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Gates Arrested in His Own Home
Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 4:29AM 
Henry Louis "Skip" Gates, Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. Gates currently serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, where he is Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.
The above was taken from his Wikipedia biography. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is also Black. Whether this fact played a role in his arrest at his own home or not is as matter of conjecture. Below is one account of what happened when police were summoned to his house, because a neighbor, identified as Lucia Whalen, thought that two Black men were trying to break in. See Video here
The President, Barack Obama, was asked at a news conference what he thought of the incidence. Obama called Gates a friend, and said he doesn't know all the facts of the case but he said:
"Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof he was in own home," Obama said.
"What I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there's a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately," Obama said. "That's just a fact."
The police sergeant accused of racism after he arrested Gates insisted that he won't apologize. Police say Gates at first refused to display ID and then accused the officer of racism. Sgt. James Crowley said he followed proper procedures in arresting Gates.
Crowley said he was disappointed by the national debate triggered by the incident and insisted he followed proper procedures in arresting Gates last week in Cambridge on a charge of disorderly conduct.
"I'm outraged," Gates said in extensive comments made to TheRoot.com, a Web site he oversees.
"I can't believe that an individual policeman on the Cambridge police force would treat any African-American male this way, and I am astonished that this happened to me; and more importantly I'm astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States, no matter what their race.
There are 1 million black men in the prison system, and on Thursday I became one of them," he said. "I would sooner have believed the sky was going to fall from the heavens than I would have believed this could happen to me. It shouldn't have happened to me, and it shouldn't happen to anyone."
He spoke of a "terrifying and humiliating" experience at the Cambridge jail, where he was booked, fingerprinted, photographed and questioned, then locked up in a tiny cell that made him claustrophobic. He said he wants an apology from the officer, Sgt. James Crowley. He also said he planned to talk to his legal team about the next step.
Prosecutors dropped a disorderly conduct charge against Henry Louis Gates Jr. The city of Cambridge called the arrest "regrettable and unfortunate," and police and Gates agreed that dropping the charge was a just resolution.
The city of Cambridge, a Boston suburb, released a statement saying the situation "should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department."
Reader Comments (178)
This is absolutely ridiculous. Another typical black person blaming everything on color. Black people are the reason there are race issues in America, when do you ever here a white person get on television and bitch about how they couldn't get a job because the black guy got it in front of him for being..Black! That is racist in itself and that is what is wrong with this country. "He arrested me cause i was black, damn white boy!". Oh well sorry sir we'll drop your charges and let you write a book about how it's unfair because you're black. Look in the prisons...no wonder police accuse blacks of crimes...they're always doing them!
Problem is they are told "white man gonna hold you down in life" from the day they can say momma. If you instill that in your children, that's how they are gonna grow up. If you follow the laws of the country you live in you usually don't get in trouble.
You inspect stuff. What do you know? We don't know what happened anymore than this racist Gates does. But you can't call him racist because then you are racist- because he is black! Follow the rules! It is that easy.
I wonder what would happen if there was a White Entertainment Television or White college football or White in America. Blacks are more racist than whites, and put race issues on themselves these days. No more excuses, the man who holds the most powerful spot in the free world is guess what.....Black! Congratulations, now you have someone to run to when things go bad.
oh well lets take the race out of it! you go to your home and forget your keys! your already mad at yourself and you finally get in and relax and the cops come knock on your door and say may I help you officer. Everybody know that there are Cops that are Cool as hell And there are Officer DICKS and you can tell right of the back of how they talk and approach you am I right?? This is my house officer i have proof there is no one else here! thank you! Now somewhere along that line officer Dick did something to violate a mans house come on now if a cop came to me house and said we have heard there was a break in here I'm going to say no sir I'm the only here show id and say good bye get out. Now if he is rude to me I'm not going to put up with that you are in my house I know you would be the same!
In my previous comment I was bewildered by Obama stepping into this. However reminded myself that he is the biggest politician of our time so its no surprise. I figure he bought himself a few dinner fundraising opportunities at the university with the comment last night. appease the people says rome.............
Look- they have to check your house to be sure you are safe. All they know is that someone called in that there was a break-in. There very well could have been someone in his house! Can you imagine what "Reverend" Sharpton would say if the cop had just " oh ok Mr Gates- Have a good night" and then left and Gates was robbed raped and killed!!! He would still get pegged as racist for not looking- or I'm sure the spin would be he didn't care. Ridiculous.
Who made it a race issue though? The professor did! "AW, because im black". I wish the arresting cop was a "brotha" and none of this wouldve happened...America is going downhill...race war..sign me up
Ryan, accusing a person of racism is a very strong accusation that one should not just throw around. Obviously the professor was the one thinking on race. Everyone knows that the easiest way to deal with cops is to be civil. One of his own neighbors put in the call to police to help protect his house and possibly him. The cop was doing his job there is not a single black cop in the country that would have dealt with it any different. The question really is would the professor even have acted this way if it was a black cop that showed up first. So who is really the racist one? Sgt. Crowley did what he had to do to make it home to his family. We live in a crazy world today, people can do outrageous things, so why wouldn't the sgt. take the proper precautions to be safe. I applaud Sgt. Crowley for being firm on his position when his city and even his president are so quick to turn there back on him out of fear of being called racist.
Who cares what Reverend” Sharpton says you listen to him? I'm black and I don't listen to him haha ok check the house and leave no reason to arrest him the description said to young man with back packs who were pro Harvard students haha! oh well its over nothing we can do about just try to move like you said "E Hoff"!
That's a story that I've heard a thousand times, Mina. Fortunately for you, you're sister's school hired an actual off duty cop, which means that you don't have to sue the school. If the officer was making an arrest, then she was not acting within the scope and course of her employment with the school, but rather in her capacity as a police officer, making your city/county liable. I implore you to go ahead and call a local attorney. Civil suits don't usually cost you anything out of pocket. Hope the Statute of Limitations hasn't run yet.
History is a better teacher then propaganda when it comes to Blacks and Whites. White police officers can't ignore their role of history how police forces have been used to impose the White culture on Black society. Mr Gates is well of aware of this history. Officer Crawley is not. As a result those to forces met. One with indignant disbelief and the other with arrogance of police authority. In the melee the police power's arrogant authority confirmed the history of the Black studies professor came to the knowledge of experience of the White man's culture. If you are Black or Hispanic as Professor Gates found out, you do not question the "right" of the White man's authority to rule. You will get arrested.
Does that still happen?? Blacks being sprayed with hoses, made to sit on the back of the bus, not drinking out of a water fountain. FUCK NO..Until blacks open their eyes and see the majority of the world could care less about their skin it will never end. Groups like the NAACP are what keep the fires of racism burning. Its racism plain and simple to have "blacks only" anything. I dont care how you try to justify it. There are just as many black racists in our country as whites. You know there are streets and areas in our city that white poeple cant even drive down without being pulled from their cars by blacks. Cops advised all whites who end up lost in these areas not to stop, to just keep driving through red lights and all. Is that our fault too? Piss Off
yeah it's just annoying- it is all you hear about now.
Nate,
It's thoughts like yours why so many innocent people get arrested. Police are given too much power. They can say whatever they want and get away with it. But I guess in your eyes it's okay, since they are the "law".
Blacks were made to be slaves because other Blacks had them as slaves and sold them to the White man. wiki ftw !!!
further more you would think a civil war and a Partial black president would have a "hey not all whites are racist effect" but nothing seem to get that point across. sad really
MOUTHING OFF IS NOT A CRIME! Especially when u are on your own private property. Police are not above the law, they are there to uphold and respect the law along with the rights of those they are EMPLOYED to serve and protect. This is a classic case of Police abuse of power. "Cambridge Police acted stupidly. " Period.
oh well, guess we can wait until next week for another complaint about "whitey the racist" holding back the black man.
LOL, that was too funny Jose! If it was like that, not one black person would be scared of the cops! I wish it did go that easy. NOW that's a world I wish we ALL lived in!
The racial profiling goes both ways, too. If you are a white male driving through one of these bad areas you may just get pulled over. Why? Because more than likely you are there to buy drugs. I don't look at it as racial profiling, more like the fruits of crime analysis.
Brian
Not when it's your neighbor! How the hell does she not know him. Then she works for the newspaper at Harvard. How many successful black professors do you think teach at Harvard?
I can only hope that one day a cop asks you to do something when you're already in a bad mood, then you'll find out what kind of arrogant assholes most cops are. Are you really that stupid. You should watch "Das Experiment" its subtitled, but its an accurate depiction of a real life experiment to see what really happens when people are given power and control. Cops don't deserve respect. They do their job, they get paid, they don't deserve anything else. If you want to respect a particular officer because you happen to know of something he did, that's great. The fact is that all cops, even the good ones, are members of a self serving institution that encourages lying and deception. Cops are trained to lie, which is why police reports aren't admissible as to any material fact in court. The ONLY cops that I respect are the one's that investigate other cops. Personally, I would feel safer approaching a group of thugs at night than I would approaching a group of cops.
Race baiters such as Mr. Koch would have you believe that police spotted a black man, followed him home, and the moment he tried to enter a house, yanked him out arrested him. That's the sort of picture Mr. Koch apparently likes to believe in.
Did you forget about Mr. Gates' own statements that his front door was jammed and he asked his driver to help him force it open? Apparently some other people saw this. Professor Gates should thank his neighbors for caring enough to call the police. (Maybe he should introduce himself to his neighbors as well?)
Your comments, Mr. Koch, are simply inflamatory and, frankly, "racist" (i.e., being all about the races involved and little (if anything) to do with the facts).
You can't ever make some people happy. We have a black prez yet the country is still full of racists. Granted he is a self described "mutt", but still.
sorry but if your white and question the right of the "POLICE " rule you wil get arrested. simple fact of life . i was taught as a child to respect cops not taunt them, thats the problem.