Posted by
Thom Shaw on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 11:02:09 PM
This blog is in response to articles written by Rich Tucker dated Friday, July 24, 2009 and Pat Buchanan dated Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I know by now you have head the 911 call, so how did you come to "your facts" of the case. After all like the President you were not there. Maybe you should re-read the report-and that's all it is,it is not the Gospel-with a less prejudice view and while you are at it read (maybe for the first time) the 4th and 5th amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
You (Pat) said and I quote "once in the street, Gates BELLOWED, "this is what happens to a black man in America." First according to the report Prof. Gates was not on the street, but only opened his door, and again according to the report, exclaimed (not BELLOWED) "why, because I'm a black man in America?" So if you are going to quote the report (or as both of you would presumably put it, the Gospel according to Crowley) at least quote it right! And yes I did read Officer Carlos Figueroa's report and he said the remarks were made on the porch not the streets.
Read Incident Suppliment #9005127-1 and you will see the words, "while on the PORCH, the gentleman refused to be cooperative and continued shouting that the Sgt. is racist police officer. Yes the supplement report says he was shouting, but not in the streets.
Going back to Sgt. Crowley's report. Did Sgt. Crowley identify himself to Prof. Gates. According to the incident report the anwser is, NO!
"As I stood in plain view of this man, later identified as Gates, I asked if he would step out onto the porch and speak with me. He replied (not BELLOWED) "no I will not." He then demanded to know who I was."
I do feel that it was Sgt. Crowley's fault that all of this happened. Why, you ask. Because he approached Prof. Gates with the full knowledge that Gates was totally unaware of what was going on. He (Gates) had no knowledge of the 911 call (remember he had just returned from a trip to China). The outcome would have been different had Sgt. Crowley just said "Sir, I am Sgt Crowley of the Cambridge Police Dept. There has been a report of a break in at this address. Could you please identify yourself as the legal occupant of this address and if you are, are you in any danger?" Case Closed
No, I will not call Sgt. Crowley a racist, but I will say he was insensitive to the feelings of Prof. Gates.