Obama-"Cambridge Police acted stupid"

[SOCALCOP]

Obama in tonight's speech talked about Gates, the Cambridge professor arrested by Cambridge Police and said the "Cambridge police acted stupid" after admitting he was not there and did not know all the circumstances. As a police officer I was highly offended that this man, who refuses to even prove he is a U.S. citizen, would talk about us in this manner. He needs to apologize and show more support for America's heroes, or at least dance around the matter like he does everything else. Shame on you Mr. President.

[99TAC]

any video of the speech? This whole incident makes me sick, hearing how much people love to yell racism on a perfectly handled police response.

[BrickCop]

What a disgrace. Obama admits that he didn't have the whole story and openly admits he is biased toward his longtime friend "Skip" Gates. He then calls the police action stupid and infers the arrest was made for burglary not the true charge of disorderly conduct.

That drivel is ok for pundits and messageboard posters but IMO it was highly irresponsible for the POTUS who again admitted he was biased and did not know all the facts.

Pathetic.

[MA4412]

I live and work near Cambridge and support the Sgt. 100%. As I was watching the news tonight they showed a live shot of the Sgt. his home and told everyone watching what town he lived in. The whole thing is disgrace.

[PtlCop]

I've read most of the stories about the incident and i've concluded two things. 1) Gates acted stupidly and 2) the Sgt. acted stupidly. Both people should be sent to bed without dessert.

Gates should have recognized that the officer was simply trying to do his job and not pull out the race card first. He escalated the confrontation from simply a typical run in with a police officer to a racism issue.

The Sgt. should have known that a charge of disorderly conduct which specifically says it has to take place in public, isn't going to stick while a person stands in their own home. Additionally, our policy requires us to identify ourselves by name and badge number anytime a citizen requests it, if we don't, there can be hell to pay. Sounds like Gates and the Sgt. were getting into a peeing match.

The city is already distancing themselves from the Sgt, which is both understandable and unfortunate. They've called it "regrettable and unfortunate."

Both the Sgt. and Gates appear to have made mistakes.

[ChiTownDet]

The "Messiah" is POS. In addition to this, he showed it at the LEO Memorial In DC (by not showing). I'll assume the Sgt's name and badge number were on Gate's arrest report.

[k91king3]

CRAP! The whole thing sucks. Obama should have never thrown out the whole racism comment. It just stirs the pot and gives ammo to everyone else to yell racism about the police.

[Leo1982]

Somewhat surprising political move on president obamas part considering how cautiously he waded through the whole iran situation.

Sounds like the situation got blown out of proportion although it appears as though the officers were in the right.

My hope is that this situation ends quickly but knowing politics/media its highly unlikely.

[Mulligan_atl]

[BrickCop]

The Sgt. should have known that a charge of disorderly conduct which specifically says it has to take place in public, isn't going to stick while a person stands in their own home.

The only problem with your observastion is that Gates was arrested when he stepped outside and began/continued raving like a lunatic.

Additionally, our policy requires us to identify ourselves by name and badge number anytime a citizen requests it, if we don't, there can be hell to pay.

The sergeant's report indicates that he furnished the info twice but Gates continued to rant and demand he produce an ID. Maybe I'm like Obama in that I'm biased- I choose to believe the cop.

The city is already distancing themselves from the Sgt, which is both understandable and unfortunate. They've called it "regrettable and unfortunate."

I take it you don't work in a large city PD. The fact that the city made that statement has more do to with politics than anything. In legal terms regrettable and unfortunate does not equate to an apology- those words were carefully chosen for a reason.

Both the Sgt. and Gates appear to have made mistakes.

Yes, the cop should've slinked back to his crusier with a bowed head and profusely apologized for responding to the B&E call as the Harvard Professor berated him outside and drew a crowd.

[VegasMetro]

Let’s see how Mr. Obama travels the country without police support. The president visits Vegas from time to time, and he can not move in the city without our assistance with traffic, security. He just ****ed off every cop in America who deals with some idiot yelling instead of listening to the police. I would bet his Public Relations people are spinning an apology that will be forthcoming…

[Camo Cop]

Gates is a racist for making assumptions about a white cop without getting to know him better. I'm left to wonder... How would Gates have reacted if it had been a black cop who was knocking on his door? Would he have yelled and screamed at him while calling him an"Uncle Tom" and demanded that he produce a photo i.d.? Hmmmm... I'm kinda doubting it.

Obambi is a racist for siding with Gates without knowing the facts.

I hope the cop wins a big civil award from Gates for slander/libel/whatever. Screw it... he should bring a civil suit against the POTUS too.

[kannahspapa]

I watched it at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/...94116#32094116. Chris Mathews hardball interviewing 2 political analysts. I didn't know that Mathews was a former police officer, but it showed obama's opinion of the call.

[Super]

I am still appalled that Obama managed to say that he did not know all the facts yet he managed to call the Sgt's actions stupid. Really? How the hell do you manage to do that? Is this defamation?

And then he goes on to say he didn't know what role race played in the incident yet stated "there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that's just a fact."

Great. So we are all stupid racists. Thanks

[DPD]

Dr. Skip Gates and His Surprising Outrage
"Dr. Gates misplaced his keys and simply had to break into his own home. A passerby saw the break in and alerted the police. I guess that's what people do when they walk through Cambridge and see a black man break into a home. You know, because a black man, a black professor, the owner of the home, is an evil little thieving monster and if he's not reigned in he might try to steal the gold from your tooth.
Now apparently the police asked for Dr. Gates' I.D. and he gave it to them, but quickly expressed his outrage about the intrusion. He called the police officer racist over and over and allegedly surprised the officer and the neighbors with his behavior. I love it.
The officer and the neighbors were surprised that Gates, a black man, would express outrage at the relentless profiling that black men endure on a daily. I can just imagine their thoughts: “Why is Dr. Gates so upset? It’s only your classic racial profiling of a black man in America. It’s not like someone toilet-papered his home or kidnapped his pooch.”
Look, I would have screamed, too. I would have called the cop a racist, among other things. I don't know how many times black men have to explain that we're profiled everyday and enough is enough. From being pulled over for allegedly looking like a drug dealer to walking down the street eating an apple, it's all dehumanizing. My paternal grand-uncle was killed by white police for not letting them enter his Georgia home and search for a "fugitive". Incidents like this happen all of the time and the degree of outrage should never be… surprising."

THIS IS TAKEN FROM A PREDOMINATLY BLACK BLOG...NO KIDDING.

All this for answering a B&E in progress run, and asking for ID from the occupant you find inside. I wonder was there damage to the front door from being forced. Who would not request id? What homeowner would not be glag you resonded or that someone was looking out for them? sometimes you cant win.