The Cambridge Police Department view of a Black scholar
Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the nation’s pre-eminent African-American scholars, was arrested at his home by Cambridge police investigating a possible break-in. The incident raised concerns among some Harvard faculty that Gates was a victim of racial profiling.
Police arrived at Gates’ Ware Street home near Harvard Square at 12:44 p.m. to question him. Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard, had trouble unlocking his door after it became jammed.
He was booked for disorderly conduct after “exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior,” according to a police report. Gates accused the investigating officer of being a racist.
Friends of Gates said he was already in his home when police arrived. He showed his driver’s license and Harvard identification card, but was handcuffed and taken into police custody…
The Cambridge Police will no doubt come up with whatever they feel is justification for arresting a man standing on his own property – telling the coppers to get off that property – when it’s already been established there is no crime in progress.
If it happened to u or me, we would still be in jail, awaiting a bail hearing… but it is a good example of the array of problems in America since 9/11 and the absolute powers that the police or anyone with any kind of Authority imposes on you. By By Miss American Pie…she aint what she used to be… Last time I was stopped by the police for doing a few miles an hour over 45, I just said yes sir no sir etc..my wife gave me crap for being such a kiss ass, but that is the only way to ensure you can drive away instead of being taken away!! Their are any number of real examples on You tube for the non experienced in dealing with the boys meant to protect and serve.
OK, why did they suspect him?
Was the arresting COP a white? a latino? an asian? a black?, a red? a green? a purple? an ELMO? (did I forget anyone?)
#31 is right… it’s “Yes SIR!” “No SIR!” ” Thank you SIR!”
and remember to SMILE when you are saying it!
You and your lawyer can figure out later what happened.
If it had happened here, the LAPD would have shot him in the back as he calmly reentered the house.
#25 You are right on the money. In my 43 years on this planet I’ve been harassed, bullied and abused by cops–but never helped when I needed help. Hell they won’t even come for an auto accident anymore. This is why I’m always pleased to see one shot dead.
According to the news reports from Boston, the guy went straight to the race card, before he deigned to disclose that he was the homeowner. In his arrogance, he chose not to consider how differently he might have regarded the situation had it been two OTHER men (even black men) apparently forcing their way into his home. IMHO, he’s a flappy, warty anus who is getting off way too easy for his actions in impeding the cops who were doing what he pays them to do.
Maybe he should have watched these videos:
How Not To Get Your Ass Kicked By The Police: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj0mtxXEGE8
and
Don’t Talk to the Police by James Duane http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865
It could have been racism, but unless there’s a recording, only the people actually there will know for sure.
This is most likely a case of two sides (cop and professor), both of which thought they weren’t getting the respect they deserved.
Unfortunately for the professor, the cops have the recourse of arresting angry people to teach them a lesson. More unfortunately for the cops, the professor has a much better recourse to teach them a lesson.
Usually, the cops win on power issues. In this case, the professor had more power because of his stature. I, for one, am happy the cops lost. I respect cops and wouldn’t have gotten angry, but they also need to respect people’s rights.
The cops are dropping the charges. Here comes the tort case.
People in the Boston area are more racist than anywhere else in the country.
bobbo (#27)
You have just admitted that you are a coward. No matter what the police do to you, you will sit and be quiet and reply nicely to the big bad police man….because you are a pathetic white coward. That doesn’t mean everyone should be like you, thankfully this country and been moved forward by people who weren’t cowards and didn’t take comfort in their pathetic average existence.
#31 yes i agree, traffic violations are different, “yes sir, yes sir” is the best way to get through those situations. But if a dirty pig comes to arrest me on my property and accuses me of breaking in to my house, I ain’t gonna be some coward and give up my rights just like that.
#39–calling me out==I wish I could be a real man as you suggest. How many guns should I have with me when I ask the pigs at my door what the fu*k they want?
Just a bunch of dumb ‘ol Northerners that can’t read ID’s.
So, a man breaks into a house, somebody witnesses this and calls the police. Police come to investigate, gets some lip and finally some verification that this is in fact the owner who broke into his own house.
Cop gets some more lip, calls for assistance to verify the ID and gets some more lip. The result is a ride in a cop car.
A textbooks case of racism, obviously.
“Gates told the officer that he was being targeted because “I’m a black man in America.”
No, you were targeted because you broke into a house and mouthed off to the police who came to investigate, dumbass.
Elitism in Cambridge? A $20/hr Mass cop and a ‘Hahvuhd’ intellectual from LA or wherever. You make the call…#42 I’m with you.
Bobbo — I love that you and the other wingnuts actually admit to believing that it is a crime to “be an asshole” to a cop on your own property when they know you haven’t committed a crime.
Conservatives have become such cowardly bootlickers. They actually believe it’s a crime to not show respect for authority.
#42 do you bother to read everyone else’s comments before you post or do you simply race to the bottom and post exactly what has been said many times already?
What makes it worse is that your argument has already been proven to be without merit by the many posts that have the opposite viewpoint to yours and clearly come from people who eclipse your intelligence level. Don’t bother in the future, save yourself some embarrassment. (by the way, your whole post was your own fictional account of what took place, tainted by your personal biases…..elementary.)
#43 why would you throw your hat in with that loser? dumbass.
Here’s a legal lesson for conservatives that will actually astonish them:
It is *not a crime* to speak disrespectfully to a cop.
If the cop arrests you for speaking disrespectfully to them, *that* is a crime.
Conservatives are just in *love* with an authoritarian police state. They have no concept of what the role of the police is in a free society.
Oh,… its the nosy neighbors thing again… He was renting a room in the house…
The ‘story’ is in the NY papers… Hey! the news needs something to ‘report’!!! This will be it for a day or so!!!
There MUST be more to the story! Can’t we all just wait until all the facts come out? I just can’t believe the police would ever do anything like this! I mean, they’re the police!
#8 bobbo,
Being an asshole is not an arrestable offense.
If it where, I am sure, #8 bobbo, you would be the first to go.
The key phrase, a good Harvard Lawyer should pick up on, is “after being warned”. You don’t warn a burglar, you arrest him. You don’t warn someone with ID – because you suspected he broke in, you arrest him!
What part of a basic expectation of public policing doesn’t #8 bobbo and Boston PD understand?????
This cop is the asshole and should be arrested IMHO!! Let him feel the hate he passes on to others!!!!!!!!!!
Seems to be at least two perspectives on this:
1. The way the world “should be”, and
2. The way it is.
Ain’t reality a bitch?
bobbo, the two perspectives at issue are actually those belonging to:
1. Cowardly right-wing boot-lickers, lovers of authority for its own sake.
2. People with something other than ground carrots in their skulls
Hope this helps
we dont make COPS from the greatest of our people.
we dont make COPS from those with a high IQ, as they have better jobs and other things to do with there lives.
we dont make caps from THOSE that need a JOB and could do it.
we make cops like we TRY to make our military, FOLLOW ORDERS ONLY. BE PARANOID. DONT make decisions, thats what the Judge is for.
we dont make PEACE OFFICERS. we make people that are allowed to arrest you, and that is their ONLY concern.
This is a shame. The police should discipline the arresting officer and issue an apology to the professor. I am usually pro police but on this case – arresting a man in his own house for no reason at all… sorry, this is just too much.
I hope they dump the cop who arrested him.
Where’s Jessie Jackson when you need him 🙂 This is pretty screwed up. I had no words as it also brings up racist moments in my life with “white” people. Why not other colors? Cause I haven’t experience any from them.
http://tinyurl.com/kneegrows
#51–now wretched==whether you agree or disagree with what you think my position(s) are, its pretty objective that my characterization of the universe before us is much more inclusive than the partial gap filled inadequate wish list you posted.
Not even close.
I have to go with those who say “It is not illegal to be an asshole, especially on your own property”. Nor is illegal to stand up for yourself.
The facts are the Professor could not enter the front door as it was jammed. He ended up entering through the back door. A neighbor called police as she knew the Professor was absent and did not recognize the man trying to enter the house through the front by hitting the door with his shoulder.
When the police responded the Professor answered the door and, when asked, retrieved his wallet from the kitchen and showed his Harvard ID and Mass. Driver’s License, both with photo ID. The cop insisted on verifying both sets of ID even though thieves don’t have forged sets of ID made up for the homes they burgle.
When asked, the cop refused to identify himself and left the house. The Professor followed him outside still asking for the name and badge number and saying the officer would not have harassed him if he were white. Once outside the cop told the Professor to shut up or he would be arrested. The Professor, quite correctly, told the cop where to put the threat. So the cop arrested the Professor.
Unfortunately for the cops, there were several neighbors that witnessed the incident outside. Not as good as a camera, but hey, quite useful in court.
The cop blew it by not identifying himself and then by making a false arrest. Those who believe in the law will NOT be saying be nice to the police and making excuses. The police work for us, not for some overlord.
The police force is merely a microcosm (or fractal, as Dvorak like to say) of rich elite that run it. That is to say racist, narrow minded and petty. Its not in the interests of their masters for police to be impartial, fair and objective.
I saw a mate of mine, the nicest guy you’d ever meet, turned into a cheating racist arsehole by the force.
#13 – RTFA. You stated “the person breaking into the house refuses to identify himself and is then arrested. ”
From the article you apparently didn’t read ”
He showed his driver’s license and Harvard identification card”
The fact that the charge was “disorderly conduct” says it all. Whenever you hear that, it just means “We wanted to screw with this guy and he failed to give us any excuse.”
In this case they wanted to screw with him because he had the nerve to talk back to our masters … I’m sorry, I meant our public servants.
No one likes being talked back to, especially when they know they are wrong. Cops just get to mess you up when you do.