Obama WAY off base....

[Henry Hawk]

at last nights press conference, Obama admitted to not having the facts, but yet claimed that the police acted...'stupidly' to what led to the arrest of black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr

Obama has again proved to be a poor leader, by making comments on this, without having the FACTS....on an issue that should NOT have been on the National News, but NOW it is, and it is a racial issue because of our President......who is supposed to be bringing us ALL together.....


Gates Arresting Officer: Obama 'Way Off Base'

full arrest report..

[me]

And if the police hadn't responded he would have yelled discrimination saying they didn't respond because they knew a black man owned the house and they didn't care.  How was that officer supposed to know who he was?  Why pull the race card on the officer who was just doing his job.  Would he have done the same if it had been a black officer who came out?

[pariann]

If the police hadn't responded.  He would have been inside his house, and not known that anyone had called the police.  He would have nothing to yell about.

But I would say, he was pretty paranoid to start with, immediately getting hostile at the presence of the police officer. You would think a Harvard Prof would be a little calmer. 

[Henry Hawk]

If the police hadn't responded.  He would have been inside his house, and not known that anyone had called the police.  He would have nothing to yell about.

But I would say, he was pretty paranoid to start with, immediately getting hostile at the presence of the police officer. You would think a Harvard Prof would be a little calmer. 

it is HE (Gates) who is RACIEST and Obama proved to show a little himself last night......he should have said NO comment...He is a friend of mine, and I do not have the facts....it is NOT his place to be a jury and call the Cambridge Police and the officers ...."acting stupidly".........very, very unclassy.

[me]

If the police hadn't responded.  He would have been inside his house, and not known that anyone had called the police.  He would have nothing to yell about.

But I would say, he was pretty paranoid to start with, immediately getting hostile at the presence of the police officer. You would think a Harvard Prof would be a little calmer.

I would imagine the neighbor who called the police in the first place would have said something to him about thinking they thought someone breaking in and calling and no one showing up.  I know if I had thought I seen someone breaking into a neighbor's house and called and didn't see  the police show up I would say something to them. 

[pariann]

Maybe....but the neighbor might not be on friendly terms with the home owner, and might choose to keep their mouth shut once they realized they made an error on who was entering the house.

There are other things I wonder, like if they were returning from a trip, was the car parked where it could be seen? I know what my neighbors drive.  And it was in the afternoon, so it was pretty light outside, why didn't she recognize the man trying to enter the house?  WHY would a thief be trying to push a front door open in broad daylight?  I would think the goal would to enter in a way that they wouldn't be caught.   

Not saying she should have minded her own business.  He was gone on a trip and it was good she noticed what she considered strange activity.  She must not have been too fearful, she was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house, so I wonder if she had already figured out it was the professor entering his own house.   I would have been wary of possible gun shots if it had been burglars and would have stayed in my own house until after the big to-do was over.  But that's just me, I'm a coward. LOL

[Henry Hawk]

His house has been broken into recently and there has been other break ins around the neighborhood....THAT is why the lady called the police.

[Henry Hawk]

The President acted stupidly...it is very unpresidential.....and again show WHY he should NOT be in office......he should have kept his mouth shut, and made NO comment....

there should be more outrage..............but, I'm sure I'll get the Bush's fault crap....

[Exterminator]

it is HE (Gates) who is RACIEST and Obama proved to show a little himself last night......he should have said NO comment...He is a friend of mine, and I do not have the facts....it is NOT his place to be a jury and call the Cambridge Police and the officers ...."acting stupidly".........very, very unclassy.

Well you don't have the facts either but don't have any problem running your mouth about it.  From what I understand, Gates was arrested even after the police had established who he was and that it was his house.  If they hadn't been in the wrong, they wouldn't have dropped the charges.

While you have often expressed your disdain for that pesky Constitution of ours, do you want the police coming to your house demanding your ID and arresting you on your own property?

[Henry Hawk]

Well you don't have the facts either but don't have any problem running your mouth about it.  From what I understand, Gates was arrested even after the police had established who he was and that it was his house.  If they hadn't been in the wrong, they wouldn't have dropped the charges.

While you have often expressed your disdain for that pesky Constitution of ours, do you want the police coming to your house demanding your ID and arresting you on your own property?

did you read the police report?...........Gates was shouting at the officer, outside of his house...the officer warned Gates twice to calm down and warned him of his tumultuous behaviour....Gate's continued ...and the officer placed him under arrest...nothing un constitutional about this incident whatsoever.

[Exterminator]

did you read the police report?...........Gates was shouting at the officer, outside of his house...the officer warned Gates twice to calm down and warned him of his tumultuous behaviour....Gate's continued ...and the officer placed him under arrest...nothing un constitutional about this incident whatsoever.

Here's a clue for you: in the absence of another crime like domestic abuse or unless something affects someone else like standing in the front yard throwing rocks at passing cars (property damage) or blaring music in the middle of the night (disturbing the peace), you can't arrest someone for being disorderly on his own property.

[Henry Hawk]

you can't arrest someone for being disorderly on his own property.

here is a clue for you ...Massachusetts courts have limited the definition of disorderly conduct to: fighting or threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior, or creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition for no legitimate purpose other than to cause public annoyance or alarm....the police allege that a crowd had formed outside Gates' property....

[Exterminator]

here is a clue for you ...Massachusetts courts have limited the definition of disorderly conduct to: fighting or threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior, or creating a hazardous or physically offensive condition for no legitimate purpose other than to cause public annoyance or alarm....the police allege that a crowd had formed outside Gates' property....

If what he did was illegal, there would still be charges pending and the prosecutor's office refused to pursue the matter, ergo, you're wrong.  All this was was some douche-bag cop with a chip on his shoulder who was abusing his authority.  Trust me, not only have I been a law enforcement officer, I've been on the receiving end and the prosecutor wouldn't pursue those charges either.

[Exterminator]

Additionally, Henry, a friend of mine is currently a cop in Lawrence and he has been told in no uncertain terms to never charge someone with disorderly conduct on his/her own property because it can not be prosecuted.  His superiors said that if you can't find anything else to charge them with, let them go.

[Henry Hawk]

even though you never show any respect towards me, I will respect your opinion, and you may very well be correct with your assessment....but take into account, he could have been dismissed because he IS a Black Professor from Harvard.............the bottom line for me is that all gates had to do was to cooperate with the officer....instead he has to make a big deal out of his being black......no doubt we shall soon see Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton bellyaching endlessly on TV about this man has been laid low by racism.....

and to stay with my original point of the thread.....Obama, was WRONG, imo, to comment on this issue, until he DID have all the facts.