Black scholar's arrest raises profiling questions
 

:helpme wtf



BOSTON ? Supporters of a prominent Harvard University black scholar who was arrested at his own home by police responding to a report of a break-in say he is the victim of racial profiling.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. had forced his way through the front door of his home because it was jammed, his lawyer said Monday.

Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home near campus after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."

By the time police arrived, Gates was already inside. Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in.

"Why, because I'm a black man in America?" Gates said, according to a police report written by Sgt. James Crowley. The Cambridge police refused to comment on the arrest Monday.

Gates ? the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research ? initially refused to show the officer his identification, but then gave him a Harvard University ID card, according to police.

"Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him," the officer wrote.

Gates said he turned over his driver's license and Harvard ID ? both with his photos ? and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused. He said he then followed the officer as he left his house onto his front porch, where he was handcuffed in front of other officers, Gates said in a statement released by his attorney, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, on a Web site Gates oversees, TheRoot.com

He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior." He was released later that day on his own recognizance. An arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26.

Gates, 58, also refused to speak publicly Monday, referring calls to Ogletree.

"He was shocked to find himself being questioned and shocked that the conversation continued after he showed his identification," Ogletree said.

Ogletree declined to say whether he believed the incident was racially motivated, saying "I think the incident speaks for itself."

Some of Gates' African-American colleagues say the arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge.

Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years, said he was stopped on campus by two Harvard police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification.

"We do not believe that this arrest would have happened if professor Gates was white," Counter said. "It really has been very unsettling for African-Americans throughout Harvard and throughout Cambridge that this happened."

The Rev. Al Sharpton said he will attend Gates' arraignment.

"This arrest is indicative of at best police abuse of power or at worst the highest example of racial profiling I have seen," Sharpton said. "I have heard of driving while black and even shopping while black but now even going to your own home while black is a new low in police community affairs."

Ogletree said Gates had returned from a trip to China on Thursday with a driver, when he found his front door jammed. He went through the back door into the home ? which he leases from Harvard ? shut off an alarm and worked with the driver to get the door open. The driver left, and Gates was on the phone with the property's management company when police first arrived.

Ogletree also disputed the claim that Gates, who was wearing slacks and a polo shirt and carrying a cane, was yelling at the officer.

"He has an infection that has impacted his breathing since he came back from China, so he's been in a very delicate physical state," Ogletree said.

Lawrence D. Bobo, the W.E.B Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard, said he met with Gates at the police station and described his colleague as feeling humiliated and "emotionally devastated."

"It's just deeply disappointing but also a pointed reminder that there are serious problems that we have to wrestle with," he said.

Bobo said he hoped Cambridge police would drop the charges and called on the department to use the incident to review training and screening procedures it has in place.

The Middlesex district attorney's office said it could not do so until after Gates' arraignment. The woman who reported the apparent break-in did not return a message Monday.

Gates joined the Harvard faculty in 1991 and holds one of 20 prestigious "university professors" positions at the school. He also was host of "African American Lives," a PBS show about the family histories of prominent U.S. blacks, and was named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997.

"I was obviously very concerned when I learned on Thursday about the incident," Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust said in a statement. "He and I spoke directly and I have asked him to keep me apprised."
:Oh crap

i bet he was being an asshole...but after he showed his id..the cop should have said sorry and let him be on his way

what he said.

he was, all reports indicate he was "you doing this cuz im black" from the very start, he initially REFUSED to show ID.

You cant take the "im black so everything whites do to me is racist" out of people like this

if you or i refused to show our ID to a cop, we would be questioned too.

He may have been a victim of profiling, but not by the police, by his own female neighbor. The police were just responding to the call and making sure the area was secure. They wanted to check his ID to make sure that he was the home owner and not some person breaking in, as the caller described. The police were doing their job. Gates fucked up by getting rowdy and pulling the race card when they asked for his ID.

I understand that it must feel shitty to be asked for your ID in your own home, but the police were just making sure he wasn't one of the 'black males wedging his shoulder into the door'.

Blame the neighor, not the police.

its a white neighborhood black kids cant wear back packs hahaha near a school

this says it all

He was pulling race card and refusing to show real ID and only provided a harvard ID ... he deserved to be questioned.

Now he can go to court and say "they did this cuz im black"

fucking fire this affirmative action case and send him packing

f the police

Lawdy be, will da racism ever end?

It is all in his fucking racist head. This dude is a racist. He only thinks of skin color.

When you call the police you are suppose to give an ACCURATE description of the person. He is black, so the woman calling the police said "he is black" woopie fucking do.

The guy looked like he was breaking in, she did the right thing, the cops did the right thing, HE DID THE WRONG THING. :2 cents:

she knows black man lives there

Did she know he was an asshole that would cry "racism!" if the police asked him to identify himself?

"Gates — the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research "

he's not even a real teacher for gods sake

I would appreciate it if someone did that at my place. I can take a bit of minor heat from the cops for a little safety. $.02

prominent Harvard University black scholar bet hes paid in full :winkwink:

So the police are called because someone is breaking into a house, and when the police show up he refuses to ID himself and refuses to show any ID. At this point the situation went from a minor misunderstanding to guns being drawn.

Sorry charlie. If I try to force my way into my own house, someone calls the cops, and I refuse to provide ID to anyone, well, I'd be going to jail too.

Has nothing to do with him being black.

Exactly. The cop was just doing his job. The "prominent Harvard University scholar" should have been smart enough to understand that, black or white.

If I were the cop I would have arrested his ignorant ass too.:2 cents:

major in black studies then try and get a job :thumbsup

whatever :upsidedow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates,_Jr. :thumbsup

I'm torn on this like I read in others posts here.

They should have examined his ID's, called it in or whatever they do, and let him know that he should thank his neighbor for looking out. Suggested some locksmith or whatever the heck they wanted to offer. Normally, that would be what to expect I would think.

BUT none of that has a chance in hell of happening if he's already hollering about being black and such.. and thats what the news article seems to indicate. It would take a pretty zoned out cop to just ignore all that stuff ya know.. it's just dumb to taunt a cop, I'm sorry, lol.

Yet she reported it anyway. Yeah, blame the cops.

Dumbass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell :thumbsup

Refusing to Identify your self in most states when asked by a cop is arrestable. They were trying to find out who he was and what was going on. But some people have their head up their ass.

Singer Lenny Cravitz was jogging on Miami beach near his home when a call went out for a robber suspect wearing almost identical clothing. They saw cravitz and cuffed him and tossed him into the police car. Once it was sorted out, they said sorry and he invited them over for coffee and thanks for doing a good job.

never would have guessed sharpton would get involved

f ignorance

His wife is white as hell though

This is stupid...If that woman saw ANYONE on a porch with backpacks trying to barge their way through a door, they would've called the police. Hell, I would've thanked the police for responding in a timely manner as I wouldn't want my house broken into, with the thieves being allowed to get away.

In my state, unless you're driving, you do not have to show the cops ID. If I'm just a passenger in a car I don't have to show ID. :2 cents: In my state it is a crime to give false name/birth date, but there's no crime if you don't show ID.

24 States have "Stop and Identify Laws"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_an...80.9D_statutes

i like how the story says another professor said he was a victim of racial profiling on campus as a robbery suspect because he was black.

i'm willing to bet the robbery suspect wasn't white.... lol... it's not profiling if you match the description.

people like this keep racism alive. :2 cents:

This is typical of the bullshit cops lay on the public every fucking day and any of you defending the cops in this case are dead wrong - here's why:

Cops work for US. To PROTECT and SERVE us.

If we give guys guns and power we should expect MORE of them every day with every meeting. We should expect them to be calm and mature. We should expect them to treat citizens with respect. If you are going to hassle an old black man in his own home, you'd better be prepared for him to be pissed, and be calm enough to defuse the situation, not escalate it.

All of you people who excuse cops for being thugs looking for a fight, well I hope you run into one of those pigs when you need help and he whips your ass and tases your kid.

Ah I know who that guy is. He hosted the series of shows on PBS where he took dna samples of people like Oprah, Chris Rock etc. And traced them to as specific a location as possible in africa. Many of the people were surprised that they had european heritages too going way back. He seemed in the tv series like a fairly calm dude.

http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks

He talks about the incident there in some more detail evidently.

I don't see how you can blame the cops. A neighbor called about a break in. They arrive and have no idea who Gates is. They ask him to produce ID. If he did so willingly that's one thing but if he refused to do that, then things are going to get ugly.

All that we have is the police report. If there is more to the story than what's in the report, the defense is going to have to tell us the other side of the story.

the good thing is it was witnessed by many and the truth will always be shown

I dont have article on hand, but I read it was like 10 people watching the incident so we shall see who is telling the truth... this wasnt two cops on a dark night racial profiling or harrassing a black man. This was vbroad daylight with witnesses, so lets see what wtinessses say as reports continue to come.

according to the actual police report

there were "several Harvard Univ police officers, and at least 7 witnesses on sidewalk" who witnessed Gates being an unruly jerk to cop basically from the jump

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17512830/Gates-Police-Report

Once those witnesses corroborate the cops story, gates will look like ajn idiot. however, if they say the cop was a jerk then, we know the truth.

I dont even like cops, but I yes sir them and have never resisted to show my ID, and ive had cops come to my home and have provided my ID without any issue.

the police report clearly states he was in public view being "disorderly"

police can go some where. so im sure she saw it was her neighbor damn thats fucked up i wonder how long hes lived there and the lady who made the call

so being a jerk is a grounds for arrest he gave his i.d.:helpme

As report says "cop was leaving after being satisfied with hardvard ID, is when gates began telling him "you dont know who you messing with"

I know some of you are ignorant, and most likely not very experienced in the world, but once you begin taking THAt tone with a police officer, youre going to jail.

You do NOT threaten a cop, period.

now spin it and dont read the report lol

your right if u threaten them u better 2 be ready 2 back it up. That is all from me

He fit the description.

Exactly. Talk smack to a cop - no matter what color you are - and you'll get cuffs around your hands!

And you're happy living in a world like that?

"You dont know who you are messing with" Can be taken as a verbal threat to the cops safety. He had the right to arrest or detain him at that point.

He did not know why the police was there. At 58 im sures hes had more than enough crackers fucking with him. Imagine hes frustrated that he had to break in his own house then the cops show up. So frustration boils over into saying something he felts or experienced many times. All you dumb asses on here need to walk in his shoes. He is nearly 60 years old so god know what he had to go through to get to where he is. White people act like because you aint being hit with a whip or got a noose around your neck, that everything else is not a big deal. IM NOT SAYING HE DID THE RIGHT THING. The situation could have ended ugly. But you have to understand what he feels to understand his anger. Im sure that after he calmed downed he thought about this rationally too. Its easy too rationalize when its not you.

We are talking about someone who has taught people for many years from all walks of life, 99% of whom are smarter than you guys. :2 cents:

He should have been beaten before he was arrested.
Fucking trouble maker fit the description of the possible break in suspect.

Dont tell one to fuck off either, same result.:Oh crap

hahahaha!!!

This is hilarious...it amazes me conservatives should be all over this as a "police state" issue... and "remember ruby ridge" and all that nonsense...

Skip Gates is about 5'4" 130 pounds soaking wet, is in his late 50s and walks with a cane.

The cops were just doing their job.

some white people dont understand shit, i been pulled over many times due to my color and got out of every ticket but one. I got pulled over base on the color of my skin. I can tell you story after story. Went to go visit my cousin in my New jag in the hood, cops ask me what i am doing over here, am i a drug dealer bla bla bla. where i stay now, my asian neighbors call the police every time i have a birthday party for one of my nephews or niece and they all under 12, to many black people in a asian and white hood, the people call the police. They even called the police on my fucking dog for barking.