“The Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home,” Obama said in a press conference yesterday.
He had to have known that the phrase “acted stupidly” would be taken out of context, and it was. The president’s full statement was calm and measured as usual- he admitted that he didn’t know whether race was a factor in the arrest. In Obama’s defense, his words out of context created a harsher backlash then they would have if everyone who heard them also heard Obama’s full statement.
Even just the one sentence sounds much less offensive than “the police acted stupidly.” It would be stupid to arrest someone for breaking into his own home, knowing it was his home. But Gates was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Gates’ lawyer and friends of his say he immediately showed identification, proving that he was in his own home, when the officer questioned him. But the police report states that Gates accused the officer of targeting him because he was a black man and told the officer he had “no idea who he was messing with,” yelling at the officer inside and continuing as he followed him outside.
There are no witnesses to vouch for either the arresting officer or Gates, so whether or not there was anything disorderly about the exchange is unknown. Regardless, “stupidly” was a tactless word choice and it reflects poorly on the President.
Watch Obama’s full statement here.
And read excerpts from the police report on Boston.com.
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explain to me how you get arrested for disorderly conduct on your private property after you show documentation the reason they dropped the charges is because it will not stand in court. please see “freedom of speech”. once the police officer got the documentation he should have said ok i outta here regardless of what the person was saying. did he hit the cop? no i dont think so. but insted the cop feelings got hurt and to show his buddies that he wasnt gona take it he arrested him. and so comes the lawsuit for illegal search on private property.
July 24, 2009 at 4:42 amFrom all of the accounts I have read, including the Professor's initial accounts, his first reaction was “why are you messing with a black man?” not “here is my ID.”
You have a single police officer responding to a report of a break-in. He gets there and sees evidence of a break-in on the front door… he is not just allowed, but obligated to enter the house. Once there, he needed to secure the premises even AFTER getting the ID. Officers are trained to watch for hostage situations.
Years ago I accidentally set off the alarm system at 3AM in a warehouse I worked in. After showing up and asking for ID, the police asked me to come outside with them where they asked me “is everything really OK? Is anyone in the building threatening you?”
Fortunately for me, I didn't yell at the cop, threaten him with my high and mighty position at an Ivy League school, make derogatory references to his mother or in general make a pain in the ass out of myself. I simply, respectfully did as the officer requested, let him do his job and then he let me go do mine.
It's quite simple really… and not nearly as stupid as the President seems to think.
July 24, 2009 at 7:20 amHave something to add?