Racial profiling or honest mistake?

You...make.....the call!

Here's my take:

1. The neighbor woman was doing what crime experts say we all should do - get involved and call police if you see possible trouble. Don't just "look the other way."

2. The police are not mind-readers. How are they to know this guy is an honored professor?

3. Initially refusing to show an ID card was not a smart play. I thought this guy was a professor!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_harvard_scholar_disorderly

Black scholar's arrest raises profiling questions

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AP – This booking photo released by the Cambridge, Mass., Police Dept., shows Harvard scholar Henry Louis …

• Slideshow:Harvard Scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.

By MELISSA TRUJILLO, Associated Press Writer Melissa Trujillo, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 31 mins ago
BOSTON – Police responding to a call about "two black males" breaking into a home near Harvard University ended up arresting the man who lives there — Henry Louis Gates Jr., the nation's pre-eminent black scholar.
Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling.
Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry."
By the time police arrived, Gates was already inside. Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in.
"Why, because I'm a black man in America?" Gates said, according to a police report written by Sgt. James Crowley. The Cambridge police refused to comment on the arrest Monday.
Gates — the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research — initially refused to show the officer his identification, but then gave him a Harvard University ID card, according to police.
"Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him," the officer wrote.
Gates said he turned over his driver's license and Harvard ID — both with his photos — and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused. He said he then followed the officer as he left his house onto his front porch, where he was handcuffed in front of other officers, Gates said in a statement released by his attorney, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, on a Web site Gates oversees, TheRoot.com
He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior." He was released later that day on his own recognizance. An arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26.
Gates, 58, also refused to speak publicly Monday, referring calls to Ogletree.
"He was shocked to find himself being questioned and shocked that the conversation continued after he showed his identification," Ogletree said.
Ogletree declined to say whether he believed the incident was racially motivated, saying "I think the incident speaks for itself."
Some of Gates' African-American colleagues say the arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge.
Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years, said he was stopped on campus by two Harvard police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification.

If this was a white man who locked himself out, breaking into his own home, police would not have been phoned. Still, the neighbour was obviously a stupid b*tch since she can't even recognise her own neighbours! Further, why did the police feel the need to arrest him once he had shown his ID? No house robber in the country would do that! If cops were refusing to identify themselves by declaring their badge numbers, they cannot frown or accuse him when he refuses to identify himself!

The professor caused this incident, not the police.

Anytime an officer goes to a house on a call,
or makes a traffic stop, he is risking his life.

This call was made to protect the life and property of a citizen.
In this case, the resident of the house, the professor.

It would have taken 15 seconds for the professor to explain what happened,
and the officers would have been on their way.

Yeah, this is another case of an educated fool.

Something doesn't add up here. I am familiar with Proffessor Gates and I find it difficult to believe that Cambridge police and his own freakin neighbors are not familiar with him... The man has been all over PBS documentaries and Good Morning America and things like that. He often makes addresses after on Lincoln's birthday and most recently, he was on GMA speaking about the pogniancy of Lioncoln's administration coupled with Obama's election, which we all discussed here at Wordforge. He's a news,maker. I also know that racial discrimination is rampant in the Boston area.

I know that when asked by a cop, it is the duty of a citizen to identify himself... and likewise, the cop is required to identify himself and badge number to a citizen. I don't understand why he was arrested because it seems that he did what was required of him and it is worh pointing out that the cops did not. The article is not clear with regards to what the charge was or why a world reknowned professor became so beligerant... and beligerance is not an arrestable offense.

He got pissed that they didn't know who he was, as he is obviously arrogant. That's why he was arrested. Duh.

So what now, are we all to be arrested if we don't carry identification or refuse to show it? To say that the cop was risking his life in this incident is ludicrous. He simply wasn't. There was nothing dangerous about it at all and it is very cynical for you to suggest that a cop is risking his life every time he stops. Even when the guy showed his ID he was still arrested. What was this for? Cops also have to respect the rights of citizens and this guy did nothing that broke the law. All this is irrelevant, however, as it was all caused, as I said earlier, by a stupid woman who couldn't even recognise that she was living next door to one of the foremost professors in the States! That in itself has gotta be one of the stupidest things people have ever done!

A man breaks into a house and a witness calls police. So far so good, I'd do the same if someone forced their way into a neighboring house.

To be fair to Mr. Gates, I'll admit that I've had occasion to break into my own house as well and if a neighbor had called the police I'd be initially annoyed but ultimately grateful.

I'd explain the situation to the responding police officers and showing my ID would be a easy means of showing it was indeed my house.

Personally, I suspect Mr. Gates was angry and acted inappropriately. He declined to comment after the incident and we've been given two justifications for his behavior, he wasn't feeling well and plain ole racism. Plus mentioning his use of a cane paints him as the victim.

Sad that the "nation's pre-eminent black scholar" would so readily play the race card when the truth is that most reasonable people would understand the police officers response as being appropriate.

But hey, we all have our bad days, especially when we're feeling under the weather.

And being arrogant to a cop is not a crime. Maybe stupid but not a crime!

Did you even read the article? He identified himself and was later arrested.... for what, we dont know.

Yes, we do know:

I mean, the dude is slightly Irish (if he's who I think he is). He has a temper! Of course they're going to profile angry Irish people!

No reason to expect the police to recognize Mr. Gates, especially given the situation. As for his neighbor not recognizing him, well, who knows? Can't say I could identify my every neighbor, plus breaking into your own home doesn't exactly scream "I live here."

... I guess it could be interpreted that way, but let me ask you this. What if this is indeed an incident that was provoked by his race? Would it still be "playing the race card" or a guy that's just gotten fed up with the system of institutionalized discrimination?

Dr. Gates, in the PBS documentary African American Lives took famous black figures like Oprah Winfrey and Magic Johnson and traced thier lineage all the way back to Africa. What he also uncovered is that most African Americans today are at least 20% of european lineage... and used that fact to point out that racial discrimination is not based in sound judgement. I know that we all act on way proffessionally and could be totally different privately, but he didn't strike me as someone who would use the "race card" at the drop of a hat.

I still don't understand why he was arrested.

OK... disorderly conduct. A bullshit charge and we all know it.

I don't know that at all, and neither do you.

A cop comes to a house with a reported break-in in progress. He sees a guy and requests ID, note he did not pull his gun and threaten the black man as a possible armed intruder. Instead he asks for ID a VERY reasonable request under the circumstance. Instead of producing it and settling the matter the guy proceeds to yell at the cop and cause a ruckus. Eventually, after being abusive he produces ID but continues being abusive. He is arrested. Instead of admitting his poor responses caused this he blames the officer and accuses everybody of racism. This is a prototypical Harvard liberal. No wonder so many people look down on these idiots. I would expect better from any "scholar."

No, because you were just observed forcing your way into a house, asshole.

Nope, not a grandstanding pain in the ass or anything.

I don't recognize my own neighbors on sight, and I don't fucking care to. As for him thinking he's too prominent of a public figure to lower himself to providing identification: You ain't special, buddy. Same rules as everybody else.

Broke into a house. Resisted the perfectly reasonable fucking request to identify himself as a result, and then took it as an opportunity to do some loud, disorderly racial grandstanding. Even if that last part had been the only thing that happened, I still woulda called the cops. Shut the fuck up, asshole. I'm trying to watch TV in here.

We have absolutely no evidence of that, and what he may be "fed up with" is irrelevant to the situation as it was described. A reasonable person could have resolved that situation in five fucking minutes. Instead, he decided to be a pain in the ass about it, and I have no goddamned sympathy.

Based on the article it seems his breaking into a home (which turned out to be his own) is what provoked the incident. Again, regardless of appearance I'd notify the police if someone broke into one of my neighbors houses.

Calling a racist act racist isn't playing the race card. Yet in this instance it seems (so far) that the police response was justified.

No surprise there, race is but a crude means of sorting people into categories based on phenotypic differences.

Hopefully that is obvious to most reasonable folk.

Perhaps not and I'm even willing to allow he was simply having a bad day or just handled this situation improperly.

It happens to everybody.

Including police officers.

The article provided the given reason. I'd imagine it was more about him giving the police officers a hard time. Not saying it's right but I've found that treating police officers with a modicum of respect goes a long way to diffusing any situation.

As does a cop treating a 58 y/o guy walking with a cane while investigating a suspected break-in.

You're not thinking this through, AlphaMan. When the cops got there, they didn't know who they were dealing with. The guy wouldn't come out of the house. They didn't know if they were talking to the reported suspect who broke in, or if they were talking to a homeowner being held at gunpoint.

You people all look alike to us.

Seriously though, if I had behaved the way the professor did, I would expect to be arrested. And I'm not an African-American.

Sadly Alpha is color blind. If it involves a black guy everyone else must be racist and wrong. I'd bet large amounts of money that any person of any race or gender would have been treated the same way in this case. The cops were in the right here based on the info we have, and I am not one to trust cops often. This guy created and drove this whole thing. I hope they put this idiot on trial and convict him. He deserves it on all levels.

BTW The thread title is wrong. It should say Racial Profiling or Justified Arrest.

Yup. A few weeks back a friend was having a party in his backyard. Because the entire yard was fenced with a nice 7' high fence and because women get priority on the bathroom, I found a nice quiet corner of the fence to take care of some important business.

As I finished up, I was confronted by a couple cops. One was belligerent and trying to provoke a response. There were two of them, they had a flashlight shining in my eyes, and they had guns and the ability to arrest people. Plus I'd had a couple beers.

So I didn't ask them what the fuck they were doing on private property. I didn't demand their badge numbers or threaten them. Even though I was 95% sure I was in the right, I was polite and apologetic. After a 20 second conversation Belligerent Cop had to let me go because he had no excuse to arrest me.

A week ago I managed to lock myself out of my house and had to break in. I was actually a little disappointed that the cops didn't show up to find out if I was supposed to be there.

What is the deal with black people not giving their identity? This happens quite a lot....I don't get it.

Sorry, but I watch the news a lot, and have never heard of him.
I'm thinking he's doing a Cynthia McKinney...getting piseed off when she changed her hair style and a guard didn't recognize her.

Possibly, but I have a feeling it's not the reaction to cops that Gates is claiming is racist, but the actions of the cops that led to him getting upset.



And yeah, Disorderly Conduct is usually a translation of:

HE DIDN'T RESPECT MY ATHORITAH!

He didn't create it. The woman who phoned the cops created it.

Cops with the ability to arrest people? What is the world coming to?

This guy didn't threaten them either. False comparison.

I would in my ass be apologetic for taking a piss. Granted this prof guy may not have been the most polite person to the cops, but to suggest that he should be apologetic for wanting to get into his own home and being annoyed by a couple of cops that his neighbour phoned about him, is ridiculous.

You imply that unless you are apologetic you should be arrested. Poppycock.

Age - Irrelevant.
Race - Irrelevant.
Cane - Irrelevant.

The only pertinent facts were a report of a break-in and a belligerant man refusing to provide identification. There should be no expectation that they "tailor" their handling of the situation to suit the person they're dealing with.

I would also expect a 58 year old Harvard Scholar to know better than shit like this, but that's giving him the benefit of the doubt and assuming he wasn't trying to blow it out of proportion to lend himself some "still struggling against The Man's oppression" credibility.

Re: Racial profiling AND honest mistake

I think both options are going on here

It was BOTH racial profiling AND an honest mistake simultaneously