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Henry Louis Gates arrested when trying to force open door of his own home
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Anonymous
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072001358.html
A widely-respected and well-known Harvard scholar is arrested when trying to force open the front door of his house which had become stuck. I've heard of "driving while black" but I've never heard of "entering your own home while black"! |
Anonymous
| Unfortunately some in our respected police force are not the brightest bulbs... |
Anonymous
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Below is a link to the statement from Gates' lawyer about the sequence of events. Not sure what the police's response is - but if this statement is true, the cops need to explain why he was taken in.
http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr |
Anonymous
According to HuffPost (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/21/henry-louis-gates-jr-arre_n_242010.html):
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Anonymous
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I think the police were out of line. But, he was not arrested for trying to break in his house. The police rec'd a call from a neighbor that someone was breaking into his house (2 black men). Mr. Gates was returning home from being away.
The police should have let it drop when he verified he lived there. But, they should have checked out the house. That said, the accounts I read had him yelling and carrying on, essentially baiting the cop. Never a good idea. The cop then lost his cool and arrested him for THAT behavior. I'm white and one of the first things I learned about police is to shut your mouth when pulled over or stopped. Mr. Gates should have done the same. |
Anonymous
| Oh my. |
Anonymous
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The neighbor who called the police reportedly works as a fundraiser for Harvard Magazine. If this is true, it is unbelievable she didn't recognize Prof. Gates. and didn't know he lives nearby.
If the account of the events is true - there was no need for Prof. Gates to be arrested. Think about all of the crap that cops hear. Cops should NEVER lose their cool. We all count on them to stay cool. |
Anonymous
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"Cops should NEVER lose their cool. We all count on them to stay cool."
You really think this? |
Anonymous
The official police report states that he refused to identify himself, instead asking something to the effect "Are you asking me because I am a black man in America?" I get that if you just got off a flight from China and the door to your house would not open you would be cranky, but honestly - we the police NOT to respond to the neighbors complaint? Wouldn't they then be charged with not protecting property owned by a black man in America? For a smart guy, the professor made a mountain out of a mole hill and IMO made himself look foolish. But then again I was taught to be courteous to law enforcement, and it has worked for me so far... |
Anonymous
A couple of years ago my house alarm went off at 3am and I couldn't get in touch with the alarm company before the police were called. I was standing in my pjs when the officer arrived and asked me for my ID. I promptly got it and apologized to the police officer for the false alarm. It's standard procedure to ask for ID when a possible burglary has been called in. |
Anonymous
| You are allowed to shout and raise your voice in your own house. Since when do we arrest people for shouting in their own homes? |
Anonymous
| If police are responding to a call that someone is breaking in a home they are operating under the asuumption that there could be danger. They did not know this professor and it was their duty to find out if he was the owner. The police are going to do the same thing for anyone regardless of color and shame on him for race baiting. I would fully expect police to ask for my id if it looked like I was breaking in and I wouldn't get mad about it. I would be happy that they took the time to check it out. Episodes like this hurt race relations in this country. |
Anonymous
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People, please read the information.
Gates identified himself to the officer and everyone knew that he was the owner of the house. It was only after that when Gates stepped out on the porch that the officer arrested him for disorderly conduct. Gates had no problem with his neighbor calling about what appeared to be a break-in at his house. His problem was about the way the officer treated him. So he got loud about it. You may not think this is an appropriate way to act but it is hardly something one should be arrested for. I would bet my house that a white upper-middle-class, middle-aged professional man who was just as loud would never have been arrested for disorderly conduct. |
Anonymous
| We have no neutral viewer providing information, so we are creating scenarios depending on our own backgrounds and biases. Having spent a few years in Cambridge, I'll toss out another possibility: town/gown hostility. Possibly it was more the fact that Gates is a Harvard professor that irked the police than the fact that he is black. I have no evidence to back this, but since we are spinning, I figured I'd join the fun. |
Anonymous
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Charges have been dropped:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/07/charges_to_be_d.html |