Quote Originally Posted by apb View Post
I think he should have waited until the facts were in. From what I've read online, it seems that the cops were just doing their job and checking the house out because a neighbor had called them about someone breaking into the house. If that is the case, Gates should have shown his ID and then thanked them for checking out the house.

Couple other things I found online. In Massachusetts, it's not really a crime to be disorderly in your own home. The crime of disordely conduct has to be committed in a public place, and be done with the intent to cause public alarm. And it shouldn't result in an arrest, since the Legislature made it non-jailable after July 1, 2009. There is no legal requirement to produce ID, either.

The fact that Gates stepped out of the house and followed the cop is what probably led to his arrest.

As far as the racist comments, it also appears that Gates was out of line. A few years back the same cop that arrested him came across a non-responsive black man and give him CPR and mouth to mouth until the parametics arrived.

Andrew
i watched the news and the cop asked him to step outside and if u are in your home that is different than your front porch..... when he stepped outside of his house that man stepped into the public..... but its never good when u automatically become combative with a police officer cause that can lead to failure to comply charges and everything.... i think its all a bunch of hog wash to be honest what obama said about being more likely to be pulled becasue they are black or mexican that is rediculous in this day and age..... this whole race this and race that crap drives me insane i believe it dont matter who u are if u do the crime u pay the time and if that man was being disorderly by not following a direct order from a officer of the law he should spend the night in the ole jail... harvard professor or author or senator or whatever his occupation is... i just graduated from college not long ago and i had some professors that were extremists and i really wondered why i paid to take a class with a nut job like them.....