What the officers did was SOP. IF they had received a call regarding a break-in. Some answered the door, so how were they to know that the person answering the door was the home owner or not?
IF Gates had followed the directions of the officers, taken the time to show them his ID, it would have resolved the issue. The officer were there to protect his property and would have apologized for the incovenience, and Gates would have thanked them for doing their job.
What if the officers had ignored the call of a break-in, and it was a real break-in? Or, what if whoever answered the door claimed to be Gates, but was in fact, the perp who broke into the home, and the officers didn’t attempt to verify that? Then Gates would have a valid complaint (it wouldn’t have been racial, but the failure of the Police in doing their job).
But did Gates do anything to assist the officers? According to reports, Gates refused to identify himself to a police officer, claiming the officer was a racist. Alledegely Gates then said to the officer, ”This is what happens to black men in America.” If I was the officer I would have been suspicous, too!
Crowley wrote in his report that Gates was warned two times he was becoming disorderly. After Gates continued to yell and accuse him of racial bias, Crowley wrote he arrested Gates for “loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space.”
Hey! If the police are asking you questions–answer them!
