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Originally Posted by christiangirl
DS, you might wanna read the article again:
Anywho, I'm glad the charges have been dropped. We'll never know if it was a race issue that made the police keep badgering him once he complied. And really, if I'd just gotten home after traveling all the way from China and had to deal with that foolishnes, I may have gotten "disorderly" as well. Who knows, maybe the police had a vendetta against Harvard professors. Or they didn't like residents of Ware Street. Fine, it may not have been racial, so I won't say it was. But I think it was and I hope the CPD learn better how to handle home visits better (when what you've been called for is resolved, LEAVE) and that people learn how to better deal when being questioned by police.
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Yeah - and you might want to read the police report again, because there's a "difference of opinion" as to when and how Gates showed identification.
Seriously, we'll never know which side was in the "wrong" here - it's clear Gates was quite irate with the officer, which is generally a bad idea but doesn't automatically raise to the level of disorderly conduct. It's clear the officer was somewhat over his head, and we'll never know if his actions, mannerisms or tone served to further enrage Gates or instigate a confrontation.
Sure, the cop could have deep-seated prejudices against blacks. However, it could also be exactly what it looks like: two "alpha-male" types, both of whom are convinced the other is wrong, and both of whom likely feel the other is disrespecting them or owes them a debt of respect prima facie.