while you close the front door and 'phone to check.  It's only the naive who let someone they can't identify 100% into their home.

Are you saying that Gates was not sure if Crowley was really a police officer?

This is new - is Gates making this claim, or are you making it for him? Did Crowley not identify himself as a police officer?

[derspiess]

No it was Gates. My instructor was a big fan. The videos were of a tour he made of Africa to discover the Real History(TM). It was a fine piece of pan-African revisionism.

Levar Burton (aka Geordi Laforge) did something similar on PBS back in the 90s, where he went to see Timbuktu, which turned out to be a major shithole but he nonetheless rationalized it into something great.  IIRC, that was the episode (can't remember the series name) where he admired some structure as a "feat of African engineering".  Heh.

[swallow]

@ Berkut
He wasn't driving a marked police car.  I think we've had people in uniform pretending to be officials.  I'm saying the whole thing is odd that the policeman went into Gate's house before showing ID. 

[Berkut]

@ Berkut
He wasn't driving a marked police car.  I think we've had people in uniform pretending to be officials.  I'm saying the whole thing is odd that the policeman went into Gate's house before showing ID. 

The lengths people will go to excuse this guys behavior.

I've never heard anything about him claiming he was unsure that Crowley was a police officer, or was concerend for his own safety. I don't recall him going ballistic because he thought Crowley was not a cop - rather that he went ballistic because he knew Crowley was a cop, and apparently he hates cops, because they are all out to get the black man.

Whether people pretend to be cops isn't the issue - there is no indication that Gates actions had anything to do with him skeptical of Crowleys identity.

[swallow]

He did keep asking for the policeman's ID.  The motives, we can always put into his mouth.  But it is odd that the policeman went into the house.

[Berkut]

He did keep asking for the policeman's ID

No, he never asked for the cops ID, he asked for his name and badge number so he could report him as a racist out to get black men in America.

At no point has Gates ever said or indicated he had any doubts about Crowleys identity as a police officer.

Christ, you are just making shit up at this point in some desperate attempt to excuse the guy.

[Malthus]

The backpedaling continues:

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2447761120090724?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

My translation: Obama's staff have now reviewed the tapes & witness statements, realize that the good Prof. was totally lying about how the incident went down, and need to distance him.

[DontSayBanana]

Levar Burton (aka Geordi Laforge) did something similar on PBS back in the 90s, where he went to see Timbuktu, which turned out to be a major shithole but he nonetheless rationalized it into something great.  IIRC, that was the episode (can't remember the series name) where he admired some structure as a "feat of African engineering".  Heh.

I assume you're talking about Reading Rainbow?

[Berkut]

He is an eminent professor of blackosity at Harvard. It is simply not conceivable that he could lie about his racial oppression.

This isn't about him, it is about all the lesser blacks, you know.