Charges dropped against Harvard professor: report

[kpete]

Source: Reuters

BOSTON (Reuters) - Disorderly conduct charges filed against one of the nation's pre-eminent African-American scholars have been dropped, local media reported on Tuesday.

Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates was arrested on Thursday after what police described as "exhibiting loud and tumultuous behavior," including accusing police of racism.

Boston's WHDH-TV said all charges would be dropped, quoting unidentified sources.

Gates, 58, director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African & African American Research, was arrested at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, police said.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE56K47G20090721

[valerief]

1. I wonder why his front door was damaged. Of course, I don't blame

him for getting worked up over being questioned by police for entering his own residence.

[SoCalDem]

3. I used to keep a brick by the garage side door

because I kept losing my keys.. My husband gave me holy hell over having to keep fixing the window.. no one ever arrested me for breaking in..

[valerief]

9. You're not a black man, I guess, living in Buchananville. nt

[SoCalDem]

11. That was my point.. I should have elaborated.. My neighbors just laughed

and said.. "she locked herself out again".. I hope he sues and gets a shitload of money.

[valerief]

14. Agreed! nt

[Tesha]

2. "Charges dropped." Well, there's a shock ;-). (NT)

[WriteDown]

4. Proving is you are rich and powerful, there are a different

set of rules. Most people would have been dragged to jail.

[No Elephants]

5. Not for being at home when some power drunk cop arrives.

[WriteDown]

7. Yep..

Asking questions about a possible break-in is powerdrunk. I actually don't think he should have been charged with anything, but I have no problem with the questioning.

[No Elephants]

33. Yet, the officer's own police department had a problem with the officer's conduct.

But, of course, you'd be in a better position to judge.

:)

[WriteDown]

40. Powerful people can cause things to happen...

Nothing new. The dept is right to have the charges dropped because they were ridiculous, but I don't believe they've said anything about the officer's actions before the arrest.

[No Elephants]

42. Yes, they did. Did you see the interview?

Powerul people may get charges dropped, but they generally don't get a police department to knock it's own officer.

[WriteDown]

45. Sure they do....

Offend the wrong people and you'll get a personal apology from everyone.

[EFerrari]

48. He let himself in with his KEYS through the back door

but he and his driver were examining damage to the front door. There could well have been some kind of entry attempt while he was in China.

[psychmommy]

10. it reminds of that dave chappelle joke.

the cops respond to a breaking & entering. the cop says this Negro broke in and put up pictures of his family everywhere. they beat him up and sprinkled crack on him. bet dr gates never thought stuff like that still happens. shine some light on bad practices and let the roaches scatter.

[snooper2]

32. So you know the cop?

How do you know him? Live close by? Kids go to the same dance classes?

[No Elephants]

37. I know the Police Department spokesperson called the incident

unfortunate and regrettable. And indicated that the police department would be learning from it. Not exactly typical of police departments when an officer is not out of line in any way.

But, I know Professor Gates is a respectful, moderate person without a belligerent bones in his body. He has dealt with all kinds of people all over the world, in all kinds of circumstances. He has been on the Harvard faculty for years, teaching thousands of students, many of whom are absolutely convinced that they are God's gift. And Gates has never had one problem with anyone. Well, unless you count some African American groups who think he's too mild.


So, may alternative is to assume that a cop knocks on the door. Professor Gates opens it--and immediately goes ballistic, with no provocation whatever. And then the officer's employers drop the charges and use the language they did.

Well, duh.

[Iowa]

44. He's a cop. You don't need to know him.

If you assume a cop is dull-witted, rigid, prone to poor judgment, power-crazed, a liar, and/or sadistic, the odds are in your favor... especially a cop who actually arrested a man on his own property while trying to get into his own home. It would take a first-class idiot (or jerk) to approach a situation like that and end up with the fiasco that ensued. Most people would be smart enough to figure out a way to deal with such a matter amicably and on the scene.

A friend of mine is a psychologist who administers psych evals to incoming cops. It is his opinion that there is very little difference in the psychological make-up of most cops and criminals. The steady stream of daily news reports about police atrocities would seem to support that hypothesis. Cops are tools of oppression. They are not your friend - and they are especially not your friend if you are a minority.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WriteDown]

17. And he shouldn't have been charged....

but if anybody else was, charges would not have been dropped so easily. I'm sure you know this from dealing with the Arkansas police force.

[No Elephants]

34. Arkansas is not Massachusetts, nor is Little Rock Cambridge, especially

the sections of Cambridge occupied by world famous Harvard professors with substantial books sales and TV shows.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. I knew this news would make some of the usual suspects unhappy.

Makes one feel good, that.

[WriteDown]

20. I'm plenty happy...

He should never have been charged with anything. I have no problem to the questions he was asked though. I just know that if I was in the same situation, I probably would not have the resouces to get it dismissed so easily.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

25. Oh, of course, post #4 oozes happiness.

Photons in one side, photons out the other side.

[WriteDown]

26. If you have an oozing problem...

then you may want to get it checked out. :)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. Are you 15 or what?

[WriteDown]

29. I wish.

:)

[No Elephants]

35. Well, I feel good whether they are happy or not, but it's good

when justice prevails.

Of course, that often disappoints them, but, hey, collateral damage.

[No Elephants]

6. A little more data: Links in post.

Statment of Harvard Law School Professor Ogletree, Gates's lawyer http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr

Story about how Boston Police wanted the charges dropped. http://www.thebostonchannel.com/education/20129361/detail.html

[happyslug]

31. The police give a different version of the events. Overall the same story but different Details

I read the report on another Democratic Underground thread on this matter, but when I went back to that thread the reference to the Actual Police Report was still in the Thread, but when you clicked on it, the report is no longer at that cite (It seems to have been pulled by the Police).

Anyway, the report did agree with this report by Gate's attorney, except it was from the view of the arresting officer NOT gates (Thus no comments about being dropped off and having his lugged dropped off into the residence, but both report agree that "Two black men" did try to force open a door. Gate's report was he was helped by the Taxi Driver to force open the blocked door, the Police report said that a neighbor reporting seeing two black men forcing open a door. Different viewpoint but in agreement.

The Police report also said the Officer upon arriving looked into the house and saw a black man in it and the Officer asked in in regards to the reported break in. In the Police Report Gates became belligerent but did provide his identification but then demanded the Officer's name. The Officer then said he gave his name to Gates twice but Gates never stopped yelling at the Officer for Gates to hear it and at that point the Officer stop giving out his name. At that point the Officer left the house, followed by Gates. Once outside the house Gates continued to yell and demand the Officer's name and at that point the officer arrested him for the harassment. This was done in the presence of other officers who had appeared since the first Officer arrived and even in the presence of the neighbor who had called in the report.

Now in the other thread the above is reported as being one sided, and it is but so is the report by Gate's attorney. I suspect Gates was tired and mad that the door had been blocked and when the Police arrived was already in a sour mood. According to both reports the Officer did nothing wrong until he refused to provide Gates his name (Gate's Report) or when he did and Gates was to busy yelling at the Officer to take it down (Police Report). Both sides agree Gates was NOT arrested till he followed the Officer outside his home. The Officer report said do to refusing to leave him alone, Gates reporting he only followed the Officer to get his name.

Thus I suspect both reports are accurate, with Gates leaving out that he was yelling at the officer not talking to the officer (And it should be noted that may be how Gates looked at the situation, again I suspect Gates to be tired and grumpy even before he arrived home and the incident occurred, remember this is after a long flight).

I wish the Police had NOT pulled their report so it would be easier to show you the above (It is from my memory of reading the report, always a danger of mis-reading and/or bad memory), but the solution is probably fair to everyone, just drop the whole thing. Gates does not have to worry about the arrest and the Police do NOT have to show they had good cause to arrest Gates.

Cambridge Police Web Site (Nothing on the web cite, but where the Police Report should be):
http://www.cambridgema.gov/CPD/publications/neighborhoods.cfm

[No Elephants]

36. I don't think it was the same story. However, it doesn't matter. The Police Department

spokesperson basically indicated that the officer's conduct left a lot to be desired.

[seaglass]

41. Not exactly, the spokesperson said that the conduct of BOTH

was questionable. From your link:

"It was not Professor Gates' best moment and it certainly was not the Cambridge Police Department's best moment," Downes said.

Sounds like two people talking/yelling past each other. Kind of like what was happening on DU.

I am glad it was resolved as it was, it seems much cooler heads prevailed.

[No Elephants]

43. Yes, but saying that both parties were wrong IS saying that the police officer was wrong.

And, in an interview, the spokesperson said that the police dept intended to learn from it. So, if this was all about Gates just erupting unreasonably when the police officer is being appropriate, what is she talking about? What's to learn?


Not the kinds of thing police departments typically say, in my experience, even when the officer is wrong.

And as I have posted, getting mad first would be totally out of character for Gates. And not by a little.

[seaglass]

47. Yes, I said that. Both were wrong. n/t

[Steerpike]

8. How disapointing this whole situation!

Reminds me of the old days when people were arrested for "resisting arrest". If they want to arrest you they can get you coming or going...

[sallylou666]

12. Armed with a large vocabulary & extremely dangerous

Yea, he looks like a real threat. This man is armed with a large vocabulary and considered extremely dangerous. :crazy:

[Steerpike]

13. A hundred years ago

A "man like that" would have been hobbled...no black alpha males allowed!

[No Elephants]

38. He is hobbled. He's almost 60 and disabled due to genetics. Plus,

his lungs had been recently affected. He is a gentle man and a gentleman. And, the one complaint I've read about him, other than the police report, is that some AFrican Americans consider him too mild and moderate.

Not most people's diea of an alpha male of any hue. A man, yes, very much. A alpha male, as that term is used today? Not by a mile.

[MrsBrady]

15. reading some of the blog posts on the article's link page is disturbing...

and unfortunately not surprising.
here (as someone else posted): http://www.theroot.com/views/lawyers-statement-arrest-henry-louis-gates-jr

I don't see why he was arrested at all. He provided proof that he lived there. The officer should have left. I would sue. This is BS.

The police never lie
:sarcasm:

[Triana]

18. well. nice to know some things never change...

...like blatant racism. :sarcasm:

[hedgehog]

21. Police Drop Charges in Henry Louis Gates Case

Source: Wall Street Journal

The City of Cambridge, Mass., and its police department recommended that charges be dropped, and the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office agreed not to prosecute, according to a joint statement from Mr. Gates's lawyer, Walter B. Prince, and authorities. According to the police report, Mr. Gates accused the police of racism during the incident.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124819548233769057.html

[hedgehog]

22. I couldn't figure out how to do this on the original post:

:toast: :fistbump: :headbang: :woohoo: :applause:

[Blue_Tires]

23. but i thought Gates brought the whole thing on himself and the cops were justified??

:sarcasm:

[BlooInBloo]

24. Agreed not to prosecute WHAT? Tell me, fuckers.

:rofl:



EDIT: Get a lawyer, you fucking terrorists.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

30. That's what pisses me off the most.

That pig knew his bullshit charge would never stick but he still got to cuff the guy and "ruin his day" as my cop acquaintances call it.

[RaleighNCDUer]

28. It could have turned out much worse -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106266/

[No Elephants]

39. Yes. President Obama might have taken a personal interest, at the request of his

friend, mentor, Presidential advisor and former law school professor, Attorny Ogletree, aka counsel for the defense.

Of course, also being somewhat interested in Africa himself, perhaps President Obama is directly quite familiar with Professor Gates. Not sure about that, though.

[EFerrari]

49. I was thinking last night how this easily could have happened to Obama

during his teaching days.

[JonLP24]

46. I'm so happy

I can see why he was frustrated as this isn't the first time this sort of thing happens in the area.
<snip>
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."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/henry-louis-gates-jr-arre_n_241407.html

Either way they had no business arresting him in the first place and now the police are doing the right thing. Whenever there is a thread that is open to interpretation it takes off with posts such as "That's not racist!" and when I post an article about racial bias in DNA testing or obvious cases of racism and sexual harassment at the Houston Fire Department it sinks like a stone.

Honestly if it was a white man he wouldn't of been arrested in the first place which just shows the cops just threw charges that wouldn't stick simply because he was upset about being harassed by them.

[Wednesdays]

50. K&R

:kick:

[Justice]

51. Do you believe that this arrest would have happened if Gates were white?

I do not believe it would have happened.

For the Cambridge police who say it was not Gates' best moment - consider this -

On the one hand, you have an older man, uses a cane to walk, sick, just got home after a flight from China, finds possible tampering at his front door. Police officer walks in, you think he is there to respond to your phone inquiry, officer starts asking for your ID.

One the other hand you have a trained police officer responding to a possible breakin, encounters an older man, on the phone inside the home, with the door open. Are you threatened? Do you treat him as a suspect because he is black? What if he were white?

Who in that situation is better trained to handle it - who in that situation could have evaluated it and behaved differently?

______________________________________________________

If Gates were white - I wonder if the passerby (NOT a neighbor as so many wrongly state but a person who worked at Harvard and was walking by) would have even called the police.

If Gates were white, when the police approached him on the phone with the door opened - I honestly believe the first words from the policeman's mouth would have been - are you okay?

Ask yourself - what would have happened if Gates were white?

Edited for grammer.

[theboss]

52. I'm just stunned that such racial attitudes exist in Bosto...hahahahahaha

I'm almost got through it without laughing. Damn.

Boys, put down those Budweseihas and maaaahch with your mahthas!