Apparently, the cop was very experienced, and actually an instructor teaching cops not to racial-profile. (Or so I heard--who knows what's accurate now?)

I just want to know--if I become obstreperous, can I get a Beer With Obama?

I don't disagree with that, but a) ideally, it shouldn't figure into whether to arrest him, and b) if it does figure into it, it makes arresting him even stupider.

The story should have been "Harvard Professor accuses cops of racism when they respond to 911 call". Gates would not have come out well in that exchange. Instead, the story was "Harvard professor arrested out of his own home after burglary reported." If someone is accusing you of racial profiling, tossing him in jail to teach him a lesson can only hurt your case.

So you suggest we don't tiptoe around law enforcement, but we tiptoe around people who cry "wolf?"

A man whose professional life revolves around the power politics of race escalates a routine answer to a police call into a racial incident, prior to any escalation by the officer.

Gates has built his very lucrative academic career on seeing racists in every corner.

No, I suggest we ignore or refute people who cry "wolf" falsely. I further suggest that, if we wish to suggest that there is no wolf, we not bite them.

Ignore the guy who may or may not be entering a house illegally to do who knows what, because he screams wolf?

Yeah, OK.

Ignore the crying of wolf, which is irrelevant to whether he was in the house legally. And both accounts stipulate that he was.

Next time I'm skulking about outside my own home, and the police ask me if I live there and want ID, I'm going to start screaming "PMS" rather than show my ID. It's really the best way to go. They don't even need to give me the crap about protecting my neighbors, or me...I don't even care if there is a serial killer in my house, just so everyone knows I've been put upon.

The closest thing to "crying wolf" in the "break-in" would be the neighbor calling 911, but that wouldn't apply unless she was in the habit of doing that.

Did you mean "inside"?

Yeah, I'm sorry: I meant "next time I'm inside my house after forcing my door open" I will scream because, really, I want anyone to have the right to force my door open. Don't they know WHO I AM?

Perfect!

Isn't this a bit like the people who get mad at store clerks for checking their ID when they want to make a credit card purchase? The reason the clerk is doing it isn't because they are "out to get you" or whatever the hell stupid reason.

Did you mean "after using the key to get in the back door after the front was stuck"?

That isn't what the neighbor said, who called 911: they saw a person wedging into the door. Or, were the cops casing the joint just WAITING for him to do just that (duh duh DUHHHHHHHHH theme music.)

Quit playing semantics with me, ya pansy ass pansies.