SoulPiercer
Posts: 374
Joined: 5/27/2007
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I have 3 friends who are white police officers in 3 different jurisdictions in 3 different states, west coast, south and mid-west. They all said the same thing. While they aren't particularly happy about what the President said, they all agree. The officer acted stupidly. They also said, and I agree, it wasn't necessarily about race. It was about an officer who didn't like the fact that a "suspect" wasn't complying, when in fact, said suspect should not have been treated like a suspect once the facts were known.
Police cruisers have these pieces of electronics called computers. They also have radios. Once they knew a name, some simple checking could have proved that the person in the home was telling the truth. Would it have been easier if Gates wasn't argumentative? Yep. But remember, you have the right to remain silent.
According to my friends who know better than I, a neighbor reporting a suspected break-in is not probable cause for the officer to enter or to demand the occupant come out, after the occupant has said he is the resident. Again, all they needed was his name to confirm that. Seriously .. did this 59 year old man break into a home and just happen to find the home owner's name so he could claim he lived there when the police showed up?
Your neighbor calls the police because they hear your wife screaming and they think you're beating the hell out of her. When the police arrive, your wife (the supposed victim) opens the door, says everything is fine, refuses to allow the officers to enter and closes the door. They cannot kick the door in. If she leaves the door open, they cannot simply walk in based on what a neighbor said. She is the supposed victim and she said there was nothing wrong. Unless they witness you striking her through that open door, they cannot enter.
The final tidbit my friends gave me was: you can't be "disorderly" if you're the only person in your own home. Of course they all admit things could be different in Mass, but they all said that in their jurisdictions, in order for a disorderly charge to stick, there must be someone else with the right to be in the home who makes the complaint. Unfortunately, a police officer who doesn't like that you called him a racist doesn't count. Oddly enough, the charge in this case was dropped.
All these guys who are "on the job" said the same thing. Once the facts were known, the officer should have just let it go. Fortunately, it's still not illegal for citizens to get pissed off and verbalize that when they feel they are being treated like a suspect in a supposed crime and they know they haven't done anything wrong. Nope, it's not fun to be yelled at or be told "you don't know who you're messing with". But in many cases, it comes with the job.
The person in authority, the one with the badge and gun is the one who is expected to keep a level head. Afterall .. this particular officer has taught classes on racial profiling. Which means his department knows it's an issue. Even if none of their officers have ever used profiling, the department is aware of the issue and none of their officers should be a bit surprised if they encounter a citizen who reacts in a negative way because they feel they are being profiled themselves.
< Message edited by SoulPiercer -- 7/24/2009 4:29:10 PM >
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RE: The arrest of Henry Louis Gates: How far have we re... - 
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