Thread: 2nd Cop Figueroa:We went by Book in Gates Arest

This story is getting bigger and bigger. The Cambridge police had a news conference this morning. The 2nd officer has a pertinent piece of information -Gates refused at first to show his ID which would have ended this quickly. It seems soon enough the tapes will be released.


2nd Cop Figueroa: We Went by Book in Gates Arrest

Friday, July 24, 2009 12:08 PM


BOSTON – The only other Cambridge police officer who was in the home of renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. during the confrontation that led to his arrest said Friday that he and the arresting officer followed procedure.

Patrolman Carlos Figueroa said in a police report that he heard Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, ask for Gates' identification and heard Gates say, "No, I will not!" He also said Gates was shouting at Crowley, calling him a racist and saying, "This is what happens to black men in America!"

Figueroa said Crowley did what he was supposed to do when he asked Gates for identification, because they were investigating a report of a suspected burglary.

"Part of our protocol is to make sure we know who is in there (the home) and legally in there," Figueroa told The Associated Press.

Cambridge police have been defending themselves against allegations of racial bias for arresting Gates in his own home for disorderly conduct even after officers realized he was there legally. The charge was dropped five days later.

Unions representing Cambridge officers and surrounding communities planned a news conference Friday to support the officers and respond to criticism from President Barack Obama, who said police "acted stupidly," and from Gov. Deval Patrick, who said Gates' arrest was "every black man's nightmare."

Officers responded to the home near Harvard University July 16 after a woman called 911 and said she saw two black men with backpacks trying to force open the front door. The woman, Lucia Whalen, has not responded to repeated attempts for comment.

Gates has said he returned from overseas trip and found the door jammed. He maintains he turned over identification when asked to do so by the police.

He said Crowley arrested him as the professor followed him to the porch, repeatedly demanding the sergeant's name and badge number because he was unhappy over his treatment.

Friends and fellow officers — black and white — say Crowley, who was hand-picked by a black police commissioner to teach recruits about avoiding racial profiling, is a principled police officer and family man.

Obama stood by his assertion that police did not need to arrest a Harvard scholar. Obama said in an interview with ABC that he has "extraordinary respect" for the challenges and hardships that law enforcement officers face every day in their line of work.

"From what I can tell, the sergeant who was involved is an outstanding police officer, but my suspicion is probably that it would have been better if cooler heads had prevailed."

Patrick, once the top civil rights official in the Clinton administration and now, like Obama, the first black to hold his job, also supported Gates. "You ought to be able to raise your voice in your own house without risk of arrest."

Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas said Thursday that Crowley was a decorated officer who followed procedure. The department is putting together an independent panel to review the arrest, but Haas said he did not think the whole story had been told.

The department has also so far refused to release the 911 tapes of the initial call or any tapes of radio transmissions Crowley made to headquarters to report that Gates was under arrest.

"Sgt. Crowley is a stellar member of this department. I rely on his judgment every day," Haas said. "I think he basically did the best in the situation that was presented to him."

© 2009 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/figu ... 39744.html

I am waiting on the tapes before giving an opinion.

So far it appears to me Gates was spoiling for a fight and has a mindset "Whitey" is out to get every black man in America so here was a chance to prove his misguided theory.

Personally I would have immediately shown my ID and Thanked the officers for protecting my home from possible intruders.

Richard,what has your experience been with police ?

New development



Obama calls white policeman who arrested scholar
Jul 24 02:53 PM US/Eastern




"I could've calibrated those words differently."

White House Refuses to Say If Obama Issued Apology to Officer

MA Police Unions Call on Obama to Apologize

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has called the white policeman who arrested black Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. The president says he believes the sergeant to be an outstanding police officer.

The president said Friday that he continues to think both the officer, Sgt. James Crowley, and Gates overreacted during the incident—but Obama also faulted his own comments.

Making an impromptu appearance at the daily White House briefing, Obama told reporters: "I could've calibrated those words differently."

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

Well in terms of Cambridge I remember leaving my sisters apartment and remembering I forgot to ask her something and knocking on her window. Before she came to the window the police surrounded me due to a neighbor calling. On another occaison I was walking down a street with one of my friends and walking slower than she was. I had police come due to a caller saying that they were seeing a black following a White girl. My response was to tell them I would catch up and walk with her. What the White girl said that she would like to do with me if I found her in between boyfriends would no doubt disturb whoever called more.

Originally Posted by Richard

Well in terms of Cambridge I remember leaving my sisters apartment and remembering I forgot to ask her something and knocking on her window. Before she came to the window the police surrounded me due to a neighbor calling. On another occaison I was walking down a street with one of my friends and walking slower than she was. I had police come due to a caller saying that they were seeing a black following a White girl. My response was to tell them I would catch up and walk with her. What the White girl said that she would like to do with me if I found her in between boyfriends would no doubt disturb whoever called more.

The first incident (knocking on the window) is understandable but the second (walking behind a girl) is questionable.

Did you feel harassed and did you feel belittled by the police?Don't answer if you feel this is to personal..

See. Then again it was a caller calling into the police to ask to investigate.

Staying in a town overnight while on a vacation I've been pulled over with the guns drawn because I was new in the town and there had been a robbery that night.

I am so tired of this same old agrgument. The white people have bent over backwards to avoid being called a racist. Minorities have more opportunities than we do because we want to avoid being called a racist.
When the people who commit the crimes are mostly minorities or I should say crimes per minority capita, it is no wonder the police are cautious. If they weren't, many more would be killed in the line of duty. I don't condone ruffness for any race. Everybody should be treated humanely and with the same degree of force. However, when you deal with the crimminal element everyday and your very life is in danger evey day you might tend to look at things a little differently. My nephew, who is white, was stopped repeatedly by the police and I feel it is because of his shaved head, being a teenager and being out late at night. We are going to avoid ourselves right out of jobs and opportunities to raise our families and make a good living. Whites are being replaced by all minorities. Even the labour secretary said that jobs should go to minorities not just white construction workers, etc. Sorry, we need to wake up and do something about it before whites find themselves out of their country. We brought black people over here and I do believe we needed to take them out of slavery however, we didn't need to do it to the point that we ourselves become the slaves. Everyone should have the same opportunities and I think that in this day and age and laws that, it is not that way. Everyone should get opportunites based on their merits. We have more whites in this country so it seems that things are unbalanced but I don't think they are. Now, I might point out that according to my best firend, who is black, you have to be black to understand. My answer to her is you have to be white to understand. I don't know what the answers are, but I don't think that giving any race UNFAIR advantage over another is wrong also.

Some bars close at one and others at two. We were walking between Davis Square and Teele Square and I was looking at gardens and window displays on the way while she was more focused on last call so I was lagging.

Originally Posted by Richard

Some bars close at one and others at two. We were walking between Davis Square and Teele Square and I was looking at gardens and window displays on the way while she was more focused on last call so I was lagging.

Richard afer re-reading my post above I see it may have been unclear.

I can see if police saw someone looking in or knocking on a window it may look suspicious but questioning someone for just walking behind a girl seems unfair.

Just wanted to clarify my words.