ACCBoards

First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

All he had to do was identify himself and explain his actions. The cops are getting a bad rap on this one.

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

No society can claim to be free if #2 were grounds for an arrest.

#3 could be grounds for an arrest depending on the circumstances, but it appears (at least from the initial reports) that Gates was already INSIDE HIS OWN HOME when the police decided to arrest him.

Unless it is illegal in Cambridge, MA to break in to your own home, it would appear that he was arrested for #2.

They didn't waste any time dropping the charges either. That certainly doesn't give weight to a justifiable arrest.

Charges Against Henry Louis Gates Dropped

It would appear the man was trying to get into his own house. So on one level I don't blame him. Now, I can understand why he'd be annoyed with their assumptions, but all he had to do was politely comply and the whole thing would have been cleared up in minutes.

Once again, we see that "smart" doesn't always equal "common sense." On both sides...

(07-21-2009 07:40 PM)The Ghost of Hessianwolf Wrote: [ -> ]It would appear the man was trying to get into his own house. So on one level I don't blame him. Now, I can understand why he'd be annoyed with their assumptions, but all he had to do was politely comply and the whole thing would have been cleared up in minutes.

Once again, we see that "smart" doesn't always equal "common sense." On both sides...

Yea that's just the kind of society I want to live in, don't say the wrong thing to the police or you'll end up in handcuffs.

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]I'll see your momma outside

I don't know about Haaahvahd. Sounds kinds Kaaahmoonity Kollege to me.





GREAT thread!

I must admit that I am shocked when the police follow normal procedure when responding to a potential breaking and entering.

The ground rules are simple and easy to follow. Let us try this again.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions. (polite is not required but always makes things much easier)

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

Produce an attitude and you'll usually be locked up or held up. Gates is a nut and the product of the last 40 years of higher education.

Racism rampant on the streets of Cambridge.

too funny

(07-21-2009 07:45 PM)Byrdy Wrote: [ -> ]

(07-21-2009 07:40 PM)The Ghost of Hessianwolf Wrote: [ -> ]It would appear the man was trying to get into his own house. So on one level I don't blame him. Now, I can understand why he'd be annoyed with their assumptions, but all he had to do was politely comply and the whole thing would have been cleared up in minutes.

Once again, we see that "smart" doesn't always equal "common sense." On both sides...

Yea that's just the kind of society I want to live in, don't say the wrong thing to the police or you'll end up in handcuffs.

Not sure what society you live in, but that's pretty much always the case with cops, isn't it? You threaten a cop, you pretty much always end up in cuffs. Cops don't usually cuff people for fun.

Not sure what this guy did/said. Looks like the cops were in the wrong as they've dropped the charges.

(07-21-2009 08:58 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]I must admit that I am shocked when the police follow normal procedure when responding to a potential breaking and entering.

The ground rules are simple and easy to follow. Let us try this again.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions. (polite is not required but always makes things much easier)

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

Produce an attitude and you'll usually be locked up or held up.

And I am shocked, and saddened, that so many people in this country, including apparently you, do not see the danger in what you've just posted. #1 excepted of course.

Quote:Gates is a nut and the product of the last 40 years of higher education.

Racism rampant on the streets of Cambridge.

too funny

I'm well aware of the racial angle here. You will note that nothing I have posted addresses it.

(07-21-2009 09:04 PM)The Ghost of Hessianwolf Wrote: [ -> ]Not sure what society you live in, but that's pretty much always the case with cops, isn't it?

Not sure about it always being the case. But it certainly happens. That doesn't make it right.

Quote:You threaten a cop, you pretty much always end up in cuffs. Cops don't usually cuff people for fun.

Well you've added the word "threaten" now, and certainly if a cop feels legitemately threatened then sometimes an arrest is warranted. That would not appear to be the case here.

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

Has law school made you this soft or have you always been so inclined? Seems I remember you having an authoritarian streak.

Being impolite is one thing, but I don't think cops should be expected to endure a lot of verbal abuse or harrassment in the course of doing their job, any more than anyone else should.

I'm making no comment on the case that's the subject of the thread here, I'm just saying that people can and do legitimately call the cops on other people for verbal abuse and harrassment, and depending on the situation and the level of harrassment, there are scenarios where I would likely support cops taking action, possibly including cuffing and arrest.

Seriously, FROM WHAT WAS REPORTED ON CBS EVENING NEWS tonight, the guy deserved to be arrested. According to the news account I saw/heard, the cop approached the person in the house. The cop had good reason to believe the home had been broken into. The Owner was smug and wouldn't give his name or identify himself as the owner.

Is that a true account? I don't know. That is the account I heard. IF that is true. Can't blame the cop. IF that is true, then the guy deserved to be arrested for having chip on his shoulder. Race be damned. IF THAT IS NOT TRUE, then the cop screwed up.

Whatever. I just hope the real truth comes out as to what happened.

(07-21-2009 09:45 PM)Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]That is the account I heard. IF that is true. Can't blame the cop. IF that is true, then the guy deserved to be arrested for having chip on his shoulder. Race be damned.

You're saying he should've been arrested for being uppity? I'm not calling you a racist when I say this but it occurs to me that many black folks would view your post through that lens. You're saying bust him for not knowing his place. It's hardly a stretch for someone to view such opinion in a racist light, even if that's absolutely the opposite of what you intended to express here.

(07-21-2009 09:45 PM)Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]the guy deserved to be arrested for having chip on his shoulder.

Having a chip on your shoulder should not be grounds for arrest. Ever.

Do you think police departments would go for a law requiring the firing of all cops with chips on their shoulders?

(07-21-2009 10:20 PM)Byrdy Wrote: [ -> ]Having a chip on your shoulder should not be grounds for arrest. Ever.

That depends on how the chip manifests itself.

Quote:Do you think police departments would go for a law requiring the firing of all cops with chips on their shoulders?

Again, it depends on how the chip manifests itself.

(07-22-2009 12:09 AM)jws Wrote: [ -> ]That depends on how the chip manifests itself.

Agreed. But then we're not talking about the chip, we'd be talking about some other reason.

(07-22-2009 12:13 AM)Byrdy Wrote: [ -> ]Agreed. But then we're not talking about the chip, we'd be talking about some other reason.

Yes, I suppose that's right, technically. The chip is the underlying cause, not the act itself.

I place this thread under arrest. The charge?

Absurdity.

(07-21-2009 10:01 PM)Ahriman Wrote: [ -> ]

(07-21-2009 09:45 PM)Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]That is the account I heard. IF that is true. Can't blame the cop. IF that is true, then the guy deserved to be arrested for having chip on his shoulder. Race be damned.

You're saying he should've been arrested for being uppity? I'm not calling you a racist when I say this but it occurs to me that many black folks would view your post through that lens. You're saying bust him for not knowing his place. It's hardly a stretch for someone to view such opinion in a racist light, even if that's absolutely the opposite of what you intended to express here.

I am saying if one is breaking into a home, and feels he does not have to identify himself, then maybe, just maybe you get arrested.

AS I SAID. If the man did identify himself immediately to the policeman AND show identity, then no prob. I have set the alarm off at my mom's house and couldn't get the code when the security company called. When the cops showed up, I gladly presented my ID and stated my business at the house. All was well. And I expressed my appreciation to the cops for doing their job.

Uppitidy, schmuppidity. Just show your ID and thank the police for showing up for what appears to be a burglary.

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

Good rules to follow. Give a cop attitude and you are likely to be in cuffs, regardless of race.

I once saw a girl that I knew (very hot white girl) get slammed against a car and handcuffed because she was giving a cop a very hard time as he questioned her. IMO, she got deserved what she got.

(07-22-2009 07:56 AM)davidson deac ii Wrote: [ -> ]

(07-21-2009 05:41 PM)fish plate and fries Wrote: [ -> ]First class Harvard staff.

Staying out of trouble with the police is very, very easy.

1) Do not break the law.

2) Be polite if asked questions.

3) Comply with requests. Small talk with kindness works wonders.

Good rules to follow. Give a cop attitude and you are likely to be in cuffs, regardless of race.

I once saw a girl that I knew (very hot white girl) get slammed against a car and handcuffed because she was giving a cop a very hard time as he questioned her. IMO, she got deserved what she got.

You want attitude? Here's attitude: f[] you!

(where's the irony icon?)

Bad Boys
Bad Boys
Whatcha gonna do when they come for you...

(07-22-2009 07:19 AM)Wolf Wrote: [ -> ]... I have set the alarm off at my mom's house and couldn't get the code when the security company called. When the cops showed up, I gladly presented my ID and stated my business at the house. All was well. And I expressed my appreciation to the cops for doing their job.

Uppitidy, schmuppidity. Just show your ID and thank the police for showing up for what appears to be a burglary.

I would be curious what the required basis for disorderly conduct is in Cambridge. As stated above anywhere in america if someone is seen breaking into a house by someone they don't know hopefully the cops are going to be called. When they show up you thank them for their diligence and prove you have the right. At the point he didn't do that the cops were in the right and he was in the wrong. With the charges dropped and no trial coming unless he initiates it, we'll probably never know how it escalated to an arrest. As I saw one spokesperson say it "cooler heads did not prevail."

Would a white cop have had more patience with a white homeowner, who knows, but the here the homeowner was the first to obviously bring race into it.