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The cop did noting wrong. If the prof had calmly explained who he was and offerd an ID, there would have been no problem. He thought he shouldn't have to do even that much because he is "black in America". Guess what? When us whities interact with the popo, we are also are expected to behave rationally and offer a certain level of cooperation (as the situation and common sense would dictate).




Here's the difference. It's true that Gates was probably irate -- maybe even getting on the cops' nerves. But eventually he DID show his ID and the cop verified it. AFter that it should have been the end of the story. If he was WHITE, it WOULD have been the end of the story.

But nooo. Because Gates pissed the cop off, he decided he would arrest him for disorderly conduct. In his mind he's saying, "I'll show this uppity n-gger. Put him in his place".

If he were not black, the cops would walk away pissed off, but they would walk away. It is not a crime to get on the nerves of a police officer. They are trained to put up with Bullshit and keep a cool head.