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"There are not many certainties in life, but it is for certain that Sgt. Crowley will not be apologizing," said Sergeant James "Arrestsalot" Crowley after Henry Louis Gates, Jr. kindly asked him to apologize for putting him in the cooler for four hours for the dubious crime of being a black college professor in his own house who also happens to possibly like yelling at white cops who are trying to arrest him for no reason. This was presumably before the President of the United States said that Crowley acted "stupidly."
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Just apologize to the guy. He could have apologized via press release or even Twitter if he was too much of a coward to do it in person.
well, at least "Sir Arrestalot" Crowely didn't say "Apologize? Oh, I'll apologize ... to your mama"
Its really none of Obama's business. I doubt he heard more than one side of the story.
"...Henry Louis Gates, Jr. kindly asked him to apologize for putting him in the cooler for four hours for the dubious crime of being a black college professor in his own house who also happens to possibly like yelling at white cops who are trying to arrest him for no reason."
Yes, that is exactly what happened in the bizarro world where what didn't happen is pretended to be what did happen. Was American society's underlying racism a contributing factor to the neighbor woman's freak out when she saw two black men forcing entry into the house? Perhaps, but once that call to the police was made, I cannot think of a way that the police could have handled this differently or better without failing to protect Gates' home. They HAD to check on the home. They HAD to establish identity. Gates did not have to chase after police screaming at them when they were leaving. I don't care if he is a fancy shmancy Harvard scholar, nobody gets a free pass to chase after and scream at police. Due to the bad publicity and his high profile, Gates was lucky enough to have the charge dropped. I think that's pretty generous and undeserved. Must be nice being a big shot. Forcing the officer to apologize for doing his job is too much. That's stripping a man of his dignity for doing nothing wrong, unlike Gates.
Yes, the police HAD to check on the home. They did NOT have to arrest him.
Also, gotta correct this:
"Gates did not have to chase after police screaming at them when they were leaving."
Gates can't chase. He walks with a cane. I'll give ya the screaming part, but there was no chasing going on. Limping would probably be the extent of it.
And, while this might seem odd since Bostonist refers to itself in the third person, should a cop be doing that? I smell delusions of grandeur inappropriate in an officer of the law.
I cannot speak for the Cambridge community or its police, but every police department I have been protected under and in every community I have ever lived in, disorderly conduct would result in an arrest. Granted, I have never lived in a place as nice as Cambridge. Following a police, either with two able legs or with the aid of a cane, and screaming at him when that police is leaving your presence is disorderly conduct. Maybe fancy Cambridge people are allowed to follow laws differently than the rest of us. Perhaps that is how Gates was wronged, by not being afforded the same special treatment as the rest of the Cambridge community.
As far as I can tell, Gates was treated EXACTLY as any average person would have been treated in the situation. All arguments in support of Gates are based on two presumptions: a) that Gates had the right to be unreasonable in the situation, and b) that the police report was falsified.
Now, given the fact that Gates said in response to the officers actions, that the officer should "...beg my forgiveness" (not exactly "kindly" by my definition of kind) I think it is fairly safe to assume that we are not dealing with a man who is looking back on the situation objectively. He doesn't want an apology, he wants revenge. He wants the officer to feel as humiliated as Gates felt himself. The problem is, due to Gates' actions, I don't trust the clarity of his own perception of the situation. We know he exploded, and we know he wants revenge. Neither of these two facts support objective clarity. As of yet, I have no evidence to likewise call the officer's actions into question. I have no reason to believe he falsified the report.
The apology should have been offered AT THE SCENE of the "crime" once it was determined Gates was in his own home. The officer should have said: "Mr. Gates, I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Then he should have left. Without arresting him. Even if he was screaming. How hard is that? Man up, Crowley.
Having said that, I think the truth of what happened lies somewhere between Gates' version and the police report. I doubt this was a rogue cop - a term Gates apparently used on CNN about Crowley - and Gates is certainly not physically intimidating.
The Globe's profile piece sure doesn't make Crowley sound like a rogue cop. As much as I think he should apologize for wrongfully arresting Gates, it would also seem that Gates should back off the rhetoric a little bit.
That's it. I'm packing up and moving to Cambridge. I've never lived in a place where I was allowed to scream at police. Awesome, a community exists in this country where disorderly conduct is not a crime, and I can commit disorderly conduct and the police are expected to apologize to me for being inconvenienced.
If you live in the United States, it's not a crime to yell at police. It's usually ill-advised, since they have the power to lock you up arbitrarily (and, in cases like this one, wrongfully), but it is your right to do so.
You are quite incorrect. And I apologize, my comment was directed at MJG, not you. But back to my point, yelling at police is the definition of disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct exists as a law to establish calm in situations such as these. You are legally required to maintain calm when the police are investigating any situation. Failure to maintain calm while the police are conducting police business can result in an arrest.
People seem to be under the impression that it is only illegal to threaten a police officer. This is not true. That is breaking a completely different and far more severe law.
So, for future reference, it is actually illegal to yell at police... unless you live in Cambridge.
Guest, I am afraid that you are mistaken. Disorderly conduct charges, at least in Massachusetts, can be brought when a person exhibits "violent or tumultuous" behavior but only if it's in public or in a private place where people are likely to gather. The law is designed to stop people from inciting riots. Also, yelling things like "This is what it is to be a black man in America" is patently political speech, which would be protected under the First Amendment anyway. Slate's Explainer has a good, plain-language discussion of Massachusetts law in this regard, with links, if you don't believe me.
From the Supreme Court ruling in Houston v. Hill (1987):
[...]
You are quite correct. I officially eat crow.
Hell, I'll even man up and apologize as long as you don't bring my mother into it or demand I beg for your forgiveness.