Community | July 21, 2009 | 8 comments

Prominent Harvard Professor Breaks Into His Own Home

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072001358.html

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lilysol
Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested on July 16 after officers responded to a call concerning a suspected home invasion. Gates, who is a tenured professor, renowned geneologist, and the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African-American Research, was returning around 12:40 in the afternoon to his Cambridge home from a trip to China when he discovered his front door was jammed. He asked his driver for assistance, and then finally went to the back of his house and let himself in. Police were responding to a report that "two black men with backpacks" were attempting to break into a home. Gates was inside his home for several minutes when police appeared at his house and asked him to step outside. Gates responded that it was his house, he lived there. According to the officers, Gates then questioned, "Why, because I'm a black man in America?".

The arresting officer reports, "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." It is reported by both Gates lawyer and police that Gates then showed the officer his license and Harvard University identification card. The officer then followed him into his house and said that nevertheless, he was investigating a break in in-progress. Gates grew frustrated that the officer was continuing to question him in his home. According to police reports, Gates went outside and continued to loudly accuse the police of racial bias, and after a warning, he was handcuffed and arrested for "loud and tumultuous behavior in a public space."

While Gates might have been overly sensitive, wouldn't the officer just neutralize the situation (perhaps apologize) and leave after seeing two forms of identification, and according to his own words, he already "believe[ed] that Gates was lawfully in the residence"?

S. Allen Counter, another black Harvard professor, and well-known neuroscience expert, gave Gates a call for support. He was worked over by two Harvard Police officers while crossing Harvard Yard in 2004. Officers were looking for a robbery suspect and he was unable to produce identification which was in his office.

Charges were just dropped on Gates by the Cambridge district attorney's office.
  1. groups:
    Community
  2. tags:
    Police,  Jr.,  Henry Louis Gates,  Harvard.
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8 comments // Prominent Harvard Professor Breaks Into His Own Home

  • JohnA
  • bonesmattingly
    • 0
      bonesmattingly  

    • Gates was pissed the cops were asking him about his own home. The cops were pissed he was calling them racist's, so they pissed him off double by arresting him and dropping the charge, which it was a bullshit charge anyhow. Cops win the dick measuring contest...for now.

    • 2 years ago
  • keithponder
  • BullDogg
    • 0
      BullDogg  

    • Racism aside. It is outrageous that law enforcement has the power to arrest you for 24 hours without pressing charges thanks to the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act also allows for warrants to be written by non-judges. Yeah, they can sit in your driveway, write a warrant, bust in, arrest you, lock you up for 24 hours, then release you and there is nothing you can do about it...but your senators and representatives can. Contact them and press for the repeal of the Patriot Act before law enforcement takes advantage of their powers more often. Unless of course, stories like this one don't bother you...

    • 2 years ago
  • theultimateend
    • 0
      theultimateend  

    • Unfortunately if you immediately attack police for being racist you place them in an uncomfortable situation.

      People in uncomfortable situations do not make sound judgement calls.

      It's all bullshit and there is no excuse for it but I do think that many bad police situations in good areas happen from a series of miscommunications.

      Although upon re-reading the stuff I do have to say that I find it odd that he's been targeted before. Those kind of odds aren't very likely. I'm usually not fast to jump to the R word but lightning has only once to my knowledge struck someone multiple times in their life. It's not a very common thing.

    • 2 years ago
  • funnicus
  • simall08
  • lilysol
    • 0
      lilysol  

    • *contributor's note..the news article I was commenting on was updated while I was writing this, so several of the quotes I used are no longer available. There is, however new info on the professor's 'disorderly conduct', including Gates alleged offer to the officer to "speak with your mama" : ). On a different note, a certain conservative news site photoshopped a black officer into a picture that previously had no black officer in it...sigh.

    • 2 years ago
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