Boston Cop Calls Henry Louis Gates "Jungle Monkey" in E-mail

Can we call that stupid? Or just racist?

And Sgt. James Crowley lied on his police report, according to the woman who made the 911 call. She did not have the conversation with him that he described in his report. She did not, she says, tell him there were "two black males with backpacks."

Have we as a culture simply accepted that cops lie? Is that why this isn't a major component of this story?

More here.

Officer Crowley's Police Report Questioned

Updated here.

In the ongoing Gates-gate drama we now hear from the woman who made the 911 call. She says she never mentioned race in the call, and:

Attorney Wendy Murphy also categorically rejected part of the police report that said her client, Lucia Whalen, talked with Sgt. James Crowley, the arresting officer, at the scene.

"Let me be clear: She never had a conversation with Sgt. Crowley at the scene," Murphy said. "And she never said to any police officer or to anybody 'two black men.' She never used the word 'black.' Period."

Here's what Crowley wrote in his police report:

I turned and looked in the direction of the voice and observed a white female, later identified as Lucia Whalen... She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch of [blacked out] Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions were aroused when she observed one of the men wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry.

The 911 call:

Professor Gates Insulted Officer Crowley's Mother

The funniest thing - maybe the only funny thing, actually - about the Gates arrest incident is that so many Right Wing pundits, including Juan Williams on NPR this morning, are saying, with shocked outrage, that Gates insulted Officer Crowley's mother. What are they talking about? When Crowley asked Gates to come talk to him outside, Gates said, "I'll talk to yo' mama outside." [Gates says he said no such thing.]

Using the "Yo' mama" thing equals "insulting Crowley's mother." I mean that's just funny.

P.S. Crowley wrote in the police report, "While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me."

Crowley seems like a thoughtful and nice individual, but why was he confused with Gates' anger? He supposedly teaches other cops about racial profiling. He knew Gates was not a burglar, that the 911 call was a mistake - and he was surprised that Gates was angry about being questioned by cops about being in his own home? He didn't break into a window. He didn't have a hammer in his hand. (Only a cane.) He didn't have a mask on. He was just a 59-year-old black guy trying to get his front door open..who got the cops called on him. What the hell does Crowley teach other cops about racial profiling? That it makes black people happy?

And that excerpt from the police report is from before asking for ID. Why did Crowley ask for ID if he believed that Gates was in his own house? Wouldn't the thoughtful, deescalating thing to do at that point be to leave?

Harumph. I'm glad they're going to get together for a beer.