Black Harvard Professor Arrested After Being Accused of Breaking Into His Own Home | |
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Avian User ID: 684156 United States 07/21/2009 08:40 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | anyways he was let go thanks god for watchful neighbors the story could of been like this two black men were seen by neighbors breaking into the house...didnt want to get involved...said nothing the professor comes back to find his house valuables stolen and his house ransacked the professor talks to his neighbors and asks "why when you saw people breaking into my house didnt you say or do anything, you could have called the police the neighbor says, well we didnt want to get involved for fear of retailiation just saying No offense Reece...stories can go both ways Last Edited by aVian on 07/21/2009 08:41 AM "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." - Frédéric Bastiat food, water, ammo, weapons, battery back up solar, hand well pump, wood stove and 1 year of food...oh yeah PM's too...good luck |
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Enaid User ID: 515273 United States 07/21/2009 08:42 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Was this a racist incident? Quoting: Anonymous Coward 728718Yes. But it wasn't the police that were racist, it was the "professor". EXACTLY!! He acted very aggressive when all he had to do was show the officers it was indeed his home. If someone broke into my house (no matter the color) I hope the police wouldn't believe they lived here - just on their word. Sounds like the professor was determined to use the race card. Personal responsibility - try it sometime. Quit blaming others for your bad choices. Consequences happen. :enaid11: |
Avian User ID: 684156 United States 07/21/2009 08:43 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | sort of like this "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." - Frédéric Bastiat food, water, ammo, weapons, battery back up solar, hand well pump, wood stove and 1 year of food...oh yeah PM's too...good luck |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 526297 United States 07/21/2009 08:45 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Was this a racist incident? Quoting: EnaidYes. But it wasn't the police that were racist, it was the "professor". EXACTLY!! He acted very aggressive when all he had to do was show the officers it was indeed his home. If someone broke into my house (no matter the color) I hope the police wouldn't believe they lived here - just on their word. Sounds like the professor was determined to use the race card. |
Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 08:45 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | arrested then let go...its funny he wouldnt show the police his ID..sounds alot like the Obama birth certificate idealogoy Quoting: Aviananyways he was let go thanks god for watchful neighbors the story could of been like this two black men were seen by neighbors breaking into the house...didnt want to get involved...said nothing the professor comes back to find his house valuables stolen and his house ransacked the professor talks to his neighbors and asks "why when you saw people breaking into my house didnt you say or do anything, you could have called the police the neighbor says, well we didnt want to get involved for fear of retailiation just saying No offense Reece...stories can go both ways Read it again. He did show his Id. He was arrested after he kept asking to see the officers Id, because the officer refused to show his. As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 08:47 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Was this a racist incident? Quoting: EnaidYes. But it wasn't the police that were racist, it was the "professor". EXACTLY!! He acted very aggressive when all he had to do was show the officers it was indeed his home. If someone broke into my house (no matter the color) I hope the police wouldn't believe they lived here - just on their word. Sounds like the professor was determined to use the race card. I agree the professor overreacted. Of course I'm from a different time and place. However he was arrested after he showed his Harvard Id and license which I assume has his address on it, thus proving it was his home. It seems he was arrested for trying to get the officers Id and threatening him with legal action. As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
Avian User ID: 684156 United States 07/21/2009 08:50 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | you really cant win with the police...I am sure he was pissed...I am sure the police were white which doesnt help...he was tired...and there is a huge history of racial profiling in this country but it didnt start out randomly...racial tensions are still high in this country its high for most people tired of being harrassed by the police...some police are good guys...half are inbred morons with a power complex you almost cant win best thing to do is try to get involved and know your officers...I do only through the fire department produce the information they want..when they want it...most problems go away if you are going to plan a confrontation...make sure your are right...are courteous...and are polite...know the law...but be ready for the confrontation to turn sour..then back off "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." - Frédéric Bastiat food, water, ammo, weapons, battery back up solar, hand well pump, wood stove and 1 year of food...oh yeah PM's too...good luck |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 499547 United States 07/21/2009 09:00 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Well, understanding that we may have only part of the story or maybe even only one side. From this much it is evident that the cops, once shown ID, should've explained the call, thanked the professor, made sure he was ok, and been on their way. Cops these days have NO idea how to handle a sensitive situation. Taser, shoot, or arrest them and call it a day is their solution. They cause more problems than they solve/prevent. Just goes to show the IQ/intelligence level of the cops on the beat these days. They have forgotten that they work for US, not the other way around. I sincerely hope these incidents do spark some anger and get things changed. The gall of the cops to arrest the man is appalling, even if he was upset (and rightly so). |
Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 09:05 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | you really cant win with the police...I am sure he was pissed...I am sure the police were white which doesnt help...he was tired...and there is a huge history of racial profiling in this country but it didnt start out randomly...racial tensions are still high in this country Quoting: Avianits high for most people tired of being harrassed by the police...some police are good guys...half are inbred morons with a power complex you almost cant win best thing to do is try to get involved and know your officers...I do only through the fire department produce the information they want..when they want it...most problems go away if you are going to plan a confrontation...make sure your are right...are courteous...and are polite...know the law...but be ready for the confrontation to turn sour..then back off I agree for the most part. I don't go as far as making friends with cops; but I've never had any trouble with the police. Although I have been stopped by them due to profiling. If I am stopped I just act polite and show my id. This professor sort of asked for trouble by continuing to press the situation. I can understand his frustration of being accused of breaking into his own home. Though we can't be certain if this was a racial incident; I suspect if he looked like the typical 60 y/o harvard professor the officer would have taken his word that it was indeed his home. Also, isn't there some sort of law where a police is supposed to produce his/her badge # if you ask? As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
AsperGirl User ID: 708515 United States 07/21/2009 09:07 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | The black professor was trying to throw his weight around like a shrill condescending liberal academic, and the cops decided to treat him like a black man off the street and humiliate him. In my opinion they would NOT arrest a white Harvard professor for being a loud condescending asshole, and they also wouldn't go around arresting upset white people who yell on their patios. They wanted to humiliate and demean him. |
Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 09:09 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | IMO this was very racist. By the time they got outside, the cops knew Gates was a professor at Harvard. They arrested him to humiliate him for acting pompous and haranguing them like as ass. Now a of of Harvard professors would act like pompous, belittling asses, but they don't get arrested for it! Quoting: AsperGirl 708515The black professor was trying to throw his weight around like a shrill condescending liberal academic, and the cops decided to treat him like a black man off the street and humiliate him. In my opinion they would NOT arrest a white Harvard professor for being a loud condescending asshole, and they also wouldn't go around arresting upset white people who yell on their patios. They wanted to humiliate and demean him. Well said. As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
Enlilson User ID: 726235 United States 07/21/2009 09:14 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | OP you could have changed the vote question to how many here would shot a cop if they tired to arrest them in their domicile. If we took every poster here at their world a few have said that they would brandish weapons for any unlawful attempt to deprive them of liberties or property. Let alone a flu shot. Just sayin. IMHO the professor acted like an ass and opened this can-o-worms and the cop probably over reacted as well. Now they both look like fools. It doesn't matter who I m it's who U R so ChoOse |
Avian User ID: 684156 United States 07/21/2009 09:18 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Just sayin. IMHO the professor acted like an ass and opened this can-o-worms and the cop probably over reacted as well. Now they both look like fools. Quoting: Enlilsonyeah pretty much both acted like fools... "When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it." - Frédéric Bastiat food, water, ammo, weapons, battery back up solar, hand well pump, wood stove and 1 year of food...oh yeah PM's too...good luck |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 391217 United States 07/21/2009 09:29 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | IMO this was very racist. By the time they got outside, the cops knew Gates was a professor at Harvard. They arrested him to humiliate him for acting pompous and haranguing them like as ass. Now a of of Harvard professors would act like pompous, belittling asses, but they don't get arrested for it! Quoting: AsperGirl 708515The black professor was trying to throw his weight around like a shrill condescending liberal academic, and the cops decided to treat him like a black man off the street and humiliate him. In my opinion they would NOT arrest a white Harvard professor for being a loud condescending asshole, and they also wouldn't go around arresting upset white people who yell on their patios. They wanted to humiliate and demean him. I agree with this post. At first I thought the race card was a red herring but put this way, it does make sense that race may have played a role. |
anonymous User ID: 730037 United States 07/21/2009 09:34 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | 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. Quoting: Reece2076Gates had forced his way through the front door because it was jammed, his lawyer said. Colleagues call the arrest last Thursday afternoon a clear case of racial profiling. Cambridge police say they responded to the well-maintained two-story home after a woman reported seeing "two black males with backpacks on the porch," with one "wedging his shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry." By the time police arrived, Gates was already inside. Police say he refused to come outside to speak with an officer, who told him he was investigating a report of a break-in. "Why, because I'm a black man in America?" Gates said, according to a police report written by Sgt. James Crowley. The Cambridge police refused to comment on the arrest Monday. Gates — the director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research — initially refused to show the officer his identification, but then gave him a Harvard University ID card, according to police. "Gates continued to yell at me, accusing me of racial bias and continued to tell me that I had not heard the last of him," the officer wrote. Gates said he turned over his driver's license and Harvard ID — both with his photos — and repeatedly asked for the name and badge number of the officer, who refused. He said he then followed the officer as he left his house onto his front porch, where he was handcuffed in front of other officers, Gates said in a statement released by his attorney, fellow Harvard scholar Charles Ogletree, on a Web site Gates oversees, TheRoot.com He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior." He was released later that day on his own recognizance. An arraignment was scheduled for Aug. 26. Gates, 58, also refused to speak publicly Monday, referring calls to Ogletree. "He was shocked to find himself being questioned and shocked that the conversation continued after he showed his identification," Ogletree said. Ogletree declined to say whether he believed the incident was racially motivated, saying "I think the incident speaks for itself." Some of Gates' African-American colleagues say the arrest is part of a pattern of racial profiling in Cambridge. Allen Counter, who has taught neuroscience at Harvard for 25 years, said he was stopped on campus by two Harvard police officers in 2004 after being mistaken for a robbery suspect. They threatened to arrest him when he could not produce identification. "We do not believe that this arrest would have happened if professor Gates was white," Counter said. "It really has been very unsettling for African-Americans throughout Harvard and throughout Cambridge that this happened." The Rev. Al Sharpton is vowing to attend Gates' arraignment. "This arrest is indicative of at best police abuse of power or at worst the highest example of racial profiling I have seen," Sharpton said. "I have heard of driving while black and even shopping while black but now even going to your own home while black is a new low in police community affairs." Ogletree said Gates had returned from a trip to China on Thursday with a driver, when he found his front door jammed. He went through the back door into the home — which he leases from Harvard — shut off an alarm and worked with the driver to get the door open. The driver left, and Gates was on the phone with the property's management company when police first arrived. Ogletree also disputed the claim that Gates, who was wearing slacks and a polo shirt and carrying a cane, was yelling at the officer. "He has an infection that has impacted his breathing since he came back from China, so he's been in a very delicate physical state," Ogletree said. Lawrence D. Bobo, the W.E.B Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard, said he met with Gates at the police station and described his colleague as feeling humiliated and "emotionally devastated." "It's just deeply disappointing but also a pointed reminder that there are serious problems that we have to wrestle with," he said. Bobo said he hoped Cambridge police would drop the charges and called on the department to use the incident to review training and screening procedures it has in place. The Middlesex district attorney's office said it could not do so until after Gates' arraignment. The woman who reported the apparent break-in did not return a message Monday. Gates joined the Harvard faculty in 1991 and holds one of 20 prestigious "university professors" positions at the school. He also was host of "African American Lives," a PBS show about the family histories of prominent U.S. blacks, and was named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most influential Americans in 1997. "I was obviously very concerned when I learned on Thursday about the incident," Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust said in a statement. "He and I spoke directly and I have asked him to keep me apprised." [link to news.yahoo.com] a normal person would have been glad that police responded to the neighbors cll it would have save a life of an ennocent victim inside..but NoooooGates gets mad that he has prove his nenity he is abve the law remember cause he is Black officer get id checks from identicle calls afte the fu ck ing front door has just been knock in..this idiot want free money so he showed his black ass to stir up more shit any ne ele would have been grateful that poice acted swiftlyand throughly .now some lawyer will sue just because police did a through investigation of this forced break in in a residenntual area ...he teches at college rather amazing that he objected to the id check . these Black attention hog luns continue to step over all bars of normal commom sense .. |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 124430 United States 07/21/2009 09:38 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | He was arrested because of this: He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge after police said he "exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior." ...not because he "was black" Being an "esteemed Professor" does not excuse you from being an uncooperative asshole. |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 730909 United States 07/21/2009 09:43 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Pretty black and white case here. Gates should have cooperated fully and thanked the officer for checking on his home and being so concerned. Anyone of any color would get arrested for the same behavior in this case. Fact is that whites get less slack than others in cases like these because of expectations. |
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Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 09:47 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | a normal person would have been glad that police responded to the neighbors cll it would have save a life of an ennocent victim inside..but NoooooGates gets mad that he has prove his nenity he is abve the law remember cause he is Black officer get id checks from identicle calls afte the fu ck ing front door has just been knock in..this idiot want free money so he showed his black ass to stir up more shit any ne ele would have been grateful that poice acted swiftlyand throughly .now some lawyer will sue just because police did a through investigation of this forced break in in a residenntual area ...he teches at college rather amazing that he objected to the id check . these Black attention hog luns continue to step over all bars of normal commom sense .. Quoting: anonymous 730037Somehow I doubt money was a motivating factor here. As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
Reece2076 (OP) User ID: 730745 China 07/21/2009 09:50 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Yep... just like in da hood. Black complain about lack of cops in their hood.... but when arrests are made, its racial profiling...even tho 90%+ are black in that neighborhood.... Quoting: Anonymous Coward 627137LOL.. I'm not from the "hood" but I've known black people who were. I've never heard anyone complaining about a LACK of cops in the "hood". Last Edited by Reece2076 on 07/21/2009 09:51 AM As Above, So Below Work Smarter, Not Harder |
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Anonymous Coward User ID: 627137 United States 07/21/2009 09:56 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Yep... just like in da hood. Black complain about lack of cops in their hood.... but when arrests are made, its racial profiling...even tho 90%+ are black in that neighborhood.... Quoting: Reece2076LOL.. I'm not from the "hood" but I've known black people who were. I've never heard anyone complaining about a LACK of cops in the "hood". I work in da hood....the community wants the muggers, rapist, and burglars arrested, but not the drug dealers, hookers, or fences....these are looked at as harmless(dey ain'ts doing nuttin") community assets...people are weird that way.... |
AsperGirl User ID: 708515 United States 07/21/2009 10:01 AM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Pretty black and white case here. Quoting: Anonymous Coward 730909Gates should have cooperated fully and thanked the officer for checking on his home and being so concerned. Anyone of any color would get arrested for the same behavior in this case. Fact is that whites get less slack than others in cases like these because of expectations. He was acting like a hostile protester or activist, being loud and demanding the cops' badge number, etc. Liberal academic protestors like to do that kind of stuff. I'm sure those cops have seen plenty of that from white academics without arresting them. On the other hand, while I doubt that a white professor would have been put through what he was put through, when you get up in some cop's face and start pushing their buttons, you should be prepared to take the consequences. IMO, it was racist for the cops to arrest him for that. But he should have been prepared to be treated like a hostile protester since he was acting like one. |