Seems to me the cops had every right to insist on ID. Mr. Gates was being a jerk and should have complied immediately. But... once he did and the cops were aware that no crime was taking place, they had no right to be on his property anymore. At that point if they did not leave immediately when asked to, they would be trespassing. I would guess that the officers were pissed of at him due to his actions and were taking there time to leave. He followed them out giving them his opinion. Remember, at this time, refusing to vacate the property would be a legal trespass. They had no warrant and no longer had reason to beleive a crime was taking place. I would be of the opinion that if they can not prove he was a threat to them or was so disruptive as to facilitate a disturbance to his neighbors or the pulic in general, they are liable for a false arrest. It is hard for me to believe that a single person, even yelling at the top of his lungs (in the middle of the day) at a person who is leaving, constitutes a public disturbance, especially when you consider the moment the person leaves the disturbance is most likely to end. Gates is a jerk. The cops were illegal in their actions and should have to pay. Race was probably only a factor to Gates.


Giving respect to all cops is like saying we should give respect to all our elders. I am sure I could find you a couple old farts (or cops for that matter) that would love to bend you over and..... Hey, just give them respect and comply with their wishes. It will be over in a few minutes anyways.