Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested at Own House: Racial Profiling Suspected
Posted by Bossip Staff
A black scholar and director at Harvard University by the name of, Henry Louis Gates Jr., was arrested at his own house. It looks to be a case of racial profiling:
Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation’s pre-eminent black scholar, is accusing Cambridge police of racism after he was arrested while trying to force open the locked front door of his home near Harvard University. Cambridge police were called to the home Thursday afternoon after a woman reported seeing a man “wedging his shoulder into the front door as to pry the door open,” according to a police report.
An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the report. Gates began calling the officer a racist and said repeatedly, “This is what happens to black men in America.” Officers said they tried to calm down the 58-year-old academic, who responded, “You don’t know who you’re messing with,” according to the police report.
Gates 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 and arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26. Gates referred comment to his lawyer, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, who was not immediately available. Cambridge police declined to comment, and the Middlesex district attorney’s office said it could not do so until after Gates’ arraignment. The woman who reported mentioned Gates did not return a message Monday.
Many of Gates’ African-American colleagues believe his arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge, said Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years. Counter has 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.” Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification. “They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,” Counter said. “He was totally mistreated in this incident.”
Gates is the director of Harvard University’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African-American Research and served for 15 years as chairman of what is now the Department of African and African-American Research. He 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. Time magazine named him one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997.
This is some bullsh*t. A black man of his stature is arrested? Yeah, them pigs deserve some kind of punishment for this one. F*ck a Racist Pig!
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F*ck a Hannibal!
Why didn’t he just say he who was? He brought that ***** on himself. If I see someone who appears to be breaking in my neighbors house and I don’t recognize him, I’m calling the cops too.
Like Trick Daddy said, no matter what you achieve, through their eyes, you still a ***** SMH
@the smartest. He is over 50 years old and a prominent person in the community.
***** that…the pig better recognize!
Ah, yeah, why didn’t he just identify himself and THEN if they continue to har***** you, then get in their behinds.
Anyway, I love this man.
I LOVE THIS MAN! He is very prominent on campus and in his community. Cambridge police have sucked for years!
Harvard c/o 2004! VE RI TAS!
the smartest
Why didn’t he just say he who was? He brought that ***** on himself. If I see someone who appears to be breaking in my neighbors house and I don’t recognize him, I’m calling the cops too.
What is smart about this post? Have you read any book this man has written? Did you know of him before today? I suspect not.
Your kind always blame the victim.
@the smartest. EXACTLY. We’ve gotten to the point in society that we think EVERYONE needs to bow down to us and we can’t come out and just say “I’m Henry Louis Gates and this is my house. Here’s my id with picture and address to prove it.” END. Cops might’ve helped his ***** get into his locked door had he kept it real.
But NOOOOOO. Negroes got to get belligerent when a cop runs up on a PERSON (notice the lack of color in that word) that appears to be busting in the front door of a home.
Yeah, HLG…they don’t know who they are messing with. And neither did your ***** which is why you got treated as such.
the smartest
Why didn’t he just say he who was? He brought that ***** on himself. If I see someone who appears to be breaking in my neighbors house and I don’t recognize him, I’m calling the cops too.
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cosign.
Whether you all want to admit it or not, ANY man would have an issue with a cop if he’s attempting to ‘wedge’ his shoulder into the door of a house and he REFUSES to identify himself. It sounds like he wanted to cry racism.
I hope there’s more to this story and Bossip is just offbase like they usually are. Because it certainly would be a shame that a man of his stature and influence in the african american community would behave in such a way to try to say ’see, see…don’t matter how smart or accomplished, we still are *****s’…..
damn i hate that mentality. hate it!!!!
@ Niki
@the smartest. EXACTLY. We’ve gotten to the point in society that we think EVERYONE needs to bow down to us and we can’t come out and just say “I’m Henry Louis Gates and this is my house. Here’s my id with picture and address to prove it.” END. Cops might’ve helped his ***** get into his locked door had he kept it real.
But NOOOOOO. Negroes got to get belligerent when a cop runs up on a PERSON (notice the lack of color in that word) that appears to be busting in the front door of a home.
Yeah, HLG…they don’t know who they are messing with. And neither did your ***** which is why you got treated as such.
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very well put. very well. cosign.
Why didnt he just identify himself? theres more to this story than whats being said.
nuff respect to the scholar, but look here, why are black folks fooling themselves into believing we are on some sort of even ground with the ones that really run this *****? you think because we can get that house, that car, that VOTE, that CHARLIE now sees you as someone to respect? just the opposite, obviously. that wonderful mantra we black folks like to throw up in a cops face, “I know my rights”, is BULL*****. you have no rights, only wrongs. recognize how we got here and WHY we are still here, and this type of bull***** will not come as a surprise anymore. let’s stop getting mad and start getting smart about our runins with these devils. as for the neighbor that called the police on the scholar, one has to wonder how many times she may have seen this same black man at that house, or in the neighborhood. this could not have been her fist time seeing him, so this was some sort of bull***** setup from the jump, people. let’s pay attention
JUSTICE FOR OSCAR IN OAKLAND!!!!!!!!
make that “hiphop”
Did he just move in this house? Wouldn’t his neighbor know him? I never believe these stories since I wasn’t there and it doesn’t make sense to me.
This man has been a staple and pillar in that community for years. What neighbor could have called the cops on him? He has been living there for ever! what kind of man in a suit over the age of 50 is breaking into a house. I would put money on that being a white man in a suit doing the same thing…”IF” the police where called it would have been cleared up as soon as they seen his suit and asked if he lived there.
@ SMH at all the bull,
Like I said, theres more to this story than whats being printed.
Cosign Cocoo!!!
I need someone with some legal expertise to break this down for me!
Is it illegal to ask someone for ID if they appear to be attempting to break in??
Is it obstructing justice to REFUSE to be identified and worthy of arrest??
Could they not have found out who the owner of the house was WITHOUT having to ask who he is and have avoided arresting him?? ( IF SO – - this is some racist B.S.)
Only then, can I really comment…this makes no sense. You can’t *****ume everybody knows who this man is (even in his own neighborhood, unfortunately) nor can you *****ume it’s ok to refuse providing identification and not think something is going to happen, IE. ARREST!
So he admits that he was breaking through the front door and thinks its racism the cops came up to him???
How in the hell would a COP know a black scholar from a black prowler (we all look the same you know).
This dude has spent too much time in the cl*****room — next time tell ‘em your name, and offer to show some ID, Mr. “Brainiac” —- scholar or no scholar, your PhD won’t stop any effin’ bullets, Mr. Peabody.
Maybe prof should not feel so damn suprior to the next street nee grow he sees — a couple more of those stunts and he’ll be TREATED LIKE ONE.
have to agree. He could have identified himself and THEN after they continued to har*****/arrest him THEN he can cry racism. At night or day, if you see someone’s back trying to bust a door open in your area who you dont recognize and they are not doing it with keys YOU would want someone to call the police. He was fishing. Doesnt mean there arent racist cops or people but use common sense…it makes him look foolish.
@What the *****
He had his car parked in front and lived there! In a suit! He was over 50! You mother*****as are just like white people! Are you kidding me?!???
I have never heard of a burglar parking his car in a drive way, claiming to have left his keys in the house, been in a suit, and told the cops who exactly lived at the residence. To not give this prominent scholar his respect and due is asinine. This is baffling to me…I hate victimology, but damn, I can’t turn a blind eye to blatant racism and cl***** profiling.
cocoloco…its your mentality that will never change anything…but I also believe this whole white people have to approve of us is crazy. What other racial or ethnic group bases their whole self esteem on whether or not white people respect or like them or want to hang with them. Asians dont give a F. INdians dont give a F. Hispanics dont give a F. Why does our identity and approval of ourselves have to be based on whether an outside racial group accepts us. If we actually started focusing on improving our own communities and lives and families and children, we wouldnt care because we would be doing whats right for us and helping ourselves. Indians, asians, hispanics, dont expect a handout from whites neither should we. This is why we are so screwed as a people.
that is true rex
It seems to be two stories here. He says he showed them his id and that he was faculty–it’s the bottom paragraph. Yet he was still arrested. I believe his story honestly, the cops have to say they had probable cause–they are not going to say he was cooperative and we were racial profiling–come on yall
Good, I bet he’ll do a REAL INTERESTING PBS Special on this…
And I hope he’ll interview Oprah on it and ask her about that incident over in North Africa when they wouldn’t open the door at the Hermes Store ’cause *in their words & explanation* = them North Africans were stealing too much and they didn’t recognize her without her make-up on…
*However, in the Hermes Stores Defense = have you seen Oprah without make-up on? You know what I’ma leave that alone…
@charlieblanko
It’s called SARCASM, genius. Look it up.
I have to co-sign everyone that sees the bullshyt in this story, I hope theres more to it and it shows he cooperated with their request to identify himself. I live in a simi wealthy suburb of Los Angeles in a multicultural neighborhood and I don’t know everyone of my neighbors personally. If one of my neighbors kids came home from school for the summer or they had in-laws staying for a bit they wouldn’t know me either. Somtimes we just wrong when we jump to racism, so if his house gets broken into and his neighbors tell him “yea I saw the person but he was black so I minded my business” would that make him feel better……
i didnt notice the parenthesis. My bad…lmao
1) He had his luggage with him as he had just come back from a trip. He was helped with his luggage (PROBABLY BECAUSE HE WALKS WITH A CANE!!!) by the taxi driver. Hardly an inconspicuous move.
2) He is famous as ***** in cambridge!
3)He DID identify himself and was only arrested afterward because he *****erted himself to that racist ***** pig.
You guys are trifling as hell!
Bossip mad about racism? Pot… kettle… black?
What up slide…
The man cooperated to his standards. These negroes will suck a pigs ***** if he tells them to do it.
“Its not racial profiling…he just wanted some head”
WTF?
you mean to tll me that the neighbor who called( who had to live close by to see that there was someone wedging their shoulderin the door. thats very descriptive) didnt know who he was? i know everyone that lives in my development. i know what they all look like so when something is amiss i know who to call. so please fall back with that he should have just identified himself bull*****.
He had his car parked in front and lived there! In a suit! He was over 50!
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@charlieblanko
And you forgot to add he has a BIG A$$ limp cause one leg is shorter than the other from surgery and he wears one of those shoes that has a 3 inch sole… With that being said and explained = what kind “cat burglar” is gonna rob a home in that kind of condition with a suit and a tie on?
I know Black people like to steal but damn!!!
this is racial “boy who cried wolf”
you can’t say racism for every little thing. The cops see someone breaking through a door after they are called by neighbors reporting it. He can’t *****ume they said “lets har***** a black person today”.
rexeffex>>>There’s a long, drawn out reason as to why many black folks still want the white man’s approval. All those other groups you mentioned have something in common: A language and country of origin. Even the Indians have their sovereignty. We were taken away from our homeland and indoctrinated, thus many of us are confused. It’s too long to go into. You might already know the story.
However, wanting handouts doesn’t solely have a black face. We are a race of millions of people, many of whom are hardworking, law-abiding citizens working hard to get theirs. There are a lot of black people doing their thing. There are blacks helping themselves and others, but the media will never show them. Maybe if we start reading more and turning off the television we would realize that black people are moving up. We have a long ways to go, but we aren’t as doomed as many think.
wow!
Chris Brown did it.
OH *****! HERE COMES THIS *****
PLEASE DO NOT START THE CB RIRI CONVO AGAIN. WE WIL BE FORCED TO HEAR NECY’S BULL***** AGAIN
who the hell breaks into someones front door wearing a suit???
facts@
please GO EAT ***** AND DIE….
Thank YOu!
I hate dumb ***** and I refuse to even be around it. Bye Necy
btw, necy can we *****?
white male
this is racial “boy who cried wolf”
you can’t say racism for every little thing. The cops see someone breaking through a door after they are called by neighbors reporting it. He can’t *****ume they said “lets har***** a black person today”.
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i agree pale male…but!
That does not mean that subconscious behaviors do not get the best of white people.
“The black guy did it” theory is deeply embedded in almost all people.
If you dont think they went extra hard on a black man being a smart *****… then i have a tank im selling on craigs list tonight…tune in.
The man cooperated to his standards.
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@charlieblanko
Those of us with a brain knows he did…
And plus he grew up back in the Jim Crow era = probably got bit by a dog or two, got hosed down by the police, had to sit in the Rosa Parks “section” of the bus, etc…
He’s educated and knows how to follow directions…
You see what it said up top = “police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification”
If I’m not mistaken doesn’t your drivers license have your address on it? Mines does, and so after he showed it to them why are they continuing to ask this old man questions?
Knowing cops like I do, they know where ALL the Black people live – ESPECIALLY the wealthy and accomplished ones. SMH
We know what the deal is here…
***** the police coming straight from the underground an old ***** got it bad cuz he brown
Clearly this has been an on-going problem at Harvard..and America for that fact. I don’t know why ppl are trying to act like it does not exist it does. AND he DID identify himself showing ID and harvard ID, but you know PIGS don’t like to feel stupid, dumb, or admit they are wrong. I hope they get what they deserve really…And for the noisy neighbor–she need to find some business…PIGS smh
You think the white people at work are cool and aren’t racist… SMH
Like I tell y’all all of the time:
Let something come up missing…
There probably more to the story, but for those who keep saying why didn’t he identify himself, it’s right up there (read)————–>Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification. “They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,” . The article says “a woman” it didn’t say a neighbor…could have been someone driving/ walking by and she’s not familiar with the neighborhood. No one knows how they might respond in a situation…
…just a question??? If the woman called the cops while he was “trying to wedge his shoulder into the front door”…how long did it take for the cops to show up? When they arrived, was he already in the house? Did they accuse of something while he was already inside the house? hmmmmmmm… something doesn’t sound quite right…
something needs to be done!! I hope that THE COLOR OF CHANGE.. will sign a petition and p***** it around for something to be done! this is OUTRAGIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ SLIDE
you are killing me, LOL… it’s true though! sad but true!!!!!!
I had a Hobby Shop here in L.A. and had the neighborhood kids in my shop all day and until closing. One evening it was late and the kids were cleaning up and someone accidentally hit my silent alarm. I saw a light coming into the shop and went to see what was up, I came face to face with eight black and white and a dozen or so officers, shotguns and weapons drawn, ghettobird hoverin and shyt yelling for me to get down. I told them to kiss my *****, this is my shop and that I’d only comply if they drew down because I had kids there….I even went so far as to reach in my back pocket for my wallet even though they told me not to and again told them to kiss my black *****. I went toe to toe with em and when one tried to grab me from the side I shrugged his ***** off and he ended up on the ground. All my neighbors were out yelling at the officers and the 18th street essay’s where drinking beer and tossing bottles at em and before long there had to be atleast 20 units and a mob of angry folks ready to erupt all shouting at the cops and my dumb***** went so far as to rip my shirt off and flex on they *****es. Finally a supervisor arrived and got close enough to talk to me and explained to me that even though It was my shop they had to clear the building because they had no way of knowing if a gunman was holding the kids inside hostage and forcing me to say everything was okay and send them away in order to escape or continue on and eventually hurt someone and I mean I this was about an hour and a half stand off. My wife was mad because I was swingin at em, daring em and reached behind me for my wallet when the were telling me not too. Now the *****s in the hood still talk about it today because in they eyes I’m a G, but in my wifes eyes and mine after the whole adrinaline ***** died out I was a damn fool that could have gotten shot and guess what it would have been I’m sure “Police shoot unarmed black man”.
Watch Albert Sharpton or Jesse “Raw Dawg” Jackson try to get in on this…
I bet my bottom dollar they’ll be in Cambridge by the end of this week talking about this is a tragedy, etc… Rally’s, marches, y’all know how they do…
Slide Like A Fresh Pair of Gators
You think the white people at work are cool and aren’t racist… SMH
Like I tell y’all all of the time:
Let something come up missing
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isn’t that the *****ing truth!?
I worked with them, and everytime they misplaced something, i got this weird ***** look and feeling..lmao
Just identify yourself. He brought this on himself.
I agree wordtothewise except we all have countries of origins. Even white people do….those white people may know more about where there original ancestors came from but who does it make them now? They dont identify with it. They are something new as americans, separate from their ancesters. So we as blacks have become something new and separate from our original ancesters from africa. Yet we are still STUCK on slavery. New generations are constantly being indoctrinated that they are less than, perpetuating the cycle of inferiority while at the same time maintaining RAGE. But anger poisons and self sabotages. Think of what it can due to an individual…now imagine what it can do to an entire culture/community.
the chips need to fall of the shoulder…in the end no one will owe anyone anything no matter how hurt you are by them…you only continually screw yourself over but not letting go and being done with the negative energy. Anyone who has ever achieved success does not do so by continually living in the past. Its not about believing a fake we are the world reality its about realizing life can be unfair but if you go about your business and do right eventually things sort out. My kids will not know that anger and they will be happier and achieve more because of it.
who the hell breaks into someones front door wearing a suit???
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@Necy
Hey Buddy
I watch ALL of this man’s PBS Do*****entaries and Specials, I’ma BIG fan of his…
He walks with a can and one leg is shorter than the other and as a result on the shorter leg he has to wear a shoe with a 6 inch sole…
This old a$$ man ain’t doing sh*t that late at night with a suit & tie on, etc…
By the way, I remember your husband is white and that he married you even though his family didn’t initially approve because you’re Afro-Latino (*Honduran, like Rocsi) but sometimes white people do stuff and it makes me upset… But I do like whiteys no matter what I say, cause a number of them have looked out for me throughout my life…
No matter how much you make..where you live, at the end of the day, you’re just another “ni*ger” to them.
Yet…every morning the Pope gets up and worships a statue of a Black Mary and child (Google Black Mary statues. All the earliest statues dating from the beginning of the modern Christian era paint/portray Mary and the Christ as Black…but for “some reason” these statues have been placed in vaults and basements across Europe. Replaced by that sorry looking sad faced *****er holding a lamb, Cesare Borgia)
We live in a world filled with the deepest hypocrisy. And no matter how many conferences,forums,ect that we hold, we will never rise. Until Yahshua comes back. Until then (and that’s not too far away folks. Read the signs of the times) we’re under the rule of mutant albinos.
he chips need to fall of the shoulder…in the end no one will owe anyone anything no matter how hurt you are by them…you only continually screw yourself over but not letting go and being done with the negative energy. Anyone who has ever achieved success does not do so by continually living in the past. Its not about believing a fake we are the world reality its about realizing life can be unfair but if you go about your business and do right eventually things sort out. My kids will not know that anger and they will be happier and achieve more because of it.
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Very true, but pointing out racism and stamping it out is key in moving forward. Although it may not affect everyone, what about the ones that are? We should not let it hinder our progress…and to do so we need these infidels ousted now.
Got to laugh at this story because anyone who knows about Henry “Skip” Gates knows that if the same ***** happened to another black man he would be the first coon to side with the police. He’s house negro number 1. The mainstream media’s first call when they want a “good negro” to provide a polite alternative to mouthy fools like Sharpton & co. Cops should’ve pistol whipped him.
1. How many criminals do you know break into a house in the middle of the afternoon without any *****istance like a crow bar?
2. How many criminals do you know are a 58-year-old man I’m *****uming was dressed like a scholarly 58-year-old man and not some punk who is stupid enough to break into a house in the middle of the afternoon.
3. How long does this man have to live in his own community before his own neighbour recognizes him or even has the sense to pause, PAUSE, for a second to think “Hmmm, have I seen this man around before? Is that his house? DIDN’T I SEE A BLACK MAN COMING IN AND OUT OF THAT HOUSE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS?”
pointing out hypocrasy and racism and prejudice IS key to show unfairness, but we shouldnt be consumed by it. I think we forget that EVERY race is racist and prejudiced against others because we are innately hostile to others who are not one of us. We as a people can hate: jews, latinos, indians, asians, arabs, gays AND WHITES. Guess what THEY DONT care.
I believe racism/prejudice exist in america, but I dont think its something unique to whites. we are obsessed with white people. Granted it is part of our history with being dragged to this country and not having had equal rights. But that is the past. This country will soon not be majority white and this world is NOT MAJORITY WHITE. WHITES are a minority. What will we as a people start crying foul about against asians and latinos and indians? slavery? natural advantage? NOPE.
White people werent handing over economic power to these folks in this country….these groups tended to their own business and families and built their own wealth and connections with NOTHING and they dont even speak the same language (except for some educated indians).
We need to TEND to OURSELVES. We need to stop intra black warfare. We talk about PIGS but we forget our men are not acting right. Our women are babies mamas. We need to STOP, reevaluate and look out for ourselves. There will be no greater satisfaction when we handle our own and do it our way and people wont be able to say jack and we WONT need their AFFIRMATION because we know it will be meaningless.
This is what happens to black men in America!
oh really, skip?? i give you that….and say especially if they live in a hood where they stand out and have a white wife! he better be glad he dont live in pasadena tx where neighbors will shoot first and ask questions later! the FACT of the matter is that ANYONE looks suspicious doing what he is doing if they neighbors dont know them. furthermore, why didnt this neighbor know him??
I can’t believe how many of these posters did not bother to read the full article. It is the police who claim that Dr. Gates refused to identify himself, and Dr. Gates who claims otherwise. Of course, the police are going to say that he was noncompliant, because no one wants to be the cop that arrested some hotshot Harvard professor on a case of mistaken identity, so the cops will simply lie to make it seem as if Dr. Gates was behaving criminally. Dr. Gates says that he was harr*****ed and arrested even AFTER he identified himself to police.
For all those dumb as coons who just can never accept that some white people including pigs are racist,,,please read the entire article he clearly stated he did show his identification and explained his purpose at the house , that it was his residence but THEY DID NOT BELIEVE HIM,,,,that is the part that is racist , that after he identified him self and his purpose they still refused to *****ist him at his own home because he was BLACK, they needed more confirmation that a black man could live in that neighborhood ,,, and refused to accept his identification probally believing it was fake or part of his cover up to break in. I know if he were WHITE none of this would be questioned after explanation especially for his age and attiare .
He is a tenured professor at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, so I am sure he could afford a locksmith.
Why didn’t he just show his ID. Sure it’s a h*****le, he’s probably *****ed because he can’t open the door, etc. But this could have been over in a matter of minutes if he had not let his ego get in the way for a second and just whipped out his wallet. Not everyone is SUPPOSED to know who he is. Sorry, I know I’m gonna get beat up for this but that’s how I feel.
Of course its racial profiling. He DID show his ID you dumb*****! I had purchased his VHS tapes on Egypt about 10 years ago and learned SO MUCH ABOUT MY PEOPLE.. THANK YOU MR. HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.!!!
You can read a statement on behalf of Henry Louis Gates by Charles Ogletree, which gives his side of the whole story, on The Roots website right now.
well, I’d like my white neighbors to call the police if they saw a black dude ramming his shoulder into the door as well……..AS LONG AS IT WASN’T ME. I would like to blame this all on the white folks, but he should have just said who he was. “I’m so and so, I own this house, I’m locked out, etc….” . I don’t wanna talk to the cops either, but sometimes, it’s not worth the h*****le.
White people are very insecure when it comes to well-educated, rich and established black people, this incident is ridiculous. I bet they have seen him on TV or even heard about him, but they just want to embarr***** him.
Wow!! What hole have these officers had their heads in that they did not recognize this man or t least think he looked “familiar”… I just dont understand why these cops cant be humble after they realize their mistake and walk away from the incident with a simple apology. I mean once he was identified why further humiliate him by an arrest. I am sure he was upset and somewhat confrontational- but that is an upsetting experience for a person who is not a criminal to be approached & treated like one. But they arrested him for “disorderly conduct” because they needed to save fce.. Meanwhile I have seen some hostile white ppl who deserved to be shot for being so threatening, walk away… It is my belief that during his life- EVERY Black man will encounter an arrest during his lifetime… that is a sad fact…
And please, you mean to tell me he was out there long enough for someone to see him, call the cops AND the cops hd time to show up nd still spot him going in to the apt? I dont believe there was a call– the officers spotted him and approached him. Just think about it, A BLACK MAN MOVES IN TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD- EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT BEFORE THE INK ON THE MORTGAGE DRIES!!! So if a neighbor saw him- they knew exactly who he was, wasnt no damn 911 call!!
These posts reflect how dumb folks are. Mr. Gates showed the cops two forms of ID. Seems to me he complied with the cops request. Next time try reading the entire post.
I just read the reports and it still sounds as if he was wrong, I know black officers that would have done the same exact thing. Somtimes people talk themselves up on the very outcome they decry because they can’t shut the ***** up and that includes wealthy articulate folks…..I know more than my share of black folks that think they are above ***** that regular black folks have to deal with. If the woman that called them did it because shes racist thats on her but being that this brotha is so intelligent why didn’t he handle it in a more composed manner than he did…sounds like he got some a little Sharpton in his *****…….
I graduated from an Ivy League school and I’m not surprised by this at all. It’s an on-going problem at top universities around the country.
I look at it this way. . .these White cops feel like if you’re Black you don’t belong there. They feel like since their careers have topped out, that Black people shouldn’t be getting a world-cl***** education. It’s all about jealousy and, yes, racism.
Anyone who has gone to a top level university knows this.
I can imagine the rage he must have felt. In the movie _Crash_, there’s a brilliant scene where Terrence Howard acquiesces to a bully of a cop, but you can see in his face that he’s filled with sublimated anger, an ac*****ulation of the bile he feels every time someone has *****aults his dignity and tells him, wordlessly, that he’s not to be trusted because he is black.
Excuse the typo. That should be “someone *****aults,” not “someone has *****aults.”
Below is a statement from Dr. Gates’ lawyer on theroot.com (Gates is editor-in-chief of the site):
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 16th, 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 do*****entary 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’s 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 M*****achusetts driver’s license to the officer. Both include Professor Gates’s photograph, and the license includes his address.
More from theroot.com — there is also a link to the police report:
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’s 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’s 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’s 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.
He did identify himself
See fourth paragraph
*******
Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification. “They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,” Counter said. “He was totally mistreated in this incident.”
********
I HATE WHITE PIGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
scene one act one: white man trying to get into his house, door sticks so he’s banging to get in, neighbor calls police thinks its a robber, police come he says i live here, police say oh let us help you sir, and when they get in they check for pictures to verify he lives there. white mans says thanks officers for ur help. police officers say, we’re here to help u sir, have a nice day. end of scene. but when ur black, we don’t have photos to identify us, we always have to be subserviant to these white cops. have u ever watch a cop program and see the way whites talk to them and treat them. but if a black man just says i live here that’s not good enough. well being the type of man that he is, sometimes u just get feed the f*ck up.
“If the woman that called them did it because shes racist thats on her but being that this brotha is so intelligent why didn’t he handle it in a more composed manner than he did…sounds like he got some a little Sharpton in his *****”
Dr. Gates sounded composed enough for me. I would be livid — the man was arrested in his own house. And, yes, the woman who called the police was probably racist. He had someone carrying his bags.
Look for this incident to be profiled in Dr. Gates’ next do*****entary.
They need to get a clue. How sad. Still in 2009 people are so close-minded & crazy. Just like those kids who they wouldn’t let swim in that pool in PA.
@abielle
“I look at it this way. . .these White cops feel like if you’re Black you don’t belong there. They feel like since their careers have topped out, that Black people shouldn’t be getting a world-cl***** education. It’s all about jealousy and, yes, racism.”
I know it is a source of contention at Columbia that the school refuses to acknowledge that it is located in Harlem. I believe there is still an undercurrent of tension between the university and the surrounding community.
@Sydney-
You are absolutely correct. It’s the same for many top tier schools. I find that a lot of these schools are at odds with the community around them. I visited the University of Chicago and it seems to me that that university does everything that it can to alienate students from the community surrounding it. And, again, students told me stories of university police brutality against Black professors and students.
To all the dummies who keep saying he should have identified himself-STFU. It is his house. You have noisy crackers sticking their long a** noses in everything. How would you feel when trying to get into your house that you pay the note for and someone is har*****ing you. White folks are constantly sticking their hawks where they don’t belong and tries to cry foul when people get tired of them. That area is very racist. My aunt lives there and they are constantly doing racial profiles.
Mr. Gates, I am so very sorry that happened to you
Let this be lesson to all of you who insist that we’ve progressed past racism! This man is as “Progressive” as it gets..but all some people will forever see, is the color of our skin no matter what we say or do.
@abeille
Yes, Columbia was/is dead-set on marketing itself as being located in “Morningside Heights” — Meanwhile, 125th Street is just north of the campus.
Regarding racism on campuses, It wasn’t that long ago that a noose was found on a Columbia professor’s door. And, if I’m not mistaken, Harvard recently refused to allow two young black women to graduate after a controversial shooting occurred on campus. To my knowledge, neither woman has been arrested nor charged with having any connection to the crime.
I don’t even live in his neighborhood, and I know what Skip Gates looks like. A teachable moment, indeed.
Why won’t people just read the freaking article?! He did comply with the officer’s request to see his identification! Ignorant people, both black and white really get on my nerves when they put their two cents in a conversation without knowing both sides of the story.
@Proper English
“How would you feel when trying to get into your house that you pay the note for and someone is har*****ing you.”
Well, if I was trying to muscle my way in through a locked door and the person “har*****ing” me was a cop who was asking what I was doing, I goddamned sure wouldn’t just jump up and start screaming about how he was a racist pig.
I tell you what. The next time someone’s trying to push their way in through *your* front door and the police just say “well, he’s black so he must live here” I want you to think back on your bull***** statement while you sit in your living room and look around at where all your ***** used to be. Because hey, the police should *damned* sure ignore everything suspicious that happens just as long as it’s committed by someone darker than a latte.
That long ***** beak nose does try to pry into everything thats why they are so long. Anytime they ask me anything, I zero in on that long ***** snorkle, cuz I know thats a yt for you. Breathin and huffin’n’ puffin and shyt snoopin out that that horn.
I wouldnt’ve shown them tricks *****, my damnself, *****um, book me too!
You work to damn hard for your belongings to be subject to this type of harr*****ment…neighborhood watch or not..true neighbors call your home first, anyway!
He’s a swirler, so maybe he should have let his wife open the door.
@ yvonnjanae …
My thoughts exactly lol !!! When I read that he said: “This is what happens 2 black men in America” my initial thought was “So says Bill Gates who is married 2 a fat white chick.” Oh well . . . 2 each his/her own.
Sounds like a bitter old man looking for a way claim VICTIM STATUS.Just tell the cop who you are…that it’s your house.The end.
This really sucks! After humiliating him, then coming all through the man’s house, to get the information, that they’d requested, they still placed him into custody. Apparently, this bigotry gene is embedded deep within alot of the caucasoids.
In defense of the cops, how r they supposed to know that was his house. They responded to a B&E and observe someone breaking into a house. It appears they acted appropriate considering they were protecting his house. HLG II need to chill on this one.
If true, he should’ve cooperated with the police by revealing his name, thus quashing the whole ordeal. Him not volunteering his name only shows that he had a hidden agenda also. Sounds like he was gettin’ his “RABBLE-ROWSER” on.
None of us was there…but I bet Dr.Gates probably baited the cop to some extent.I’ve heard/read some of his work.He’s got plenty of VICTICRAT in him.
Well his wife is white so maybe she should have vouched for him.
And to be married to a white woman is too damn hypocritical.
I’m amazed at how naive some people are. Allow me to break it down for you. We have conflicting statements here:
‘An officer ordered the man to identify himself, and Gates refused, according to the [police] report.
vs.
‘[Harvard instructor Allen] Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification.’
Many of you have asked: Why didn’t HLG just tell the officers who he was and show his ID? Exactly.
DON’T YOU THINK THAT’S WHAT HE DID? HELLO, PEOPLE! Police lie ALL THE TIME. Especially when they realize they have screwed up big time and they are trying to do damage control. I’m a journalist and have dealt with cases like this all the time when cops lie and try to cover up their mistakes.
What probably happened is this: Cops roll up, question HLG (maybe even pull a gun on him). He identifies himself and tells them he is locked out of his own house. They ask for ID; he shows his license and Harvard ID. At that point, he is annoyed that the cops don’t recognize him (HLG is one of the most prominent people (not just black people but ALL people) at Harvard; some might even argue he is THE most university’s prominent person). Hell, the cops should know where HLG lives. He’s also annoyed because he knows that if he were white, as soon as he said “I’m a Harvard professor; this is my house” the cops would have immediately offered their *****istance in opening the door.
Even after he shows the IDs, the cops continue to question him. He, understandably so, gets irate and belligerent. The cops decide to haul the belligerent, uppity Negro down to the station to teach him a lesson.
I’ve visited friends and relatives at Harvard many times. Cambridge is a very racist city — even worse than nearby Boston. Every black person I know who has lived in Cambridge has several stories to tell.
People, you gotta read between the lines; and don’t believe everything you read!
@ LoisLane i am a black girl living in Boston and cambridge is not a racist city…What that Policeman said was totally wrong but the professor should have showed him his damn ID.The woman who saw him break the door was right to call the police(whether she would have called the police if it were a caucasian man is what we do not know now)..she thought she saw an intruder and she called 911…lets see how it goes..peace
Charlie Blanko
These negroes will suck a pigs ***** if he tells them to do it.
“Its not racial profiling…he just wanted some head”
WTF?
_________________________________________________
This here made me ***** myself
lol
@LoisLane
“Many of you have asked: Why didn’t HLG just tell the officers who he was and show his ID? Exactly.
DON’T YOU THINK THAT’S WHAT HE DID? HELLO, PEOPLE! Police lie ALL THE TIME. Especially when they realize they have screwed up big time and they are trying to do damage control.”
So what, exactly, do you expect us to believe happened? These evil white pig racist KraKKKa cops just rolled up on this house and said “FREEZE, NIGRA! SHOW US SOME IDENTRIFICATION!” and Gates said “okay, here you go. This is who I am and I live here.” and they just looked at each other and said “HE’S BLACK! HE *MUST* BE GUILTY OF SOMETHING! CHARGE HIM WITH BEING A DARKIE IN PUBLIC!”
Yeah, I’m sure that’s how it went down.
“At that point, he is annoyed that the cops don’t recognize him”
But if a white person played that card you’d be screaming your ***** off about how famous white folks get all the breaks from the cops, now wouldn’t you?
People get your information together first the man was already in his house when the police rolled up on him. This is the police side of the story that they are reporting now Gates have yet to make a statement. Besides Gates show them all the correct identification and yet they still didn’t believe him maybe it’s because of his tan skin. Screw those pigs and any of you UNCLE TOMS that isn’t supporting your brother Gates.
This same shyt happened to me.. How embarr*****ing to be arrested at work for delaying a police investigation to see if my car was stolen by me!! Walking fast to a nice paying sales job the security *****umed I must have stole my car.. Called the police they checked my car out I walked out to get something and they were so embarr*****ed I caught them going thru my belongings they pretended they didnt know it was my car and arrested me.. Lol I lost my job since by the time I got a phone call my shift was over…… and of course the ludicrous charges were never filed, I just spent 22 hours in a holding cell and couldnt get a lawyer to take the case pro bono or contingency because I didnt get the shyt beat out of me.. An you wonder why *****s dont snitch lmao
Since no complete account of this appears here, I can only say’
There one more side to this story than there were people on the scene, and I’m sure some of them will change or be altered.
At times, actual & substantiated incidents occurred across the river at the other University.
Admittedly, a few were erroneous.
I’ll wait til the dust settles, and maybe then accurate accounts may take place, though I’m sure their will be contradictions.
some of you are idiots…thinking that racism ended the day Barack became President…this is not the 1st time this has happened to him…and maybe he was *****ed and said some *****…I dont blame him…there is only so much bull***** one person can handle
so much for light skin privilege lmao
Harvard Law Student
1) He had his luggage with him as he had just come back from a trip. He was helped with his luggage (PROBABLY BECAUSE HE WALKS WITH A CANE!!!) by the taxi driver. Hardly an inconspicuous move.
2) He is famous as ***** in cambridge!
3)He DID identify himself and was only arrested afterward because he *****erted himself to that racist ***** pig.
You guys are trifling as hell!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Jesus. Thank God there is at least one person on this blog who doesn’t have his head permanently implanted deep up his *****. If this site is a barometer to measure the depth of stupidity in the Black community, we better hope and pray that there are a hundred more Barrack Obama’s to come so we can straighten out our *****ed up race. *****s, *****s, *****s – just as defiantly ignorant as the day is long. Most of y’all are just blowing smoke out your *****es because you don’t even know who the ***** Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is or the symbol he represents in the Black community. Ptooey! Get your dumb *****es off Bossip and go read a book. Read a book, *****. Read a book! Read a book! Read a book!!! *****holes for life!
Li
He is a tenured professor at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, so I am sure he could afford a locksmith.
____________
thats what im saying. and he is educated, common sense would tell him to get help or something…
im not buying the “he showed his id” line. He would know how police work.
and for your information. I was locked out my house, but went to my neighbors and called the locksmith, not foolishly try to break open the door. the professor was an idiot
This fool thought that since he had married Becky he was afforded the right to talk to the police like white folks do and caught some cuffs…..
I ain’t buying that ***** neither, his ***** nutted up and continued to talk ***** until he got arrested. Its stupid to think every cop is bad and just because you’re a brotha everything you say is gospel……..
[...] Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested at Own House: Racial Profiling Suspected - Bossip.com [...]
Bossip, grow the ***** up. From what YOU posted, the woman reported him because it looked like he was trying to break into a house. If it had been a WHITE robber and the police HADN’T responded, you would have claimed THAT was racism. He could have identified himself… or better yet, called a damn locksmith. Do you know how much money he probably makes being a high-profile professor, not to mention editing as many books as he had? As someone else said, he brought this ***** on himself. He’s the victim of stupidity, not racial profiling.
Stories like this is why people say ALL Blacks play the victim all the time.
I don’t get many of these comments. Are you telling me that if some of you suddenly found a police officer on your doorstep because you were suspected of breaking into your own house (mind you, how many burglars would open the door to the police?), that you wouldn’t feel a twinge of anger? Of offense?
And what does the race of Dr. Gates’ wife have to do with the case at hand? I fail to see the correlation.
Are we so accustomed to racism that we’re willing to put the blinders on when this is a clear incident in which race was a factor? How disturbing.
BTW, Rev. Sharpton says he will attend the arraignment in August, according to the Harvard Crimson and the AP:
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.”
In addition to the comments about Professor Gates’ inability to walk without a cane, I would like to insert that he is nearly 60 YEARS OLD. Imagine your father/grandfather being arrested in his own home.
Amazing. SMH.
WHATS NEW/ the pigs are always pigs.
maybe it was the fact that it looked like he was trying to break into the house? and not his sking color? couldn’t be that, no way!
“maybe it was the fact that it looked like he was trying to break into the house? and not his sking color? couldn’t be that, no way!”
Oh, yes, a 60-year-old man with a cane with a driver carrying his luggage signals a looming criminal threat.
Again, SMH.
Henry Louis Gates is an *****. I know this from personal experience. He thinks he’s better than everyone. I’m glad this incident put him back in his place. No matter what you achieve…you’re still…
Hoped this knocked him down a few pegs.
Is it true that the arresting officer was black???
If that is true, than Gates race baiting seems entirely illogical.
Why do I call myself a *****, you ask me?
Because police always wanna har***** me
Every time that I’m rollin
They swear up and down that the car was stolen
Make me get faced down in the street
They throw the ***** out my car on the concrete
In front of a residence
A million white mother*****ers on my back like I shot the President…
Its seems like there is a lot missing in this story. While I agree that we as blacks get a bad deal in regards to the police it is possible that Mr. Gates overreacted on this one.
You’re a ***** ’til you die
If you’re a poor *****, then you’re a poor *****
If you’re a rich *****, you’re a rich *****
But you never stop being a *****
And if you get to be educated, you just an educated *****
You guys who said he should have identify himself need to read the article again…If It was a white person, when they showed ID, the story would have ended…
why the hell didn’t he identify himself!?!?!? of all people he should know racist police policies, and telling the pig he’s the homeowner would’ve probably avoided him getting arrested. You CAN’T win in a situation a like this, swallow your pride and show your liscence dumb *****
HE DID SHOW ID. STOP SKIMMING AND TAKE A MINUTE TO READ PEOPLE!!–
“…POLICE CONTINUED TO QUESTION HIM AFTER HE SHOWED THEM HIS LICENSE AND HARVARD IDENTIFICATION. “They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,” Counter said. “He was totally mistreated in this incident.””
If you gonna skim over the article, you really shouldn’t comment. You just spew bad information…
see…
I say go arrest the owners of the swim club who publicly humiliated a bunch of young minorities. I just hope this begins to open the eyes of Blacks around the world. Let’s raise up for real and begin seeking positions of power and really change this world once and for all.
For the most part cops/pigs/popo/fiveO/jakes whatever you want to call them are the most corrupt *****’s on this planet. Why should any black man trust that they are going to do what’s right? He has a right to be upset when cops are accusing him of breaking into his own home. For all of you who agree with the cops side, one day when you become a victom you may then understand what it’s like to be profiled for no reason whatsoever.
Actually a lot of you have the story twisted.
Professor Gates came home from a trip and his door was jammed and he was trying to pry it open. His neighbor call the cops and said “A black man is breaking in the house next door.”
By the time the cops arrived, Mr. Gates was already in his house. He wasn’t still trying to get in. He was inside.
The cops asked for ID and he produced his Harvard ID.
Now what happened after that is questionable. But along the way things went left.
I don’t know how racist Cambridge is, but I know Boston is exceedingly a racist hotbed.
Maybe the cop didn’t believe Professor Gates was who his ID said he was and kept asking… And of course that would ***** anyone off.
The man was arrested inside his home. How crazy is that?
And you want to say what he SHOULD have done? I guess Emmitt Till shouldn’t have whistled at that white woman… *rolling my eyes*
There’s always three sides to a story (his side, the other side, and the truth)
Love the people that say that there has to be more to the story, but refuse to READ the whole story.
@Um-
I’ve met him as well and he was nothing but personable and down to earth. I’ve never understood why Prof. Gates and Prof. West get so much hate from other Black people. I’ve met both and they are very friendly.
@Awful
“I don’t know how racist Cambridge is, but I know Boston is exceedingly a racist hotbed.”
-=-=-=-=-=–=-=-=-=–=–=–==—-=-=-=–==-=-=-=-=-=–
I agree with on most of what you said but Boston is no more of a racist hot bed than anyplace where black folks feel they can get their “chocolate” fix. This is America. What happens in Boston happens in Brooklyn, happens in Baltimore. We are all in the line of fire and I find no comfort outside of Boston.
I read an account where he DID show his Harvard ID and the city cops STILL dispatched the Harvard PD.
After he showed this pink racist pig his ID, he still insisted that he come out of the house, for what, any sane person will get angry esp. when you are in your own and you being asked to come out when you’ve shown your ID, and what annoys me the woman who called 911 lives in the neighbourhood, so she hasn’t seen him b4, these pink people everytime they smile in your face you have to wonder if its genuine smile.
he showed his harvard i.d. and his drivers license…are there any colored people in cambridge??
i had a similar incident in durham but i pulled out my history book and whooped their *****es…
if one of yall STUPID *****SuCKAS Ask: “Why DidnT he just Show His ID?” AgAIn ~ I AM Going to PuCkin SCrEAM!!!! DAyUm *****SuCkA READ The *****IN ARTIClE!!! THE ENTIRE ARtiCLE! NoT Just The First 3 Sentences!!! AND Anywho – Just because the Police said he didnt show him his ID – That means ITs the TRuTh???? So When Did the Police Become SOOO HoNEst ABout the ACTionS of AFriCan AmEricAN MEN?? YEAH The PUck RiGht~ YALL MoRE IGNORANT THAn A BABY!!!
I pray for the hoodwinked.
If you are in your own home and the police asked you to identify yourself, I think most people will get in a huff.
This is SO TYPICAL!!!! How many upstanding black men (as well as people of all backgrounds) have been arrested for DISORDERLY CONDUCT??? This is a standard charge they place on individuals who are doing nothing wrong, but the cops are trying to cover themselves. First of all, the cop had no business even entering the home after Gates came to the door. He obviously wasn’t going to run. They knew he was not a thief because what robber answers the door? The cops could have also called the owner of the home (Harvard). This is police misconduct and racial profiling, plain and simple. He is an older gentleman who walks with a cane!!! For those of you who say that he should have “cooperated”- interesting….you believe the “official story” of the police that he did not cooperate? The police version is RARELY a truthful accounting of events.
from CNN’s website:
African-American scholar and Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct after a confrontation with an officer at his home, according to a Cambridge, M*****achusetts, police report.
Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested last week on a charge of disorderly conduct.
According to the report, officers responded to a call Thursday from a woman who said she saw “a man wedging his shoulder into the front door” at Gates’ house near the university. The report, obtained by CNN affiliate WCVB-TV, indicates Gates refused to identify himself to a police officer, claiming the officer was a racist.
Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge Police Department stated in the report that he told Gates he was investigating a report of a break-in at the residence. According to the report, Gates “opened the front door and exclaimed, ‘Why, because I’m a black man in America?’ ”
Crowley wrote in the report that he warned Gates two times he was becoming disorderly. After Gates continued to yell and accuse him of racial bias, Crowley wrote he arrested Gates for “loud and tumultuous behavior in a public *****e.”
A statement by Gates’ lawyer and fellow Harvard professor Charles Ogletree said that the incident occurred when Gates returned to his home after a trip to China.
Gates, accompanied by a driver, found the front door damaged.
He entered the house with his key through the rear door. Then, he and and driver were able to force the front door open, Ogletree said in his statement.
Don’t Miss
WCVB: Police report of incident
The statement was published on the Web site The Root, of which Gates is editor-in-chief.
An officer arrived and told Gates he was investigating a call about a breaking-and-entering at the residence, Ogletree wrote.
Gates identified himself at the officer’s request, according to Ogletree.
“He [Gates] turned to walk into the kitchen where he had left his wallet. The officer followed him. Professor Gates handed both his Harvard University identification and his valid M*****achusetts driver’s license to the officer,” Ogletree wrote on The Root.
Ogletree’s statement also said that Gates asked Crowley for his name and badge number several times without success.
Then, when Gates followed Crowley to the front door, Crowley said, “Thank you for accommodating my earlier request, and then placed him [Gates] under arrest,” Ogletree said.
The Cambridge Police Department would not release any information regarding the incident.
Gates has one of 20 prestigious “university professors” positions at Harvard University, according to WCVB, and joined the faculty in 1991. He is considered one of the nation’s pre-eminent scholars of African-American studies. In 1997, Time magazine placed him on its list of the 25 most influential Americans.
By the way, Gates is not uppity. He is dignified. This man has contributed more to African-American Studies and scholarship than ANYONE else in the last 10 or so years, and his work is always something that we can be PROUD of. Those of you who want him reduced and humiliated are some very stupid people and are examples of EXACTLY how the white man has been able to use some of you imbeciles to destroy your own community. Some of you are so IGNORANT sometimes; it makes me sick. BTW, I was watching African American Lives 2 yesterday. For you ignoramuses – watch the pt about Tom Joyner’s great-uncles (electrocuted because some other blacks were JEALOUS of their success and accused them of a crime they didn’t commit). It seems as though many of you still have that mentality. SAD, REALLY SAD.
the problem is the SAME way you CANNOT BELIEVE everything a police officer says – you CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT GATES said either until ALL the FACTS are known. All you guys are doing is quoting what GATES said. I want to hear the police version AND the TAXI driver version. Somewhere in that mess is the truth. Ive been around too many people who intrepret ANY action by a white person as RACIST when it involves US.
Just because there is a problem with white cops does not mean they are all CROOKED and RACIST. The same way that there is a problem with YOUNG BLACK MEN and DRUGS does not mean ALL YOUNG BLACK MEN are dealers. Get it?
You are all presupposing the story after only hearing ONE SIDE. IM reserving judgment until I hear ALL SIDES.
Have fun with your lynching…cuz thats all you doing. No different then he 1950’s and all a white woman had to say was that a black man looked at her funny.
For those who don’t find fault in the police response, I have this to say. It is sad that you have lived in this country so long as to be numb when your civil rights are violated. You are so used to bowing before “authority” that you’ve lost your inclination toward indignation. Undoubtedly there is more to this story. But a man should not be arrested on his own property when he is clearly minding his own business. I’m sure HLG would have been more amenable if the cop had approached him with respect rather than as “another black male criminal”. The neighbor should have known what HLG looked like anyway. It seems people all around were f*cking with the brotha on this one.
***** the Boston area! I lived in Waltham for a years, near Cambridge and them crackers are *****ing racist.
FIGHT DA POWER!!!!!
He was forcibly wedging his shoulder into his front door…???
Um, regardless of race, he looks like he’s breaking into the place! When the cops confronted him, he should have said, this is my house and presented ID.
I bet this would have happened to a white person too.
You don’t know who you’re messing with? …That statement was BEGGING for trouble.
The cops were only doing thier job. If Mr. Gates did what was asked of him this could have been avoided. To cry racism when the cops are coming to protect your property is ridiculous. Mr. Gates is wrong.
Here’s the police reportscribd.com/doc/17512830/Gates-Police-Report
The lady that reported a suspected robbery don’t have any idea what a robbery looks like. Robbers don’t park there car in front of house they are robbing, they don’t wear suits to a robbery and they don’t use canes (meaning he needed *****itance walking). She needs to mind on her F??INg business. Busybody!!!
ALL BECAUSE SOME NOSEY ***** NEIGHBOR.
You people can’t read? It said even after he showed Harvard ID they still questioned him.
“How can I think Outside of the box if they won’t let me Out of the box?”
stop telling posters to READ THE ARTICLE!
obviously, people have read the article, but still feel as though there is some bull***** in this story! Do i trust the police to always be truthful? NO! But do i trust the people they deal with to always be truthful? HELL NO! Just b/c the statement says he showed ID, how do we know? What if he was talkin ***** the whole time & then decided after being arrested that he wanted to show ID? You say everyone knows him in Cambridge…are you sure? Every BLACK person may know him; what about ALL the white people there? Let’s be clear…no break-in is the same. Just b/c there is a car outside a home doesnt mean a break-in cant be in progress. Something aint right about this story–and it aint just the cops story! Like someone said, there’s always 3 sides to a story!
This might be hard to belive but when the cop’s roll up on you and ask you questions they want you to answer them and not give them sht, this story has said he was arrested even after he proved who he was, well I guess the dammage was already done when he was asked to provide identification, Gates allegedly snapped, “No, I will not,” that right there is disorderly conduct, he did not say “Sry I don’t have it” he said NO, I will not,he then said This is what happens to black men in America! so he was the one that started the racial thing, Five O just did what they had to do to control the problem.
You start mouthing off to thepolice and I don’t care what color you are, your going to jail… Been there Done That !!!
BlackMind- I totally agree. Some of these responses are enough to make my stomach turn. I really don’t understand the mentality of “bow down to the cops at every turn”.
@enlight- Posters keep telling people to read the article because there are a million people asking why he didn’t show ID when the article clearly states that he showed both his Harvard ID and license.
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL. . .TV networks should start airing that PSA again.
@ Enlight
Um the damn police report agrees that he showed his id. At that point the officer was no longer “responding to a distress call” and was tresp*****ing. The officer, and any other officer, is required to give his name and badge number upon request- he did not. THe officer was thinking “who is this N***er to yell at me I’ll show him” and then he arrested Dr. Gates. Well now you are about to find out just who he is. This would not have happened to a white person first off the police never would have been called in the first place and they wouldn’t have been treated in the skeptical guilty until proven innocent manner. As soon as the ID was shown that was the policemans cue. Instead he put Dr Gates through the embar*****ment of calling Harvard police (the white folks) to verify what his ID already said and mind you the drivers licence has the address right on it. This was intentional humiliation and we are not going to stand for it.
I believe Mr. Gates owes an apology to the Cambridge Police Department. He should be ashamed of himself for viewing a rational question of identifying himself, so the Police could be sure he was the home owner, as racist. It sounds like Mr. Gates is a racist. Racism is not isolated to one race Mr. Gates. I believe Mr. Gates deserves a disorderly conduct charge.
I wonder where Skip’s white wife was…
Some elite, black academics like him and Soledad view black culture as voyers. The write books, produce do*****entaries, but they really don’t know how it is to feel like a po’ black person. Now, he sees that he hasn’t arrived just because he teaches at Harvard and married a white woman. White folk see him like just anotha *****.
We love miss you MJ…
OMG…Bossip needs to get the story RIGHT. He DID identify himself along with ID and they STILL didn’t believe him. The nosey azz “white neighbor” who called in should have came to his defense,but that would be too much like RIGHT…being that she’s WHITE!! He did not have to spend the eniter weekend in jail, they saw pictures of him INSIDE his home. I know for a fact…BECAUSE I WAS THERE, YES I’M A STUDENT. The man just returned from China. I can’t stand this racist world. BTW…yes I’m white!!!
[...] his home on Thursday after he accused the police of being racist. For the full Bossip story, click here. After spending the weekend in jail, he has been released. The police department has refused to [...]
You degenerate, good for nothing, ungrateful *****s. Here this man was disrepected in his own home, and YOU *****s say “he should have shown his id, or he shouldn’t have spoke to the police like that”. WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? You don’t have to let the police treat you like *****! That is your CIVIL RIGHT! YOU PAY THERE SALARY! That is why he was *****ed and said what he said. Stop letting society treat you like a second rate citizen! We built this f*cking country not them, so why would you allow anyone to degrade you or disrespect you? He has all the right in the world to be *****ed and I’m with him! BTW, WHAT F*CKING CRIMINAL OR BURGULAR YOU KNOW WOULD SIT THERE AND TALK TO THE F*CKING POLICE, LET ALONE, OPEN THE DAMN DOOR FOR THEM. Y’ALL SOME STUPID *****S! Y’ALL LET THESE WHITE PEOPLE TELL Y’ALL ANYTHING, BECAUSE THE MASTA SAID SO. Get some black knowledge and stop accepting everything they say.
[...] his home on Thursday after he accused the police of being racist. For the full Bossip story, click here. After spending the weekend in jail, he has been released. The police department has refused to [...]
@Ayesha-
You lost me when you threw the word “elite” out there. “Elite” is just a stupid buzzword created by angry conservatives who don’t like to see Black people in positions of power and don’t like to see us educated. If “elite” means that I have sense and I’m educated, then you can call me, Soladad, Dr. Gates, and every other educated Black person “elite” all day. Since when did having an education equal elite? The real elite are the people that have the majority of Black folks stuck on stupid. . .the people who have convinced us, as a people, that education and having scruples is wrong.
“you don’t know who you’re messing with”
seriously? Dude, you are *****ODY. Get over yourself and be thankful that the police were protecting your property.
Act like a fool and get treated like one.
for the record, henry louis gates did say who he was. even pulled out two forms of ID, one in which included his address. however, the feds proceeded to arrest him. please know the full story before *****uming. much of what you’ll read in the news is part fact and completely skewed. get it right black folk. research.
C’mon peeps, this racial crap has got to stop! #1- If someone is going to give research info, please give Bibliogray. So much crap is given on hearsay and second,third hand verbage it’s ludicrous!!
Hey, for real, anytime a Black man is stopped there is a cry “RACSIM”.
Our society has become a society of Laws, as much as I dislike the route we’re going (SOCIALISTIC,COMMUNISTIC IDEALS) be pepared to follow the laws, if you don’t, give it up! accept the consequences. Oh,yeah, one more thing to all concerned,how about using the english language uh?using the “colorful” MF,SOB, on and on etc. just shows ignorance.
Listen up people, eminent scholar or not, once your skin is black that is ALL that is seen by white America – so get with the program. That gentleman should be wise to that fact by now.
[...] Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested at Own House: Racial Profiling Suspected - Bossip.com [...]
Apparently, many of the people commenting here either can’t read or struggle with comprehension. The post clearly states that Mr. Gates DID show his ID! Quote:
“Counter said he spoke to Gates, who told him police continued to question him after he showed them his license and Harvard identification. “They did not believe him when he said that he was in his own home,” Counter said. “
Gates is smart, real smart. He *****ing with the cops on purpose. Feel sorry for those pigs but it seems smart black men not gonna let you eat anymore in America. *****z is throwing themselves into *****ed up situations and then the ***** is on Bossip or Youtube so they got you on tape or they got it across the world. It shows how stupid the police are to keep putting themselves in these *****ed up situations with *****z instead of doing the smart thing, leave a ***** the ***** alone or suffer the consequences which is no money and no jobs.
[...] Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested at Own House: Racial Profiling Suspected - Bossip.com [...]
[...] Black Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrested at Own House: Racial Profiling Suspected - Bossip.com [...]
Wanting an apology, and having an expectation of getting one are two different things. It’s interesting how quickly the CPD dropped the charges and backtracked to try and put this thing behind them.
He was not wearing a suit. he was coming from vacation wearing a polo t-shirt and pants and the door was jammed so he and his black driver tried to push it in. the person supposedly then made the report of two black men with knap sacks breaking down the door.
When the police arrived, he was already inside. I suspect there is some race element here but the professor seemed to have that “do you know who i am” attitude. HE should have just showed them the ID and out them later. The police should have left him alone after they realised that he was the resident. there was no need for any arrest or charges of disorderly conduct. I would have been annoyed if police were in my house asking me to prove that i live there.
How ever the story went i think both parties are a lil to blame. and we all know boston is and will mostlikley be the home of undercover racisim.
SMH @ this whole situation.
I am amazed at how most in the black community are pulling that “RACE” card once again. This had absolutely nothing to do with race. Apparently, a concerned neighbor saw someone who appeared to be breaking into a house and they did what any concerned neighbor would do,call the police.
You see, blacks in this country really need to stop whining about race. First they whined about not having a black president and they got that. Now, I guess new laws need to be drawn whenever a police officer runs with the black people. How ridiculous is this ?
Prof. Gates should have identified himself with proper identification. Period. Things did not need to escalate to such a point he ended up being arrested. It is clear he was an influential person both at Harvard and in the African American community. But, I will tell you, I never knew who this man was until this incident.
People are running around talking about his accomplishments, well, one’s accomplishment does not exclude one’s ability to commit a crime. Doctors, even people like Madoff were “upright” citizens, until we found out they too are capable of committing crimes.
So this had nothing to do with racism. I also believe the PD dropped the disturbance of peace charges to appease the situation. So there.
But please Black People, if you cry racism when a neighbor blindly felt they were being good citizens when your home looked like it was being broken into, I guess from now on, when you see a black person in an emergency situation, it’s best not to call 911. Because “Racist” accusation will come right after.
Race is not everything. And black people need to get over it.
This event is manufactured– by Dr. Gates. It is only logical to arrest someone, of any race, who appears to be breaking into a home and refuses to identify themself. Dr Gates however, only reflects a larger misconception unfortunately s*****ed by the equal rights movement– the idea that all negative things that happen to all blacks under all conditions in all places and times are are always due to racism. Talk about racism!
Gates is a presumptuous racist. He didn’t determine the cop was racist, he presumed the cop was racist.
That is the essence of bigotry and racism, and Prof. Gates demonstrated it admirably.
Quit *****ing whining! Poor Black People! Boo *****ing hooo! If you don’t act like an arrogant *****hole, you won’t be treated like one. End of story. Good job Obama. You just sent black people to the “back of the bus” fifty years socially and confirmed what most of us saw way before the election and that is that you are indeed a racist with a racial agenda.
[...] officer who used the old “disorderly conduct” charge to arrest Harvard African American Studies Henry Louis Gates went hard on Obama today and then our President [...]
“A black man of his stature” gets arrested… I agree that the whole thing is absurd and definitely indicates a problem in Cambridge, but I don’t think we need to list his awards and academic “cred” to indicate how *****ed up it is. The implication is that if it had just been some ordinary, non-eminent-scholar black dude, it would have been less disturbing. This happens all the time, and it shouldnt take a Harvard Professor to get our attention. If it had been anyone else, would there be so much commotion or would most people have agreed that “he should have just been more compliant”?
That said, to all of those complaining of “reverse racism” or that “Gates is racist” – wow, really? What does that even mean? Read a *****ing book, you morons. Regardless of what happened to Gates, I think it’s ridiculous that some people can solemnly deny that race is still a very relevant issue in America.
I’m white, first of all.
The police officer was on his way when gates started yelling “this is what happens to a black man in america.” he made a scene and was arrested. The same way I would have been arrested had I started yelling at cops. Racism is not dead and everyone knows this. It is an evolutionary and biological survival instinct to stereotype. What’s bad is when one allows the stereotypes to become prejudices. Race was not even an issue in this incident until gates made it that way. Listen, whites and blacks are both victims and promoters of racism. I can’t even walk through a “black” neighborhood without being frightened of perhaps being jumped or robbed. Why? Because the only time I have been robbed or jumped was in a “black” neighborhood by black men. Everyone must deal with racism in different ways. The primary objective should be to accept a person as an individual not based on any affliation with a certain race or other group. I have read many comments here like “no matter how much we come up the white man still views us as a dumb *****”…what kind of attitude is this to have? I know everyone gets down and out but lets all refrain from making extreme, dramatic, emotional statements that we might regret later. One love.
also, I think many of you are missing the point. Gates was not arrested for being black. He was arrested for yelling at cops and causing a scene. It doesn’t matter what his job description is or the color of his skin. I’ve almost been arrested numerous times for simply trying to speak to officers during our encounters. Think about this : Race was only mentioned by Gates. If anyone could be considered Racist in this situation it would be Gates. He *****umed that he was being arrested because he was a black man. The more and more I encounter these type situations the more I realize that many black men have this preconcieved notion in their mind that they are/or will be treated differently due to the color of their skin. I think the most important step towards racial equality at this point would be for minorities to get out of this mindset. Do you not agree that this mindset only henders true progress?