Closing Arguments: Obama’s Take on the Gates Arrest

So Obama thinks the police are stupid.That just goes to show you what the leader of the country thinks of our men in blue.I hope the next time a crime is being commited in mister bigmouths area the cops just ride by unless the person of intrest is white. there is a unfair ratio of blacks to whites in prison so lets get white men to commit more crimes so everything will be fair.GIVE ME A BREAK, check the crime ratio stats for crime commited by race to population.When you point your finger at me you got four pointing back at your self.

The President needs to get his facts first before making a false statement. Gates himself said he refused to show his ID. So the cops were just to take his word. If this was profiling then how come the driver that was with him was not arrested. The President made a fool out of himself on National TV!!!!!!
IHe was not profiled nor arrested for what he was doing, he was arrested for acting like an idoit and then claiming the race card!!!

MR OBAMA WAS CORRECT:
“I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry,” Obama, a friend of Gates, said when asked about the arrest. “Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home.”

I agree with President Obama. If the Professor gave proof of name and residence, there was no need for the police to continue to do anything but leave. Yes, it was definitely racial profiling. I also blame the neighbor who should have known who lived in their neighborhood. Or maybe it was a set-up by someone and they knew what would happen. We have come so far, but in many ways are still stuck in the past.

There is a difference between thinking police are stupid and thinking the police acted stupidly. I would be extremely angry about being accosted by the police in my own house. Anyone who thinks racial profiling doesn’t apply in this case should spend some time in Watts, Bed-Sty, Compton, East L.A. or any other such place.

I don’t agree totally. Aomw Officers today forget what their job entails, “Serving the Public”. Regardless how upset someone presents themselves, they should look at the issue at hand. If he proved he lived their, apologize and walk away. But, the Professor acted immaturely as well and for a man who teaches race relations; he was unprofessional and should consider re-visiting his teachings for I don’t think he carried himself properly. Both dislplayed faults.

I definitely agree with the President’s assessment. Racism and racial profiling are still significant problems in this country. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a Harvard professor with an international reputation. While the police may have been doing their jobs in responding to a call, surely once they knew that this was Prof. Gates their behavior went beyond reason. This was an insult to a distinguished man. They should apologize.

The President was way out of line. The police were approaching a potentially very dangerous situation – officers have been killed under similar circumstances. How many people do you suppose would claim they lived there if the police caught them breaking into a house? That Mr. Gates was belligerent and refused to comply with the officer’s lawful requests is HIS problem. The police owe him no apology; rather, he should apologize to them.
And our President has no right to second guess an officer on the street, operating in a scary situation, from the comfort of the Oval Office. If this had been a real burglar, and an officer were injured or killed during the incident, would he even take note of it?

PBO was wrong. Gates has a chip on his shoulder. I would not be angry, just show the cop your ID and its done. He refused and became angry, accusatory and beligerent. I ask how much crap does a cop have to put up with from anybody. The highly educated black man, how dare this lowly cop question me when doing his job and coming here to protect my property.

Does obama know what he’s talking about in the gates arrest? He doesn’t seem to know that gates was arrested outside his home for disorderly conduct. After following officers out, that were leaving, shouting at them in public causing a seen. Another words acting like a fool in public. Just like obama did when he opened his mouth about the gates arrest that he knows nothing about other then gates is a fellow black man! Show your true self obama. America needs to see the real you. Not the teleprompter you!

The President hit the nail on the head. The facts are irrefutable. Blacks and Latinos are arrested, brutalized, and incarcerated in atrociously disproportionate numbers. Dr. Gates is perhaps the best example of how even a model citizen with black or brown skin can be a victim of racial bias in this country. If it happened to Dr. Gates, imagine how many anonymous Americans of color are victimized routinely by racist cops who are armed and deadly dangerous.
When was the last time you heard about cops shooting a black man to death or beating a black man unmercifully for no reason? I count 8 this year alone that made national headlines. How many whites suffered the same abuse? I count zero in the last century. Racism is real, and we finally have a President who recognizes it.

I will disregard the racist remark made by Curtis. No one but a black person knows how it feels to be black and chastised and racially profiled. I think Obama was correct in saying they acted with poor judgement. Maybe he used a poor choice of words in saying they acted “stupidly”.
I live in Houston, Tx and there was an incident in late dec. 08 where a relatively fair skinned African American male was stopped by the police and shot in front of his home in Bellaire, Tx. (A predominantly white city) His Mother was pushed against the house by the police when she stepped outside to determine what was going on. This incident made national news. Luckily, the young man who was shot survived the shooting, but his family has chose to sue. Of course the Bellaire police dept. states it wasn’t racial profiling
Our children, particularly our young men, are always cautioned to be careful when they drive ;especially if they drive luxury vehicles because they are subjected to racial profiling.

I do not agree with Obama. The police are right, they are obeying the law and doing their job. No way the police are stupid.

“The facts are irrefutable. Blacks and Latinos are arrested, brutalized, and incarcerated in atrociously disproportionate numbers.”
And commit crimes in disproportionate numbers. Who would figure that the statistics would reflect the truth? Maybe whites should commit more crimes in order to be politically correct in the eyes of the liberal minority caretakers. Would that be satisfactory to people like Obama and al sharpton?

I think it’s fair to say what I said on the question from last night here: Whites will generally side with the cops and minorities will generally side with Dr. Gates. This only serves to underscore the deep racial divide in America that has been a hallmark of this fading republic since its inception. White folks never got lynched. White folks don’t get beaten or killed by law enforcement officers. After all… this is America.

If people would take a step back and come back to the real world it would be easier to understand this situation. Think about it for a second. If all a person had to do was tell Law Enfocement that they lived at the house they were breaking into, would anyone ever get caught? Would you have a problem showing your I.D. if the police were called to your house on a possible break in? I wouldn’t! I do not belive that race had anything to do with this case. I am not stupid enough to believe that racial descrimination does not occur, but way to often people jump to this conclusion. The only problem that I can see with this case is that the charges were dropped on what seemed to be a valid charge. I wasn’t there so I don’t know what happened, but from what was reported the officers acted within the law.

I watched the President tonight give his speech, the react to the question about Professor Gates. I am sad to say that I am sorry that He is our President. For Our President to say something like that so off the cuff without the facts. He is supposed to be some great lawyer. I am tired already of President Obama using the TV as his bully pulpit. I do not want to watch him every week. When I come home. Now as to Prof. Gates the only people who know what happened are the ones who were there. The police and Professor Gates. If the Police officer asked for the Professors ID because he was responding to a call well he was within his job description and right to do so. And I being any color would respect his badge and show him my ID and tell why I was there, that is his job to protect and defend. If This Professor gates got all into himself and refused to show his ID and the police were on a call to see if someone was Breaking and entering well then I would assume that he might be the culprit. So at that point you put the person in protective custody till you find out. You need to protect yourself( the policeman) now if this is racial profiling then blame the person who made the call who said there was a man trying to break into a house and when they asked for a description, they probably got he is black and he is some height and age and glasses and so on.
Professor Gates is from the school of Rev.’s Jackson and Sharpton that if it black and white then it is racial.
President Obama needs to learn that you are innocent till proven guilty. He also should remember that the majority of the men in blue do a great job and protect all of us black, white, spanish, asian with their lives as they do his, especially his life,and to make those remarks that the Cambridge Police were stupid without knowing exactly what happened makes him more stupid then any of them. I just hope that the President looks out one day and see who is sworn to protect him with their lives.

How can the rest of the world invite us to their tables, if the civility within our own borders is unstable?
Respect is an universal language, understood by all. To disrespect is a type a crime unless it is mutually consensual or agreed upon.

I can’t believe the President of USA called the cops stupid after 50 minutes of mambo jumbo about his health care reform. Those cops defend our streets and doing so put their lives on the line for us. I don’t think they deserve that kind of insult from the president! About the racial profiling, give me a break! If there was one he wouldn’t be standing there tonight. If he had to gain the trust of the Americans on his healthcare plan he should’ve been very careful about how he answered that question. Especially when he said he wasn’t there to know exactly what happened? With that kind of an insult he lost it for me tonight! Very poor mannerism…

Someone asks many to take a side and cast judgement upon a situation / incident.
What are the results:
1. More Division
2. Less Solidarity
It seems to balance, but breaking even is not accumulating; thus the limited resources available are smaller as well.
Causing more strife and the cycle continues.
Merit and legitimacy are the only credible sources to give guidance where most are lost.
Being quick to rush to judgment, without establishing character and the named credible sources is a shame.
Just because someone asks you for your opinion based on smidgens of information, does not mean you should be incited to do so.
Let the decision be made in court, based upon the above named ideals, and leave the judging to those held in the court.
All points are well understood, and considerable, but keep in mind, there is a day in court, and convictions of the heart to be rung.
Right or Wrong, the balance must be maintain civilly.

1. If you do not understand the difference between stupid and stupidly, then you are stupid.
2. Professor Gate had cane. How many burgular break into a house with a cane.
3. Where was the threat?

This is out of control. They made a mistake, but there’s no need to create a racial war over this. From the looks of the pic, he was already in quite the yelling frenzy. Cops will always haul you off when that happens. White, hispanic, black, it doesn’t matter. And Obamas response was more then unnecessary. He’s just adding fuel to the fire for hate and anger. Why?? Especially when the details are just as clear to him as they are to us. Maybe there’s some more feelings he would like to share on this.

Robert… O.K.. 1. Stupidly is as Stupidly does…
2.Professor Gates had a cane. How many burglars break into a house with a cane?
From the cops point of view, could have been a cane, or a garden rake, or a crow bar…
3.Where was the threat?
Probably from the police !!!
My statement still stands…

as many have stated officer should are suppose to serve and protect but they are human and as many of the run with the power and are causing many of the problems that are occuring in society today and I sorry but many of them are very stupid. Am just shocked that any one would have omitted to it as they are suppose to be leader—-So thank you Mr. Obama

Black or White, YOU CAN’T MOUTH OFF TO A COP. Mr. Gates was in the wrong for doing so, and the President is equally as wrong for perpetuating lies. If anyone is guilty of racial profiling it is these two profiling the police officers because they were caucasian.

“Tonight, President Obama weighed in on the issue during his prime time press conference. “I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry,” ”
I would actually be glad some one noticed my front door being kicked in and had called the police.
This is really no difference at all from when I used to respond to my business alarm. The police would show up and ask for my ID to make sure i was not robing the place. The only difference is I gave my ID and did not cause a scene for no reason.

It’s a shame that Mr. Gates couldn’t try to put himself in the officer’s shoes. The man was responding to a call for a home invasion. He was just doing his job. Mr. Gates is either a hothead or clearly saw this as an opportunity to make a bigger name for himself and/or turn this into a national issue. Had Mr. Gates cooperated with the police, I am quite certain he would not have been arrested.
I respect the officer for standing his ground and not apologizing for doing his job. For all he knew, these men could have been breaking and entering and his life may have been in real danger.
For President Obama to call the police officer’s actions stupid is very disconcerting. It is starting to make me wonder what kind of neophyte we have in the white house. Let’s give Iran, North Korea and Russia the benefit of the doubt, but call our brave men in uniform ’stupid’ without having all the facts.

The President admits he does not have all the facts yet he wades into a local situation inflaming the matter rather than calming things. He won’t deal with foreign leaders threatening our interests and the lives of our citizens but he has time to worry about the cop on the beat in a city in one of our towns. And they said George Bush was bad…

I’ve heard two different stories.
1) The police officer asked Gates for I.D. but Gates became beligerant prompting the officer to take action.
2) The officer asked Gates for I.D., Gates provided that then became upset.
If the police officer was shown I.D then became angry due to Gates reaction then I believe the officer should have had the good sense to understand Gates agitation.
If Gates became beligerant and stepped over the line then I think Gates should understand that the officer had a job to do…protecting the citizens. Perhaps neither is guilt free. We donnn’t know all the facts.

What does a thief look like? Like everybody else. How does an officer discern? He didn’t rush in & shoot him…He asked him for I.D

If Prof. Gates offered ID proving his residence before tempers flared, the Cambridge P.D. should apolgize profusely and (re)train the officers involved. Otherwise, the exact sequence of events needs to be ascertained; unfortunately the P.D.’s version will probably have more weight. It is interesting that, according to the photo on the Nightline website, at least one officer present was black. To be continued, I’m sure.

mr, gates acted foolishly & all could have been settled amicably if he had shown his ID whennthe police asked.He seems to have a very big ego.
Mr. Obama was wrong with his comments.

President was wrong..
what IF there was a robbery taking place and the man the cops got was NOT the owner and refused to show ID? and they let him go cause he ewas mad and said it weas his house?
what kind of flap would you all think up then??
I bet none of you are cops or even have cops in your family.. if you did you would agree 100% with this cop’s action.. His safety and those with him PLUS any potential occupants in the house was at stake.
you all ALWAYS think it is about RACE aND IT IS not!!. i am so sick of everything being black or white.. i believe what the cop said. and besides who was that huge cop in front..gee he was BLACK if it was so wrong of the white cop why didn’t the black cop do something?? becasue cops have a job to do.. and ther cops HAD to check it out as tho there was a crime.. geesh you all need to LOOK at things as they are and not at your color all the time not everything is about YOU!!

First, I must point out that it is interesting that the Nightline staff found it necessary to point out that Mr. Gates was a “friend” of President Obama’s (which indicates a hint that his comments was made based on a previous relationship between the two).
Second, I must point out that the “good ole boy” system has been alive and well for ages in “white America” and blatantly so at best. The fact is, Mr. Gates had every right to be irrate, as you would too, if someone comes to your house and accuse you of breaking and entering.
Again, I am still stuck on stupid with this neighbor who doesn’t recognize that Mr. Gates is a citizen of their community. That alone speaks volumes for that community. Somehow something is wrong with this picture.
I have never seen the emotions that are demonstrated with this incident when President Bush was taking America to the current economical crash. WOW!!!!!
President Obama was absolutely right, the Cambrigde police ACTED (not ARE) stupidly. Or maybe they were just being who they really are.

The president has no business faulting an entire police department for what one officer did. And I do not believe the “victim” was all that cooperative.
I just think it is terrible to stand there in front of the entire country and say somebody is stupid.

The question is why if we have first amendment rights, we can’t talk back to police officers without being arrested, even in our own homes. Why are they treated like Gods. My first amendment rights should give me the right to call a cop a rascist if he seems to be one to me, without being arrested. Black people always have to play the eyes down, yes sir boss man, demeanor well gates was not going to do it.I think this is as good a time as any to DEAL WITH THE POLICE ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS TOWARDS BLACKS AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR, OUR LIVES MEAN NOTHING TO THEM.

I see no indication the police were in the wrong. Gates should have been appreciative that the police responded to a potential threat to persons and property at his home. Police have to consider an endless array of potentially dangerous possibilities everywhere they go. And then someone throws some racial charge at them for doing their job. Gates seemed immature and irresponsible. Then Obama makes his inappropriate racial comment and criticizes the police without knowing the facts but then later criticizes others for making a big deal out of what he said. Wow, I am really getting sick of Obama. And I hope Gates thanked his neighbors for looking out for his house.

I think this whole thing is ridiculous. We all know that racial profiling is a fact of American life. If you think a white person would have been treated this way-you are certainly mistaken and there would have been a huge law suit had he been. President Obama is an intelligent person, asked a serious question and he provided a serious answer. Sorry if you don’t like the facts. The policeman was overzealous to say the least. Had the gentleman been white, there would have been a good natured slap on the back and a quick apology from the officer involved.

Gates did not show ID when asked so, of course he should be treated as a suspect. He does not deserve an apology. He owes one to the officer for his belligerence.

These comments are so phony it’s almost entertaining to read them. You’re not fooling anybody, ABC. At least mix up the content a little from page to page…

Respect for autority is the real issue.
Both men are intitled to their fair share.If anyone becomes disrespectful to an officer called to the scene consequences ensue.We learn that in drivers ed…most of our first experience with authority outside the classroom.Its obvious that its not just children that need to learn and retain the rules!

i agree w. Bev.
How about this egotistical man thanking his neighbor for watching out for his property and thanking the Police for watching over his property as well.
He is an arrogant man.

In the urban city in which I live we are always asking: Who are going to protect us from those that took an oath to protect us. What right does a police officer have to take on someone else emotions? If I am angry, it is my anger. Police are trained in conflict resolution when most of the time their holier than thou attitude starts the conflict. ACTING STUPID and being stupid are two different things. Walk in a minority shoes, or better yet ask someone that’s been there.

BHO was WRONG in talking about this on a national T.V. Anybody that curses a policeman or challenges the policeman with “You don’t know who your messin with” SHOULD have been arrested. He should not have got the charges dropped either. Gates was WANTING to get arrested to show off about who he was and who he knew. I guess all of BHO’s friends will want intervention when they get in trouble.

Some of the folks leaving these messages shouldn’t comment on the incident if they can’t read. The president said the Professor was arrested AFTER he showed proof that he lived there. He wasn’t arrested for refusing to show ID OR NOT showing it at all.
People please READ!! It seems to me that those stating that the president was wrong in the comments he made are people who don’t like the president ANYWAY, cops or a close friend o relative of a cop, and not able to rationally agree to this simple fact.
Any cop who arrests someone in their own house after that someone proved “IT IS THEIR HOUSE”, and that someone wasn’t doing anything criminal or causing harm to their self or to anyone else, THAT COP (NOT ALL COPS) was acting stupidly and should apologize. Period!

Perhaps we’ve all been misled by the media because each post has a conflicting story! I heard the news commentator say that the cop would not
give his name or badge number! After Mr.Gates showed his credentials and after the Harvard security officers verified who he was, the cop still arrested him! In many cases, cops are less empathetic or caring when relating to people of color. Had Gates been white, the situation would have been handled differently even if the man had been totally out of control. What’s interesting to me is the 911 call and the response of the dispatcher, asking the caller if the men were white, black or hispanic!!! That speaks volumes..is there a difference in how many cars are sent out or how fast they get on the case or what…? Then the cop in the Gates resident calls in, gives Gates name and mentions that he is an ” elderly gentleman who is a little disorderly so keep the cars coming!” If he is so elderly and professing to be in his own house, what is the need to “keep the cars coming?” There was no danger, no weapons, nothing that would warrant more policemen or more cars…I believe that it was a way to add to the humiliation of Mr. Gates and an unnecessary abuse of power. The situation did not warrant it. Racial profiling is a reality and there continues to be a history of unequal treatment by the police toward people of color no matter how much money they may have or how many degrees they may have or wherever they may live. I pray every night for my sons, especially, who might be in the wrong place at the wrong time when an adrenaline-pumped policeman shoots anything that moves and kills the wrong person…”he was just doing his job” and someones son was just walking home from work! We have to begin a dialogue now about racial profiling and, hopefully, the president will start it with the parties involved.

It seems that some members of the minority race of African American people like to play the race card. Most African Americans are very decent and good persons. But you get a few to make it look like the whole black race is crazy.
Henry Gates acted outrageously; he became defensive and accused the officer of being racist. It is this type of behavior that gives African Americans a bad name; especially when it becomes widely publicized. Then president Obama makes it worse by saying what the officer did was stupid! President Obama ought to concentrate on what he’s supposed to be doing, like trying to pass a reasonable health care reform plan. He’s got a long way to go with that before people are going to be happy with him.
Mr. Gates should have been grateful and told the officer that he was and that he was thankful for him putting his life on the line in order to protect the community and his property. I heard the 911 recording and the background of the officer. Nowhere is there any indication of any race issue. The only one that brought up race was Mr. Gates himself.
I know in the past that it was very hard to be black in America. But people are not perfect and never will be in this life. Listen to Bill Cosby; he has a lot of good advice for black Americans that would help this country’s race issues if they were followed more.
President Obama only aggravated the whole issue and makes it sound like the police and the rest of the Caucasian Americans are racist. As far as Mr. Gates getting an apology is as outrageous as was his behavior; he should be apologizing! I seen nothing wrong with what the officer did and Mr. Gates should be embarrassed as a so-called educated man acting like a brat.
I hope that Mr. Gates will realize he made a mistake and admit it; then I would respect him. If he did that, I think a lot of people would conclude that the man is not perfect and that he just simply let his behavior and anger get out of hand; Americans are usually very willing to forgive and forget when people admit their mistakes. Until then though, him and Barack Obama are only disrupting any progress that is being made in race relations.

JUST GOES TO SHOW WHAT OUR COLLEGES ARE TURNING OUT… (AFFIRMATIVE ACTION).. A COLLEGE PROFESSOR ARGUING WITH POLICE WHO ARE INVESTIGATING A POTENTIAL BREAK-IN… HOW STUPID!