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Gates sends flowers to woman who called the police

RightinNYC

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Gates sends flowers to woman who called the police - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe

Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. has sent a bouquet of flowers and a note to the woman whose 911 call led to his arrest earlier this month.

Wendy Murphy, attorney and spokeswoman for Lucia Whalen, said today that Gates had sent her client a bouquet of flowers as an "expression of gratitude.'' Murphy, who is not a gardener, said she believed it was a bouquet of tulips. The flowers came with a note from Gates, the contents of which Murphy would not disclose.

"[Whalen] said that she really appreciated it,'' Murphy said. "She's been getting a lot of apologies and people have been saying nice things."

That was very nice of him.
 
Too much, too little, too late.

Perhaps he shoulda sent a case of Red Stripe instead. :rofl
 
Too much, too little, too late.

Excuse me?
I think it was an incredibly gracious gesture, in light of the fact that Gates is the victim in this story, as much as the white cops would like to paint themselves as the victims. And that this neighbor's racist assumptions prompted the call that set the whole machinery in motion.
 
Now that's classy. Good for him.
 
Excuse me?
I think it was an incredibly gracious gesture, in light of the fact that Gates is the victim in this story, as much as the white cops would like to paint themselves as the victims. And that this neighbor's racist assumptions prompted the call that set the whole machinery in motion.

Well, maybe in your world. But I sure wish my neighbor would have called the cops last Friday night at 2:33 am when her growling dog awoke her to 4 people standing outside of her bedroom window. Thos people just broke into my car and stole my GPS and digital camera with all my back stage photos of The Guess Who, Beach Boys, Trapt, and the Grass Roots. (I'll NEVER be able to get those photos again. Those guys have one foot in the grave. :shock:)

Point being, I listened to her 911 call. There was nothing racial about it. It was the dispatcher that even got her to mention a race and even then she did it reluctantly with uncertainty.

The whole thing could have been diffused from the git-go if this race monger took the path of thanking the police for attempting to protect his possessions. Instead, he chose to pull a Johnny Cochran and cry black.
Then, one F.U. led to another, and the next thing you know, you get 15 minutes of fame and a free beer. :rofl

I am convinced that Gates started the whole mess. Not his neighbor. Not the cops.
 
Sounds like and nice gesture and a classy thing to do.

Good for him and her.
 
I have an overwhelming urge to sing Kumbaya. :rofl
 
Too much, too little, too late.

Excuse me?
I think it was an incredibly gracious gesture, in light of the fact that Gates is the victim in this story, as much as the white cops would like to paint themselves as the victims. And that this neighbor's racist assumptions prompted the call that set the whole machinery in motion.

First, the proper response to a gesture of graciousness is courtesy and gratitude (that's assuming it is any of our business whether the woman in question deems the gesture adequate or not).

Second, Gates is not a victim except of his own pigheadedness. He assumed he was being profiled, he reacted very negatively on the basis of that assumption, Crowley reacted to reaction, and the situation spiraled out of control. Both men could have opted to behave differently, and had they chosen different actions there would have been a different outcome. From all that I have read, my personal take is that Crowley was doing his job and Gates was being an ass. We can debate the extent to which Crowley was doing his job and Gates was being an ass, but there is no interpretation which supports Gates as a victim. Victims don't have their feet planted firmly in their own mouths.

Third, regardless of the actions of Gates and Crowley, the woman called 911 because she thought someone might be breaking into Gates' home. Even if you argue Crowley was the worst sort of abusive cop, the 911 transcript shows the woman making a call not because she saw "two black men" but because she saw two men seemingly forcing a door open, and didn't know if one of the men lived in the house or not. There is no interpretation to her actions other than that of an observant and concerned neighbor.

Kudos to Gates for acknowledging that. No matter how badly things may have ended, they began because that woman cared. This world needs more of that.
 
Excuse me?
I think it was an incredibly gracious gesture, in light of the fact that Gates is the victim in this story, as much as the white cops would like to paint themselves as the victims. And that this neighbor's racist assumptions prompted the call that set the whole machinery in motion.

I think you missed the whole point of why he sent her flowers.

She never made a "racist assumption" at all.
 
I think you missed the whole point of why he sent her flowers.

She never made a "racist assumption" at all.

Did Gates himself ever make that claim throughout this whole ordeal?
 
Excuse me?
I think it was an incredibly gracious gesture, in light of the fact that Gates is the victim in this story, as much as the white cops would like to paint themselves as the victims. And that this neighbor's racist assumptions prompted the call that set the whole machinery in motion.
A black officer backs Crowley. Case closed. Gates played the fool.
 
Wendy Murphy, attorney and spokeswoman for Lucia Whalen, said today that Gates had sent her client a bouquet of flowers as an "expression of gratitude.'' Murphy, who is not a gardener, said she believed it was a bouquet of tulips. The flowers came with a note from Gates, the contents of which Murphy would not disclose.

What a classy and lovely thing to do.

Can we draw a line under this episode now?
 
After reading the posts here Gates has succeeded in the goal behind this empty gesture.

What goal you say? Simple lets review the facts. Gates was yelling and screaming discrimination even after he was released and the charges dropped what was he saying? He said if he received the right apology he'd forgive Sgt. Crowley. Obama had stuck his foot in his mouth and the whole race angle was in his favor.But only in his and Obama's minds.
The 9-11 tapes were released and a black officer on the scene came out and said there was nothing racist about the arrest.
Obama was exposed as a racist Gates was well know for his racist comments that were coming back to haunt him and the whole poor me I'm a picked on black man thing fell apart.
Next Obama came out and did his no apology, apology and invited Sgt. Crowley and Gates to have a beer hoping to end the whole controversy. So they held the photo op and Sgt. Crowley turned out to be the only class act there when he helped gates on some stairs.
I believe that Gates realized upon reflection that he had done himself, Obama and his racist cause more harm than good and took a page out of Obama's play book and figured he divert attention away from the central facts and make himself into be something he's never up to now been know for. That being a magnanimous nice old guy.
I will go one step farther and speculate that it is possible this whole look contrite gesture by sending flowers idea came from Obama's handlers because it will help to soften the whole ugly story.
You may disagree but I smell politics all over this.
 
After reading the posts here Gates has succeeded in the goal behind this empty gesture.

What goal you say? Simple lets review the facts. Gates was yelling and screaming discrimination even after he was released and the charges dropped what was he saying? He said if he received the right apology he'd forgive Sgt. Crowley. Obama had stuck his foot in his mouth and the whole race angle was in his favor.But only in his and Obama's minds.
The 9-11 tapes were released and a black officer on the scene came out and said there was nothing racist about the arrest.
Obama was exposed as a racist Gates was well know for his racist comments that were coming back to haunt him and the whole poor me I'm a picked on black man thing fell apart.
Next Obama came out and did his no apology, apology and invited Sgt. Crowley and Gates to have a beer hoping to end the whole controversy. So they held the photo op and Sgt. Crowley turned out to be the only class act there when he helped gates on some stairs.
I believe that Gates realized upon reflection that he had done himself, Obama and his racist cause more harm than good and took a page out of Obama's play book and figured he divert attention away from the central facts and make himself into be something he's never up to now been know for. That being a magnanimous nice old guy.
I will go one step farther and speculate that it is possible this whole look contrite gesture by sending flowers idea came from Obama's handlers because it will help to soften the whole ugly story.
You may disagree but I smell politics all over this.

Maybe, maybe not. None of us will know with 100% certainty. However, I'm willing to bet that, whatever the motive behind the gesture, it surely brightened this woman's day, and that's good enough for me. :)
 
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Maybe, maybe not. None of us will know with 100% certainty. However, I'm willing to bet that, whatever the motive behind the gesture, it surely brightened this woman's day, and that's good enough for me. :)

There is no question that you are right in your assessment that the reaction of Wendy Murphy will be one of; "Oh isn't that nice". But it only adds to getting Gates closer to being thought of as misunderstood rather than the truth.
I'm sorry I have been in and around politics and the spin media business too long not to look behind the curtain on all such stories and issues. It's not about a conspiracy it's about damage control and covering your ass any way possible and playing on peoples emotions and wanting to see the best in everyone is part of the game. I know I've seen it for more than 40 years.
 
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A black officer backs Crowley. Case closed. Gates played the fool.

Are you saying that the race of the officer that backs him matters? ;)
 
Are you saying that the race of the officer that backs him matters? ;)

I know your question was aimed at American but the race of the Officer who backs Sgt. Crowley is crucial to the credibility of the story that all the racism was in Gates court and none what so ever was used on the part of the Sgt. A white officer backing him would have been greeted with statements like: Well what do you expect from a fellow white racist or some other such nonsense, or worse.
 
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But it only adds to getting Gates closer to being thought of as misunderstood rather than the truth.

The truth? You, who viewed this whole sorry episode from the comforting distance of the Internet and Cable TV, are privy to the truth?????

Bub, ain't none of us privy to the "truth" of what happened--not even Gates and Crowley, and they were there.

I know what I believe to be the case....but I'm also smart enough to know that what I believe about this is opinion only, and not fact--it damn sure is not "the truth".

Gates made a nice gesture towards a caring neighbor. That's a good thing. No need in analyzing it further.
 
Did Gates himself ever make that claim throughout this whole ordeal?

The police report indicated that when the police arrived at the scene, Whalen described what appeared to be 'two black males' attempting to enter the house. Whalen subsequently said she didn't mention race in the 9/11 call or to the police.

Having done hundreds of witness interviews myself, such contradictions are not at all unusual. And who among us after the fact remembers everything we said and/or exactly how we said in in an excitable moment. The police report would have been written shortly after the incident when the memories were fresher, and I tend to think the police officers' recollection was probably better than Whalen's. In either case that really doesn't have much bearing on the case.

Whalen subsequently was upset that media accounts seemed to portray her as accusing two black guys, when she does not recall that being an issue for her.

I'm not sure what all Gates accused anybody of during his more excitable period during all this. But it was classy of him to send her flowers as an apology for any distress she suffered when all she was doing was being a responsible citizen on his behalf.
 
The police report indicated that when the police arrived at the scene, Whalen described what appeared to be 'two black males' attempting to enter the house. Whalen subsequently said she didn't mention race in the 9/11 call or to the police.
Actually, the 911 transcript backs up her recollection. She had to be prodded by the dispatcher to describe the suspects' ethnicity, and indicated one of them was "Hispanic".

Whalen subsequently was upset that media accounts seemed to portray her as accusing two black guys, when she does not recall that being an issue for her.
It was not. The 911 transcript proves that absolutely. She even went so far as to speculate that it was possible that the people forcing the door might be the lawful residents--she was unsure, which was why she made the 911 call.

I'm not sure what all Gates accused anybody of during his more excitable period during all this. But it was classy of him to send her flowers as an apology for any distress she suffered when all she was doing was being a responsible citizen on his behalf.
I agree.
 
Actually, the 911 transcript backs up her recollection. She had to be prodded by the dispatcher to describe the suspects' ethnicity, and indicated one of them was "Hispanic".

The police report however has her stating it differently when she was interviewed at the scene. The 911 transcript is irrelevent to what is in the police transcript and, as I stated in my previous post, recollections change in the telling and as time passes.


It was not. The 911 transcript proves that absolutely. She even went so far as to speculate that it was possible that the people forcing the door might be the lawful residents--she was unsure, which was why she made the 911 call.

The 911 transcript only supports what was said when she called in to 911. It has nothing to do with what she subsequently told the police when interviewed face to face.


.

It would have been even more classy had Gates sent Officer Crowley flowers as a thank you for putting his life on the line in defense of Gates' property.
 
It would have been even more classy had Gates sent Officer Crowley flowers as a thank you for putting his life on the line in defense of Gates' property.
Perhaps. How classy is it of the peanut gallery to snark about Gates making a decent gesture towards a neighbor once all the bloviation had blown over?

Gates does something nice and people want to criticize him for it--and for what? Just to bludgeon people into ennui with bats of political correctness?
 
I think it was a nice thing to do, to address the to little to late , it is never to late to make peace with a person.
 
I think it was a nice thing to do, to address the to little to late , it is never to late to make peace with a person.
Quoted because this needs to be said often.
 
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