Was Dr. Henry Louis Gates,Jr Racially Profiled?!

You be the judge...:smt017
Black Scholar's Arrest Raises Profiling Questions
This booking photo released by the Cambridge, Mass., Police Dept., shows Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University Thursday, July 16, 2009.
By MELISSA TRUJILLO (Associated Press Writer)
From Associated Press
July 20, 2009 9:26 PM EDT

BOSTON - Police responding to a call about "two black males" breaking into a home near Harvard University ended up arresting the man who lives there - Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar.

Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.

Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home 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 is vowing to 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."

 

This is a damned shame on our nation.

I can't get beyond it. No matter what he accomplishes, no matter how much he's done for how many people, no matter how amazing he personally is, in the eyes of those cops, and his own neighbor (!), he was just a scary Black Man, a criminal.

I wish I could personally and individually shit on each of those cops.

 

It is a shame.

 

well..he was trying to force his way into a residence after all (dont be naive, he could have been a criminal)

even tho he lived there, the cops were doing their job in responding to the call..

as for using race to describe him, that's what they do..responding to a report about a black male, is no more racist than responding to a report about a white male...

if the guy wasn't gates and instead was another black guy breaking into his place, everyone would be commending the officers for doing their duty..

the only downside I see to the story is the cops refusal to give Gates their badge numbers

correct me if i missed something

 

Aren't we in a good mood today?

 

D. Gates had it coming. All he had to do is cooperate with the police, and this never would of happen. He is the one that injected race into the situation. The police were just doing their job. Where does it day the police are forced to give badge numbers? If somebody wants to file a complaint on an officer, they just have to call the police department. They know who showed up on calls. Then he follows the police to their car?! I can imagine how he acted. Idiot!

 

Good points

 

You're right with that.Description of suspects to the police include many things.Clothes,eye,hair color,height,body type but also skin color.Just so they get a picture as precise as possible of the person(s).Nothing wrong with describing the skin tone..

 

1. Are any of you actually familiar with Henry Louis Gates?

2. Are you honestly taking the police report at face value?

If the answer to my first question is "yes," then the answer to second should be "no." Dr. Gates is a mild mannered man who, at this point, is forced to walk with a cane. I can't fathom him conducting himself in a manner that merited his arrest in this situation after he had presented proof of residence and his university ID to the police. Frankly, it's mind boggling to me that some of you are taking the account of his behavior in this police report at face value is if it were some sort of neutral representation of what actually took place. I hate to break this to you, but cops embellish or flat out lie in their reports to make stronger cases and cover their asses every day.

If this were anyone else, I would give some credence to the other side. However, if Dr. Gates felt the need to ask these officers for their badge numbers, I have no doubt that it was because their behavior after he identified himself to them warranted it and that he confronted then in a way that should not have resulted in his arrest.

 

I don't think that anyone in their right mind has a problem with the police following up on a burglary complaint. Of course, they should do their jobs. Although, I'm baffled by the fact that one of Dr. Gates' neighbors in university housing would mistake him for a kid who was trying to break into an apartment. He's a dignified older gentleman who walks with a cane not a street thug with his pants hanging off of his ass.

The issue here is whether or not Gates' interaction with the police merited his arrested. Anyone who is familiar with him should be highly skeptical of the police's account of his purported belligerence. IMO if Dr. Gates wanted their badge numbers, it was because they treated him disrespectfully after he identified himself. I find it hard to believe that he carried on in a manner that justified his arrest especially when you consider his recent illness.

I think the titles of this thread and the article that it referenced, which ask whether or not he was "racially profiled", aren't really relevant to the situation at hand. The question should be whether or not he received disparate treatment from the police.

 

Well reasoned as usual, +1.

 

I really, really wanted to give you rep points for this post, but I've done that too recently so the board won't let me. So I'll just say: thank you.

 

http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr


Lawyer's Statement on the Arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr.



Statement on Behalf of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. -- by Charles Ogletree
This brief statement is being submitted on behalf of my client, friend, and colleague, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. This is a statement concerning the arrest of Professor Gates. On July 16, 2009, Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 58, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor of Harvard University, was headed from Logan airport to his home [in] Cambridge after spending a week in China, where he was filming his new PBS documentary entitled “Faces of America.” Professor Gates was driven to his home by a driver for a local car company. Professor Gates attempted to enter his front door, but the door was damaged. Professor Gates then entered his rear door with his key, turned off his alarm, and again attempted to open the front door. With the help of his driver they were able to force the front door open, and then the driver carried Professor Gates’ luggage into his home.
Professor Gates immediately called the Harvard Real Estate office to report the damage to his door and requested that it be repaired immediately. As he was talking to the Harvard Real Estate office on his portable phone in his house, he observed a uniformed officer on his front porch. When Professor Gates opened the door, the officer immediately asked him to step outside. Professor Gates remained inside his home and asked the officer why he was there. The officer indicated that he was responding to a 911 call about a breaking and entering in progress at this address. Professor Gates informed the officer that he lived there and was a faculty member at Harvard University. The officer then asked Professor Gates whether he could prove that he lived there and taught at Harvard. Professor Gates said that he could, and turned to walk into his kitchen, where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid Massachusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’ photograph, and the license includes his address.
Professor Gates then asked the police officer if he would give him his name and his badge number. He made this request several times. The officer did not produce any identification nor did he respond to Professor Gates’ request for this information. After an additional request by Professor Gates for the officer’s name and badge number, the officer then turned and left the kitchen of Professor Gates’ home without ever acknowledging who he was or if there were charges against Professor Gates. As Professor Gates followed the officer to his own front door, he was astonished to see several police officers gathered on his front porch. Professor Gates asked the officer’s colleagues for his name and badge number. As Professor Gates stepped onto his front porch, the officer who had been inside and who had examined his identification, said to him, “Thank you for accommodating my earlier request,” and then placed Professor Gates under arrest. He was handcuffed on his own front porch.
Professor Gates was taken to the Cambridge Police Station where he remained for approximately 4 hours before being released that evening. Professor Gates’ counsel has been cooperating with the Middlesex District Attorneys Office, and the City of Cambridge, and is hopeful that this matter will be resolved promptly. Professor Gates will not be making any other statements concerning this matter at this time.

 

and what's to stop us from believing that you are not doing the exact same thing, with lack of proof to back up such statements? Did you watch a few corrupt cop movies lately, or do you actually have sound evidence to prove that each and every cop (must be every cop, since you did not seem to shed light on the good cops, that do their job properly) uses shady tactics, to get the job done. And just because someone is mild-mannered and walks with a cane, does NOT mean they are incapable of behaving in a manner in which the cops describe. We're humans and are prone to fault by nature.

 

yes..well reasoned as usual

especially the part about people mistaking dr gates for a 'kid'..

which sense of 'reason,' would draw you to the conclusion that 'two black MALES' was synonymous with kid(s). From the first post that I read, nothing was mentioned about kids at all. What was mentioned was police responding to a call regarding two black males with backpacks, trying to force their way into a house (the glorious career of burglar does not care about your age). Maybe having people think Dr Gates was arrested, even tho he didn't fit the age demographic given, would make your case stronger (you know, the old 'desperate white cops arrest darkest guy around). Don't dispute what happened with a misconstrued presentation of disclosed information.

late edit - was weary on the proper usage of a word..damn english language

 

The Stupid Assed Charges Have Been Dropped!!!

(CNN) -- A prosecutor is dropping a charge against prominent Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. after Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the city's police department recommended that the matter not be pursued.

Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct.

In a joint statement, Cambridge and the police department said they made the recommendation to the Middlesex County district attorney and the district attorney's office "has agreed to enter a nolle prosequi in this matter," meaning that it will not be pursued.
Gates was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct after a confrontation with an officer at his home, according to a Cambridge police report.

Charles Ogletree, a professor at Harvard Law School who is Gates' lawyer in this case, told CNN on Tuesday that Gates -- the director of Harvard's W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research -- had returned from China on Thursday to his Cambridge home and discovered his front door jammed.

He opened his back door with his key and tried unsuccessfully from inside his home to open the front door. Eventually, Gates and his driver forced the door open from the outside, Ogletree said.
The professor was inside for several minutes when a police officer, Sgt. James Crowley, appeared at his steps and asked him to step outside, the lawyer said.

According to his lawyer, Gates told the officer he lived there and showed him his Massachusetts driver's license and Harvard University identification card. The officer followed him into his house and said he had received a report of a possible break-in, the lawyer said. Gates grew frustrated that the officer was continuing to question him in his home and asked for the officer's name and badge number, Ogletree said.
The police report offers a different account of the incident.
Gates refused to step outside to speak with the officer, the police report said, and when Crowley told Gates that he was investigating a possible break-in, Gates opened the front door and exclaimed, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" the report said.
"While I was led to believe that Gates was lawfully in the residence, I was quite surprised and confused with the behavior he exhibited toward me," he said, according to the report.

• WCVB: Police report of incident

The report said Gates initially refused to show the officer identification, but eventually produced a Harvard identification card, prompting Crowley to radio for Harvard University Police.

Gates followed the officer outside and continued to accuse him of racial bias, the report said. After Crowley warned the professor twice that he was becoming disorderly, the officer wrote he arrested Gates for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space."

Ogletree said the professor was "very frustrated" but never touched or pointed at the officer.

He was released from police custody Thursday evening after spending four hours at the police station, Ogletree said.

 

well no one want's another media circus concerning racism in America.

he's off the hook this time, but admit it..

I would want the police to investigate my crib, if someone made a report about a black guy wedging his way into my joint...

i need my ps3

i'm pretty sure being a renown figure with Harvard also helped

 

Cops fudge reports and back each other up when mistakes are made all the time. That doesn't come from a movie that I saw recently but rather my own experiences and the anecdotal accounts of several friends and family members of mine who work in the criminal justice system or as attorneys. And I'll repeat when I wrote earlier, police reports should never be treated as neutral, factual and inscrutable representations of any incident that has taken place.

 

I hear what you are saying petty, my legal training is telling me (although I have no proof) that the fact that the charges have been dropped so quickly is not due to his fame but the fact that the cops knew they had no legal standing, or had acted against procedure, in arresting him in the first place. I can see another PBS special by Professor Gates in the near future dealing with this incident after the civil lawsuit, that is sure to come, is over.

 

Uh yeah.

You seem to be missing the point here. No one is taking issue with the police responding to a burglary call. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want law enforcement to promptly respond to a report of criminal activity in their neighborhood unless they happen to be the one breaking the law. The issue here is whether or not Dr. Gates conducted himself in a manner that justified his arrested after he had identified himself to the police as the resident of the domicile and a member of the faculty at Harvard. Those of us who are familiar with Dr. Gates' temperament and current state of health are highly skeptical that he conducted himself in a way that would truly warrant him being taken into custody.

To reiterate the final part of my first response to you, "profiling" is not the issue here, but rather the possibility that Dr. Gates was treated unfairly after he had identified himself to the police.