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According to the following, the person who made the 911 call did not mention race until asked, and even then did not mention "two black males with backpacks." The two black guys with backpacks seem to have been added in to the police report authored by Police Seargant James Crowley. Specifically, he states that the 911 caller observed these two men. That is not even slightly surprising to me. There is nothing close to a guarantee that police reports will be accurate, and race is often used as a factor when discussing crime. It is most sensible, it would seem, to investigate black men doing things. After all, they ... do things. (Profiling anyone?)
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Comments
I'm not sure he really needs to explain. There's a good chance he remembers the dispatch coming through that way. However, he does need to acknowledge the results of his bias and publicly and soon.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | July 29, 2009 10:33 AM
Well, I was thinking that he could have simply been reporting what dispatch had told him. Dispatch may have screwed this up.
I am not a Conan fan at all, but he did have a funny spoof of the dispatch call last night.
Posted by: Greg Laden | July 29, 2009 10:54 AM
BTW, I did get and appreciate the reference.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | July 29, 2009 10:59 AM
What reference? What did I miss?
Posted by: Enoch | July 29, 2009 11:13 AM
You missed Desi Arnaz discovering something isn't quite right.
Posted by: Rick Pikul | July 29, 2009 12:18 PM
Wow, Glenn Beck is an Ass and a half...
Posted by: jj | July 29, 2009 12:43 PM
Enoch, during Sotomayor's grilling by the Judiciary Committee, one of the Republicans decided that the best way to express to his concerns over the jurist's public remarks was to use one of the lines from I Love Lucy that played Desi Arnaz's latino heritage for a "furriners talk funny" joke. Just another face-palming moment in recent race relations history.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | July 29, 2009 1:07 PM
Yes, that is the reference, and there is even a side bar that makes the reference a triple. (first meaning simply being what it means, second meaning being the link to the recent Senatorial gaff/joke) If you listen to the discussion of the 911 call, there is a mention of a latino culprit.
Posted by: Greg Laden | July 29, 2009 1:29 PM
Caller in Gates' arrest never ID'd race during 911 call | Nation | Star-Telegram.com - Posted on Mon, Jul. 27, 2009
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Police Report - July 23, 2009
Posted by: Bill James | July 29, 2009 1:30 PM
Methinks Gates has some "'splainin' to do" as well. I find the bs offered up by him in various interviews to be incredible.
Posted by: Ralph Spoilsport | July 29, 2009 1:43 PM
Ralph, would you care to be more specific?
Posted by: Stephanie Z | July 29, 2009 1:52 PM
"Ralph, would you care to be more specific?"
I am not Ralph, but notice the cop says "two black guys". That is never what the caller said. Also the caller went out of her way to point out this may not be burglary.
Posted by: sailor | July 29, 2009 4:04 PM
12: see post 9
Posted by: Bill James | July 29, 2009 9:01 PM
12: see post 9
Yes, but if true that would be in disagreement with her 911 and interview. I don't think we can assume this is correct.
Posted by: sailor | July 29, 2009 10:16 PM
cant assume that what is correct? You people are being too circumspect or something!!!
Posted by: Greg Laden | July 29, 2009 10:53 PM
13 see the new post.
Posted by: Stephanie Z | July 29, 2009 10:58 PM
There's a lot of blame the victim going round here.
Whether he's an arrogant prick, or wore a short skirt, does not change the fact that he never broke the law, but was arrested anyway. If he had broken then law, he would have been charged.
The police officer arrested a man, who had done nothing wrong, and then lied on the police report?
Posted by: Soren | July 30, 2009 7:54 AM