Racial talk swirls with Louis Gates arrest

[Exxcuzme]

Exponent,

You dont need to insult ILN.

Most policemen heartrate raise up when they have to confront blackmen. That is why I always chill out.....cause you are no good being dead.

Both the police and the professor are in the wrong. If the policeman has common sense, he should have realised that it is highly uncommon for a 50 something man to be a burglar.The IDs the professor showed the policeman should be enough. But some of these policemen dont want to appear to be wrong. I was once stopped after fixing a machine at a bank after hours. Apparently some people saw me and called the police. They stopped my car. Asked for ID..I showed them the bank's ID and my driver license but they were not satisfied. I told them to call the bank manager which they did but they would not let me go until they took my picture. The bank called them the following day but they lied that the ID did not appear genuine I was not bothered because they did not shoot me first before asking question.

Now the professor should have been more calm and explain the situation to them. May be the professor was tired due to the long flight from China. There is no need to yell racism at the police. The police are there to serve though most of these white officers have little or no interaction with black people to decipher the real threat. I doubt a black police officer would have given the professor that kind of hassle. This is why diversity is important in most institution, especially the police.

[Exponent]

Originally Posted by Pooky

In addition, being educated has never prevented Black folks from being harassed and racially profiled. I guess his white wife didn’t insolate him from being racially profiled. Personally, I have never liked Gates. He is such as kiss ass – TOM. It is good that Blacks like him get a bitter pill. I can’t help it. I don’t feel sorry for him.

However, I am sure he will milk it for all it is worth. I sure would! I see this as a big pay day for Gates.

I NEVER like Gates either Pooky. (quiet as kept).

He seemed to reveal in his lightskinness. He was a pure BOOT LICKER and UNCLE TOM.

You are right. This is good not only for him but for America.

Especially when Black in America 2 is about to premiere Wednesday on CNN

BRAVO!!!!

[NextLevel]

It's really interesting how Exponent advocates the use of one stereotype (age) but disallows the use of another (race). Maybe there is a legitimate basis for this distinction but so far, I am yet to see it.

[Exponent]

Originally Posted by NextLevel

It's really interesting how Exponent advocates the use of one stereotype (age) but disallows the use of another (race). Maybe there is a legitimate basis for this distinction but so far, I am yet to see it.

Are you accusing me of ageism - Grandpa?

I'll try to respect my Elders in the future - sir.

[Namio]

Originally Posted by Exponent

White people "secretly" laugh at the Black predicament - NO MATTER HOW LARGE you are.

They seen it - and they stood pat.

The same way they have historically stood pat on Civil Rights issues.

It is really suprising that because police said "Skip" Gate was rude or whatever, people believed him. Police would say anything. Gate is not loud by manners and not a JJC in America. He is not the type who bluff about who he is, he is diminutive in status and slightly crippled because he has to walk with a cane or wheel chair sometimes. I don't like him that much on African v. AA issues but that is not the issue here.

So tell me how this type of man can be so insulting to police. This is a man who went to the police when he bought his Jaguar telling them not to bother him some years ago.

Before police got to his house, he knew who owns the house and if he did not, had enough time to check or radio in, he knew who Skip was. Cambridge police know most owners around Harvard and beyound, ok.

Bottom line. They want to put him in his place. Remember you are a black man. Finito.

[I Love Nigeria]

Pooky and Exponent Read below, what I had written about Obama's sermon before NAACP in New York City, for which everyone have abused me... instead of reading or understanding my arguments. Here, I was only parodying Obama by saying, here that Professor Gates did what Obama appears to think African Americans do not do enough, and yet, Professor Gates has not escaped the indignities of racism in America.

Obama it was, who suggested that African Americans need to embrace education... instead of everyone hoping to Lil Wayne and Lebron James and I disagreed with him on such generalizations... read two paragraphs below, excerpted from my article.

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/...ess-overj.html

It is much easier to blame folks and talk about personal responsibility, than to talk about power arrangements, power structures which have existed and which still remains. Obama's lecture in New York City to NAACP was full of his keywords reserved for continental Africans and peoples of African descent; take responsibility, make no excuses etc. Obama graciously referred to the disparity in unemployment numbers published by New York City candidate for mayor, Bill Thompson in which peoples of African descent are disproportionately affected. 15% of our people are unemployed compared with 9.5%, is the high rate of unemployment amongst our people because they want to sing, dance and play basketball? Rather, it is because of lopsided structural arrangements, which has historically put our people at tremendous disadvantage? And let me be the first to inform Obama that a good number of African Americans who are currently unemployed, are not trying to be Lil Wayne or Lebron James, instead, these African Americans are college educated and skilled professionals. Obama's comedic clichés would have the world believe otherwise.

Obama ought to realize that there are reasons why some African Americans would want to pursue careers similar to Lil Wayne and Lebron James, such as the reality of racism in America, race, sadly, remains how life is lived in America. And certainly not as some would have you believe that African Americans are lazy, shiftless and without ambitions or big dreams. Obama also ought to know that he is not the first African American to run to be president of the United States! We must never underestimate the race factor in all these.

50% sports men and women in America are African Americans, but, surprisingly, only 2% of all coaches and managers are African Americans! Why is that Mr. President? It is because, in America, racism often tells you who you are and where you should be!

It is clear to me now, that even though Exponent and others were loudly abusing me ... they never actually read my current article... they apparently just saw the title and that was enough for them?

[NextLevel]

Auspicious nailed it on the head for me. When I go to stores and purchase things on my credit card, the store person always asks me for my ID. They are often surprised when I present it without argument. One time, a West Indian cashier started telling me stories of how belligerent people get about showing their IDs.

Folks, if they don't check your ID and someone else uses it and gets away with it, then what will you do? What if Gates was really being robbed?

It is quite possible that the police are not playing straight with the whole story, but it is also quite possible that Gates was arrogant about being challenged.

[I Love Nigeria]

Obama in his own words ... follow links below.


1. Barack Obama's NAACP Speech(”Our Kids Can't All Aspire To Be ...
63 Responses to “Barack Obama's NAACP Speech(”Our Kids Can't All Aspire To Be LeBronOr Lil Wayne”)”. yo Says: July 16th, 2009 at 9:41 pm. My man Obama. ...
realtalkny.uproxx.com/.../barack-obamas-naacp-speechour-kids-can’t-all-aspire-to-be-lebron-or-lil-wayne/ - Cached - Similar –


2. Barack Obama: “Our Kids Can't All Aspire To Be Lil Wayne” | Lil ...
President Barack Obama paid homage to the NAACP (National Assocation for ... He also referenced superstar athlete LeBron James and rapper Lil Wayne to remind ... I'd rather beLil Wayne anyday over Obama. YME4LYF Says: ...
http://www.lilwaynehq.com/.../barack...-be-lil-wayne/ -Cached - Similar –


3. VN Boards - Obama to NAACP Blacks: Start being productive members ...
1 post - 1 author
At the 100th anniversary celebration of the NAACP, the country's oldest civil rights ... beyond such iconic figures as NBA star LeBron James and rap singer Lil Wayne. ... "Our kids can't all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. ...
vnboards.ign.com/outpost/b22180/111337380/p1/ - Cached - Similar –


4. Free Internet Press :: President Obama Pays Tribute To NAACP ...
Rafsanjani Says Iran 'Crisis" Has Caused Loss Of Public Trust ... our kids can't all aspire to be the next LeBron [James] or Lil Wayne," said Obama, ...
freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=22191 - 15 hours ago - Cached - Similar –


5. Obama Says Tell our Children: “Your destiny is in your hands ...
Jul 16, 2009 ... “Our kids can't all aspire to be the next LeBron or Lil Wayne. .... but say that I couldn't respect or agree with more with Obama's NAACP. ...
blogs.bet.com/.../obama-says-tell-our-children-your-destiny-is-in-your-hands/ -


http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

[Rose]

Originally Posted by I Love Nigeria

Pooky and Exponent Read below, what I had written about Obama's sermon before NAACP in New York City, for which everyone have abused me... instead of reading or understanding my arguments. Here, I was only parodying Obama by saying, here that Professor Gates did what Obama appears to think African Americans do not do enough, and yet, Professor Gates has not escaped the indignities of racism in America.

Obama it was, who suggested that African Americans need to embrace education... instead of everyone hoping to Lil Wayne and Lebron James and I disagreed with him on such generalizations... read two paragraphs below, excerpted from my article.[/url]

I got your point and hate when folks speak as Obama did since it ignores our true diversity.

[I Love Nigeria]

I think some persons here are giving the police too much credit and benefit of doubt... I will give not such benefit of the doubt, unless I see facts/evidence against the person accusing the police. I have seen some police officers act like rough macho cowboys when there was no reason for it

You will have to assume that the police were so polite to Professor Gates, and he was very unresponsive and rude in return... hence the escalation?

How about the police acting as if the found a burglar and based on stereotypes, proceeded to be rude and rough, perhaps gun-drawn? I will not be surprised at all! I have had the police point a gun at me, when in fact, I was the one who called 911 when I was attacked... they saw me, and DECIDED I must be the trouble maker... asking me to lay down on the street! I was horrified!

Some of you guys seem to live a bubble... it may burst one day!

[Auspicious]

+

It does NOT matter if the Police was impolite or kissing the man's butt. The law is the fcuking law. Produce your ID immediately it was requested of you and let the arrogant (or arse-kissing - choose your pick) cop be on his doggone way.

You cannot afford to fight with this people - especially when they have a the right by way of law to make certain demands of you..and this are demands that you MUST comply with. The cop was doing his job, wether with finesse or crudely, and he must be obeyed.

If the man had simply produced the ID, we won't be here talking.

I had the same experience about 5 years ago - I did something similar as Mr. Gates'. I was legally parked on a shoulder of a street, waiting to pick a friend of mine, when this over-eager rookie cop sauntered over and told me to "move".

What?, I said. "Move it", he said - rudely. I swallowed my annoyance and moved to the opposite side of the road. Next, she shows up behind me and tells me to "beat it". Ahn, I was angry by now. But I didn't want to create a scene either.

Apparently, because it was a University campus area on a Halloween Evening, it was a little rowdy and the cops were on the edge already. Hence why they didn't want anyone standing there.

I should have simply left to find off-street parking, but I was irritated at the way this young cop (young enough to be my youngest brother) was barking orders at me.

I then made the mistake of gunning the engine with burning tyres while giving him the evil eye. Little did I know that the bastard would go back to his car and follow me..all the way to a quiet side street, where he pulled me over and wasted my time for almost an entire hour!

At the end of it all, he issued me a ticket for a littany of offenses, all totalling about 280 bucks. Yes, the money is an issue, but more importntly was that I allowed him to ruin my evening. It is never worth it to argue or fight a cop - he will almost always win, especially when he is right and I am wrong.

The man was right to tell me to move, but he wasn't right to be rude about it. But, who's going to hear your case about rude tones? And, really, is it worth it?

Is it worth that man being detained for 4 hours in a police station like a common thief? Does he need that bad publicity? COULD HE HAVE PRODUCED THAT IDENTIFICATION IMMEDIATELY IT WAS REQUESTED OF HIM?

The man insulted the cop while making the cop's job more complicated than it already is..and the cop retaliated by using his powers to make Mr. Gates have abad day.

Maybe you the reader, too, would do the same if you were in the cops shoes, who knows? Or maybe you will leave and keep an eye on Gates around town, and pull him over when next he's about 2 mph above the local speed limit to git yo pound o'flesh.

Knowing this things is NOT living in a bubble. It is called choosing your battles carefully, without necessarily taking bull-shit from people. The man began asking for trouble the moment he didn't produce his ID. And he didn't stop there, he began nagging the cop and talking about his Momma.

He's lucky it wasn't a Nigerian cop who showed up (dos wans nor dey show-up anyways); na butt of AK-47 dem go use shut-am up for Mouf.

Auspicious.

[valteena]

What Do You Call a Black Man with a Ph.D.?

The Skip Gates arrest shows how little some features of the national racial landscape have changed over time.

- By: Lawrence Bobo

Ain’t nothing post-racial about the United States of America.

I say this because my best friend, a well-known, middle-aged, affluent, black man, was arrested on his own front porch after showing his identification to a white police officer who was responding to a burglary call. Though the officer quickly determined that my friend was the rightful resident of the house and knew by then that there was no burglary in progress, he decided to place my friend in handcuffs, put him in the back of a police cruiser and have him fingerprinted and fully “processed,” at our local police station.

This did not happen at night. It happened in the middle of the day. It did not happen to a previously unknown urban black male. It happened to internationally known, 58-year-old Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. I am writing about this event because it is an outrage, because I want others to know that it is an outrage, and because, even now, I have not fully processed the meaning of it.

Here’s what I understand to have happened: The officer in my friend’s case was really motivated by a simmering cauldron of anger that my friend had not immediately complied with his initial command to step out of the house. In hindsight, that was the right thing to do since I think my friend could have been physically injured by this police officer (if not worse) had he, in fact, stepped out of his home before showing his ID. Black Americans recall all too well that Amadou Diallo reached for his identification in a public space when confronted by police and, 42 gun shots later, became the textbook case of deadly race-infected police bias.

Skip is one of the most readily recognized black men in America and the most broadly influential black scholar of this generation. And yes, in the liberal, politically correct cocoon of “the people’s Republic of Cambridge,” a famous, wealthy and important black man was arrested on his front porch. The ultimate charge? “Disorderly conduct.” Whatever that means.

Even before the charge were dropped Tuesday, I knew in my bones that this officer was wrong. I knew in my bones that this situation was about the level of deference from a black male that a white cop expects. I say this even though I did not see the events themselves unfold. What I do know with certainty is that the officer, even by his own written report, understood that he was dealing with a lawful resident of the house when he made the arrest. That same report makes it clear that at the time of the arrest, the officer was no longer concerned about the report of a “burglary in progress” involving “two black males.” No, by this point we’re talking about something else entirely.

Maybe this “situation” had something to do with Harvard University and social class. It is possible that one element of what happened here involved a policeman with working-class roots who faced an opportunity to “level the playing field” with a famous and successful Harvard professor. But even if class mattered, it did so mostly because of how, in this situation, it was bound up with race.

Imagine the scenario. An influential man, in his own home, is ordered to step outside by a policeman. Naturally and without disrespect he asks “Why?” or perhaps “Who are you?” The officer says words to the effect, “I’m responding to a burglary report. Step outside now!”

To which, our confident man, in his own home, says, “No. This is my house. I live here. I work for the university, and the university manages this property.” The response prompts the officer to demand identification. “Fine,” our resident says, and he pulls out two forms of identification from his wallet.

The officer now knows with high certainty that he is dealing with the legitimate resident of the home. Does he ask, “Is everything alright, sir? We had a report of a burglary.” No, he does not. Does he say, “I’m sorry, sir, if I frightened you before. We had a report of a burglary, and all they said was ‘two black men at this address.’ You can understand my concern when I first got to the house?”

No, he didn’t do that either. He also could have disengaged by walking away. But no, he didn’t do that either.

This officer continued to insist that my friend step outside. By now, it is clear to my friend that the officer has, well, “an attitude problem.” So, as I suspect would happen with any influential, successful person, in their own home, who has provided authoritative identification to a policeman would do in this situation: My friend says, “I want your name and badge number.” The cop says nothing sensible in response but continues to wait at the door.

The request for the officer’s name and badge number is pressed again. No response. Social scientists have plenty of hard data showing that African Americans, across the social-class spectrum, are deeply distrustful of the police. The best research suggests that this perception has substantial roots in direct personal encounters with police that individuals felt were discriminatory or motivated by racism. But this perception of bias also rests on a shared collective knowledge of a history of discriminatory treatment of blacks by police and of social policies with built-in forms of racial bias (i.e., stiffer sentences for use of crack versus powder cocaine).

In the age of Obama, however, with all the talk of post-racial comity, you might have thought what happened to Skip Gates was an impossibility. Even the deepest race cynic—picture comedian Dave Chappelle as “Conspiracy Brother” from the movie Undercover Brother—couldn’t predict such an event. But, I will say that when I moved into the same affluent area as Gates, I wondered whether someone might mistakenly report me, a black man, for breaking into my own house in a largely white neighborhood and what I would have to do to prove that the house actually belonged to me if the police showed up at the door.

I remember joking with my wife that maybe I should keep a copy of the mortgage papers and deed in the front foyer, just in case. I do now. And it is no longer a joke.

There is no way to completely erase and undo what has been done. And there is, indeed, a larger lesson here about the problem of racial bias and misuse of discretion by police that still, all too often, works against blacks, especially poor blacks. If Skip Gates can be arrested on his front porch and end up in handcuffs in a police cruiser then, sadly, there, but for the grace of God, goes every other black man in America. That is one sad statement, and it should also be enough to end all this post-racial hogwash.

Maybe events will prove my cynicism and anger unwarranted. Perhaps the officer involved will be fully held to account for his actions. Perhaps Gates will hear the apology he so richly deserves to hear. Perhaps a review of training, policy and practice by police in my fair city and many others will take place and move us closer to a day of bias-free policing. If you’re inclined to believe all that will happen, then I’ve got a shiny, new, post-racial narrative I’d be happy to sell.

Lawrence Bobo is the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University.

[valteena]

Originally Posted by I Love Nigeria

I think some persons here are giving the police too much credit and benefit of doubt... I will give not such benefit of the doubt, unless I see facts/evidence against the person accusing the police. I have seen some police officers act like rough macho cowboys when there was no reason for it

You will have to assume that the police were so polite to Professor Gates, and he was very unresponsive and rude in return... hence the escalation?

How about the police acting as if the found a burglar and based on stereotypes, proceeded to be rude and rough, perhaps gun-drawn? I will not be surprised at all! I have had the police point a gun at me, when in fact, I was the one who called 911 when I was attacked... they saw me, and DECIDED I must be the trouble maker... asking me to lay down on the street! I was horrified!

Some of you guys seem to live a bubble... it may burst one day!

You're right ILN, I would take the words of a confessed murder first before that of a policeman anyday given their antecedents. I think too much credence is being given to the police account of event. Here is Gates own account and I am wont to believe him than the police I'm afraid.

Skip Gates Speaks

The Root Editor-in-Chief Henry Louis Gates Jr. talks about his arrest and the outrage of racial profiling in America.


The Root: We’ve all seen the police and media reports around your arrest last Thursday in Cambridge, Mass., Charles Ogletree issued a statement to The Root that included a synopsis of the incident. But what have you been going through since Thursday?

Henry Louis Gates Jr.: I’m outraged. I can’t believe that an individual policeman on the Cambridge police force would treat any African-American male this way, and I am astonished that this happened to me; and more importantly I’m astonished that it could happen to any citizen of the United States, no matter what their race. And I’m deeply resolved to do and say the right things so that this cannot happen again.

Of course, it will happen again, but … I want to do what I can so that every police officer will think twice before engaging in this kind of behavior.

TR: Can you describe, in your own words, what went on in and outside of your home? When did you suspect you were the victim of racial profiling?

HLG: I just finished making my new documentary series for PBS called “Faces of America.” It was a glorious week in Shanghai and Ningbo and Beijing, and on my trip, I took my daughter along. After we finished working in Ningbo we went to Beijing and had three glorious days as tourists. It was great fun.

We flew back on a direct flight from Beijing to Newark. We arrived on Wednesday, and on Thursday I flew back to Cambridge. I was using my regular driver and my regular car service. And went to my home arriving at about 12:30 in the afternoon. My driver and I carried several bags up to the porch, and we fiddled with the door and it was jammed. I thought, well, maybe the door’s latched. So I walked back to the kitchen porch, unlocked the door and came into the house. And I unlatched the door, but it was still jammed.

My driver is a large black man. But from afar you and I would not have seen he was black. He has black hair and was dressed in a two-piece black suit, and I was dressed in a navy blue blazer with gray trousers and, you know, my shoes. And I love that the 911 report said that two big black men were trying to break in with backpacks on. Now that is the worst racial profiling I’ve ever heard of in my life. (Laughs.) I’m not exactly a big black man. I thought that was hilarious when I found that out, which was yesterday.

It looked like someone’s footprint was there. So it’s possible that the door had been jimmied, that someone had tried to get in while I was in China. But for whatever reason, the lock was damaged. My driver hit the door with his shoulder and the door popped open. But the lock was permanently disfigured. My home is owned by Harvard University, and so any kind of repair work that’s needed, Harvard will come and do it. I called this person, and she was, in fact, on the line while all of this was going on.

I’m saying ‘You need to send someone to fix my lock.’ All of a sudden, there was a policeman on my porch. And I thought, ‘This is strange.’ So I went over to the front porch still holding the phone, and I said ‘Officer, can I help you?’ And he said, ‘Would you step outside onto the porch.’ And the way he said it, I knew he wasn’t canvassing for the police benevolent association. All the hairs stood up on the back of my neck, and I realized that I was in danger. And I said to him no, out of instinct. I said, ‘No, I will not.’

My lawyers later told me that that was a good move and had I walked out onto the porch he could have arrested me for breaking and entering. He said ‘I’m here to investigate a 911 call for breaking and entering into this house.’ And I said ‘That’s ridiculous because this happens to be my house. And I’m a Harvard professor.’ He says ‘Can you prove that you’re a Harvard professor?’ I said yes, I turned and closed the front door to the kitchen where I’d left my wallet, and I got out my Harvard ID and my Massachusetts driver’s license which includes my address and I handed them to him. And he’s sitting there looking at them.

Now it’s clear that he had a narrative in his head: A black man was inside someone’s house, probably a white person’s house, and this black man had broken and entered, and this black man was me.

So he’s looking at my ID, he asked me another question, which I refused to answer. And I said I want your name and your badge number because I want to file a complaint because of the way he had treated me at the front door. He didn’t say, ‘Excuse me, sir, is there a disturbance here, is this your house?’—he demanded that I step out on the porch, and I don’t think he would have done that if I was a white person.

But at that point, I realized that I was in danger. And so I said to him that I want your name, and I want your badge number and I said it repeatedly.

TR: How did this escalate? What are the laws in Cambridge that govern this kind of interaction? Did you ever think you were in the wrong?

HLG: The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That’s a joke. Because I have a severe bronchial infection which I contracted in China and for which I was treated and have a doctor’s report from the Peninsula hotel in Beijing. So I couldn’t have yelled. I can’t yell even today, I’m not fully cured.

It escalated as follows: I kept saying to him, ‘What is your name, and what is your badge number?’ and he refused to respond. I asked him three times, and he refused to respond. And then I said, ‘You’re not responding because I’m a black man, and you’re a white officer.’ That’s what I said. He didn’t say anything. He turned his back to me and turned back to the porch. And I followed him. I kept saying, “I want your name, and I want your badge number.”

It looked like an ocean of police had gathered on my front porch. There were probably half a dozen police officers at this point. The mistake I made was I stepped onto the front porch and asked one of his colleagues for his name and badge number. And when I did, the same officer said, ‘Thank you for accommodating our request. You are under arrest.’ And he handcuffed me right there. It was outrageous. My hands were behind my back I said, ‘I’m handicapped. I walk with a cane. I can’t walk to the squad car like this.’ There was a huddle among the officers; there was a black man among them. They removed the cuffs from the back and put them around the front.

A crowd had gathered, and as they were handcuffing me and walking me out to the car, I said, ‘Is this how you treat a black man in America?’

TR: What was the jail experience like? Was it humiliating?

HLG: By the time I was processed at the Cambridge jail, I was booked, fingerprinted, given a mug shot and answered questions. Outrageous is the only word that I can use. The system attempts to humiliate you. They took my belt; they took my wallet, they took my keys, some change; they counted my money. And I knew that because they said, ‘We’re going to release you upon your own recognizance, and the fine is $40, and we know you can pay it because we went through your wallet.’

It’s meant to be terrifying and humiliating. And I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. And I said I can’t wait to get out, I am eager to talk to my lawyer, and they said they had to book me first. Then I was told that Charles Ogletree was in the building, and that he was there with three other Harvard professors—my friends Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Larry Bobo and Marcelina Lee Morgan.

I was in jail for four hours. I told them that I was claustrophobic, that I couldn’t be in this cell. And a very nice police officer said here are some of your friends and I could talk to them one at a time in the interview room until the magistrate came and signed the form allowing me to leave. I was there just between 1:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., which is an interminable amount of time. I spent the rest of the time in another room, slightly bigger, and my friends just had to sit there and wait. And it was kind of like a Senate filibuster; we had to tell stories in the prison cell.

TR: How has this resonated within the academic community at Harvard? I know that Larry Bobo and Charles Ogletree, also black men, have expressed dismay. President Barack Obama has talked about how difficult it is to hail a cab, even as an elected official. Is there an irony to your notoriety and the incident?

HLG: There is such a level of outrage that’s been expressed to me. I’ve received thousands of e-mails and Facebook messages; the blogs are going crazy; my colleagues at Harvard are outraged. Allen Counter called me from the Nobel Institute in Stockholm to express his outrage. But really it’s not about me—it’s that anybody black can be treated this way, just arbitrarily arrested out of spite. And the man who arrested me did it out of spite, because he knew I was going to file a report because of his behavior.

He didn’t follow proper police procedure! You can’t just presume I’m guilty and arrest me. He’s supposed to ask me if I need help. He just presumed that I was guilty, and he presumed that I was guilty because I was black. There was no doubt about that.

TR: What do you make of the suspicious neighbor who called the police with an erroneous report of “two black men” trying to enter your apartment? Was this neighborhood watch gone wrong?

HLG: I don’t know this person, and I’m sure that she thought she was doing the right thing. If I was on Martha’s Vineyard like I am now and someone was trying to break into my house, I would hope that someone called the police and that they would respond. But I would hope that the police wouldn’t arrest the first black man that they saw—especially after that person gives them an ID—and not rely on some trumped-up charge, which is what this man was doing.

TR: The charges have been dropped. What are your plans for legal action against the city of Cambridge, its police department or the individual officer?

HLG: I’ll be meeting with my legal team, and we will be deciding what kind of legal action I should take. I haven’t made the decision yet. But I am determined that this experience, my experience, as horrendous as it was and as outrageous as it was, be used for the larger good of the black community. There are 1 million black men in the prison system, and on Thursday I became one of them. I would sooner have believed the sky was going to fall from the heavens than I would have believed this could happen to me. It shouldn’t have happened to me, and it shouldn’t happen to anyone.

As a college professor, I want to make this a teaching experience. I am going to devote my considerable resources, intellectual and otherwise, to making sure this doesn’t happen again. I’m thinking about making a documentary film about racial profiling, and I’m in talks with PBS about that.

TR: Does this put to rest the idea that America is post-racial?

HLG: I thought the whole idea that America was post-racial and post-black was laughable from the beginning. There is no more important event in the history of black people in America than the election of Barack Obama. I cried when he was elected, and I cried at his inauguration, but that does not change the percentage of black men in prison, the percentage of black men harassed by racial profiling. It does not change the number of black children living near the poverty line. Which is almost a similar percentage as were under poverty when Martin Luther King was assassinated.

There haven’t been fundamental structural changes in America. There’s been a very important symbolic change and that is the election of Barack Obama. But the only black people who truly live in a post-racial world in America all live in a very nice house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Austin]

Originally Posted by Rose

I found it odd the neighbors couldn't place him too. You'd think they would have come out to help clear up the situation once Gates was under the glare of police lights.

God bless you Rose. I keep playing the scenario in my mind, but it just doesn't add up.
1. Somebody called the police.
Question: is that person (not) a neighbour? If not, what was the person doing there? How did s/he come to the conclusion something fishy was going on? How long did the s/he watch the unfoldingscenarion before calling the cops? And so on and so on. It just doesn't add.

2. Then the police came, and found out the house was owned by one of the guys.
Question: Shouldn't that be the end of the case? Why should there be any more drama - to the extent the house owner was later arrested? Was his conduct as described fit that of a thief? Was the police officer in the house to be respected or to arrest a thief? Do you tell a thief under operation to please step outside? Most of the story still don't add up for me and am not surprised about the cock and bull story.


On another note; didn't I once wrote that the people in Czechs Republic were clutchinh their bags everywhere I went? What I didn't write was that one of them go me so pissed that I had to give her a very agressive look.
Na wa o!

[NextLevel]

http://www.amnation.com/vfr/Police%2...s%20arrest.PDF

That's a link to the police reports. They make for very eye-opening reading and show that Auspicious has nailed what happened - Gates pissed off the cops by calling them racist so they decided to teach Gates a lesson.

[DeepThought]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

+

It does NOT matter if the Police was impolite or kissing the man's butt. The law is the fcuking law. Produce your ID immediately it was requested of you and let the arrogant (or arse-kissing - choose your pick) cop be on his doggone way.

You cannot afford to fight with this people - especially when they have a the right by way of law to make certain demands of you..and this are demands that you MUST comply with. The cop was doing his job, wether with finesse or crudely, and he must be obeyed.

If the man had simply produced the ID, we won't be here talking.

I had the same experience about 5 years ago - I did something similar as Mr. Gates'. I was legally parked on a shoulder of a street, waiting to pick a friend of mine, when this over-eager rookie cop sauntered over and told me to "move".

What?, I said. "Move it", he said - rudely. I swallowed my annoyance and moved to the opposite side of the road. Next, she shows up behind me and tells me to "beat it". Ahn, I was angry by now. But I didn't want to create a scene either.

Apparently, because it was a University campus area on a Halloween Evening, it was a little rowdy and the cops were on the edge already. Hence why they didn't want anyone standing there.

I should have simply left to find off-street parking, but I was irritated at the way this young cop (young enough to be my youngest brother) was barking orders at me.

I then made the mistake of gunning the engine with burning tyres while giving him the evil eye. Little did I know that the bastard would go back to his car and follow me..all the way to a quiet side street, where he pulled me over and wasted my time for almost an entire hour!

At the end of it all, he issued me a ticket for a littany of offenses, all totalling about 280 bucks. Yes, the money is an issue, but more importntly was that I allowed him to ruin my evening. It is never worth it to argue or fight a cop - he will almost always win, especially when he is right and I am wrong.

The man was right to tell me to move, but he wasn't right to be rude about it. But, who's going to hear your case about rude tones? And, really, is it worth it?

Is it worth that man being detained for 4 hours in a police station like a common thief? Does he need that bad publicity? COULD HE HAVE PRODUCED THAT IDENTIFICATION IMMEDIATELY IT WAS REQUESTED OF HIM?

The man insulted the cop while making the cop's job more complicated than it already is..and the cop retaliated by using his powers to make Mr. Gates have abad day.

Maybe you the reader, too, would do the same if you were in the cops shoes, who knows? Or maybe you will leave and keep an eye on Gates around town, and pull him over when next he's about 2 mph above the local speed limit to git yo pound o'flesh.

Knowing this things is NOT living in a bubble. It is called choosing your battles carefully, without necessarily taking bull-shit from people. The man began asking for trouble the moment he didn't produce his ID. And he didn't stop there, he began nagging the cop and talking about his Momma.

He's lucky it wasn't a Nigerian cop who showed up (dos wans nor dey show-up anyways); na butt of AK-47 dem go use shut-am up for Mouf.

Auspicious.

UMO, there is so much wrong with this reasoning that I don't even know where to start

Are we to believe that because it is not Nigeria and because he would have been beaten in Nigeria, Gates was wrong ?

Are we to believe that the Police should be allowed to do what they want because they are the police?

sigh

[DaBishop]

Are the Police by training allowed to 'teach' tax-paying patrons a lesson if they call them 'racists'? or the police are bound by a disciplined regimen in training?

BTW, I will be shocked if the policeman is not fired to minimize their cover.

[Big-K]

Nextlevel:

Did you miss the part where gates showed his ID as requested? If the policeman had ended it right there and then, there wouldn't have been a need for all the escalation. But he had to "show" gates who's the boss and here we are...

[Austin]

Auspy and suspy have nailed the matter in the head, they were both there live when the whole thing happened, believe me, walahi!

[NextLevel]

Originally Posted by Big-K

Nextlevel:

Did you miss the part where gates showed his ID as requested? If the policeman had ended it right there and then, there wouldn't have been a need for all the escalation. But he had to "show" gates who's the boss and here we are...

Big K,

The Police man did end it right there and then - you obviously read what you wanted to read. Gates continued to shout at the Policeman and call the police man a racist. Gates asked for the cop's name 3 times in a loud voice - doesn't that remind you of Nigerian bigmanism?

Did you miss that part too? Have you ever been pulled over by a cop and continually called the cop a racist in a loud voice? Have you seen how the cop treats you even if you are in the right but you are unapologetically hostile?

Even Oyibos will tell you that you are simply supposed to do what a cop tells you to do and to take whatever treatment you think you should have gotten up with a judge. You will never defeat a cop in real time by arguing with him in a loud voice. From the drunken judge to the tasered Grandma, they all lost. The footballer in Texas who could not see his dying mother-in-law got public sympathy in part because he was as patient as he could be under duress.

In fact, in police training, loud, unruly behavior is often taken as a sign that something might be afoot. One reason people break into their homes is because a spouse is locking them out. These are the kinds of things you cannot appreciate from a narrow perspective of "race is everything".

Gates was probably tired after a trip to China. However, part of what that report showed me was that he is one of those people who sees racism behind many things where there are other innocent explanations. My respect for him went down a few notches after this incident, moreso if that report is faithful.